June Joy Project

“They say a person needs just three things to be truly happy in this world: someone to love, something to do, and something to hope for.” ~Tom Bodett

Happy June!

So, I’ll just state the obvious… this last week has been another shining example of everything that’s wrong with the world. This isn’t a political post by any means, and I’m certainly not going to throw another opinion in the mix. We don’t need any more rants or protests in the world, and here’s the deal… I’m not going to tell you what you do need. That is not my job. The only thing I can do, is continue to try and figure out what it is that I need to live in this world. It’s a daily battle, and I don’t always win.

But that’s okay, because my lessons will continue to show up in one form or another until I finally learn.

Choosing joy isn’t exactly new to me. I’ve written about it. I’ve posted about it. I’ve rallied for it. And yet, at the end of ten weeks of quarantine, I’m feeling the need to search for it again. I genuinely believe the answers we are searching for is finding out what makes us happy. And this isn’t a one size fits all answer. Nor is the mission ever complete. What made me happy in my twenties is far different from what makes me happy now.

Hell, what made me happy ten weeks ago looks different than it does now.

I don’t know what June will bring, but I do know that the world is different now, and it’s our J O B to continue to grow with it. It’s your choice—always has been—to find your joy.

In order to do this, you have to let go of the stuff you don’t want to make room for the stuff you do. You can’t have both.

You can’t have resentment and be grateful.

You can’t be self-sacrificing and fulfilled.

You can’t be everything to everyone without losing a part of yourself.

You have to choose yourself first. I don’t know how I wrote an entire book about this last year, and it’s just now hitting me how much those words resonate with me.

I see that now.

Gratitude and happiness are choices—daily battles, sometimes—and always based on your own perspective. Sure, there are horrible things in the world, but only we can choose where our focus lies.

Homework: Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to find ONE thing that brings you joy everyday. Of course, you can do more (make a list!), but starting small with just one thing will begin a shift into something bigger. It’s not a contest, and only you can decide what your one thing is. I’m going to post mine on Instagram and try to have some fun with it.

I hope you do the same.

And when in doubt, find something fabulous to read :)

xo, Mo