The new year period has had me thinking a lot about how I can try to be more joyful in 2018. My 2017 was a huge rollercoaster of emotions and I definitely want to make sure my 2018 is filled with more highs than lows. Since one of my goals for this year is to be more present, I figured that cultivating joy (specifically in the small things) would be one step towards this.
Finding joy can seem like a bleak possibility for some people; maybe not even a possibility at all and there are definitely times where everyone feels this way. There were so many times during 2017 where I felt like finding joy was going to be impossible. But what did make it possible was when I shifted my focus on not expecting joy to come from big things, but instead the small things.
So just what are the small things? This depends on you! I found joy in seeing my skin improve by following a routine. I focused on the feeling this gave me and made it a daily habit to continue with my skincare routine so that it could give me continuous joy. I also found joy in just hanging out with my friends. Most of them are at university, so I couldn't see them freely anymore. But the times we do meet up are filled with laughter and loads of food! This makes me really appreciate the moment and focus on the joy I feel being with them. Meeting my sister when she came home from school and even coming across a cute animal video on Twitter lifted my spirits a lot too!
You don’t have to look far in order to find something to be joyful about! Maybe that first sip of coffee in the morning or the feeling of the sun on your face is the thing that makes you take in a deep breath and really appreciate the present moment. Your pets, your kids, the food you eat, or even your favourite pyjamas can all hold the joy you need to cultivate! Over the Christmas period, I found joy in being with my family and as I’ve gotten older, the joy I feel around Christmas is more about the people I’m with, rather than what I receive as presents, and this has made me feel way more happier!
There are many ways to cultivate joy and it doesn’t have to be difficult to do so. For example, you can keep a joy journal and write down every single thing that made you happy that day. You can also make practising gratitude a daily habit too, and surround yourself with joyful people. The company you keep can really say a lot about you and it has an effect on how you think and perceive things, so avoid the negative and toxic people and replace them with the happy and positive people in your life. If you find you don't have joyful people in your life, then go out and meet more people like this. I know it's definitely easier said than done, but when you put yourself out there you'll definitely be glad you did it.
By cultivating joy in your own life, you'll be helping other people without realising it! When people see the joy coming from you, they will be inspired to start doing the same thing too. Just like there are always things to be grateful for, there are also always things to be joyful for. It’s just about shifting your mindset to finding the joy in the small everyday things that will begin your process to cultivating joy in every area of your life.
When that big extravagant thing comes, you’ll already be filled with so much happiness from before, you’ll truly get to appreciate the thing you’ve been waiting for. This is one of those topics where the journey is more important than the destination so give this a go and see how you get on!