Finding Joy: A 12-Step Program
by Learning to live a joyful life.
Step #11: Set aside time for fun. What do you really love to do in your free time? If your answer is that you have no free time and/or you can’t remember what you enjoyed in the past, then you have read this just in time. Everyone has free time if they are willing to carve it out of their schedules. It isn’t as hard as you think: postpone, reschedule, cancel, say “no” occasionally. Walk out the door and don’t ell anyone where you’re going. Turn off your cell phone/blackberry/ipod. Find a quiet place, take a deep breath, relax. Now think back. What did you do for pleasure before you let your life get to this point? Fishing, reading, opera, hiking, biking? Whatever it was, start with that one thing you enjoyed so much and find time for it again. Once you have found time for one just enjoyable pursuit, move on. What have you always wanted to do? Learn to fly, scuba dive, play an instrument, paint, cook, dance? Once you are having fun, joy will be easier to find.
Step #12: Learn to enjoy simply pleasures. Some people that to have fun, they have to spend a lot of money pursuing big pleasures: ocean cruises, mountain climbing, river rafting, safaris, vacations to exotic locales. Not that these adventures wouldn’t be thrilling, but it is not necessary to spend your life savings or risk your neck to find joy. Little adventures are closer to home, more affordable and quite enjoyable. When was the last time you took your kids on a picnic, visited your local museum or art gallery, took in a baseball game? Have you ever spent a Saturday afternoon exploring the flea market or strolling through the old quarter of your city? Is there anything of historical interest (battlefield, famous home, riverboat) or visual interest (mountains, seashore) in your area or close enough for a day trip?: Do you enjoy little theater, lectures, concerts or book signings? Taking a long walk, bike ride, canoe ride. Go rollerblading in the park. Get up early and watch the sun rise. Life is full of little treasures just waiting to be discovered.
Finding joy takes work, perseverance, desire and courage. But joy is attainable if you want it badly enough, are patient enough to see it through, and are willing to put forth the effort to find it.
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Post CommentInger Marie
On June 28, 2009 at 5:29 am
Hello. I agree in what you say and again. We can never tell others what to feel or think or mean. They have to discover that by themselves. Many many are writing about those things, more and more as the years are pasing by. I think it is in the “air” that we have to find happiness inside, if not, we can not find substitutes there can make us happy. Only for a short time. Any way, I think all ours lifes are “written down” before we enter this life. Of course we have a free will, but the main goal for our lifes, is set. Happiness is one of the things we shall learn here on earth. We shall learn to get rid of jealousy, grids, hate, warthoughts, envyings, to be friendly, love others. If you treath others like you want to be treathed, you will find a better life. Work with your self all the life. Nothing is coming for free. Life is a struggle, and that is why we are here.We can all feel inside, when we do wrong or right things. Listen!
V rank
On December 28, 2009 at 9:43 am
Well, when all these things are perfectly practiced, I think I would be perfect… lolz.. hehehe… During the process of finding the real joy is really that painful… Change is never easy but once we have learned to master it, we would experience our desired joy…