Friday, July 1, 2011

Life - A Joyful Journey


Life – A Joyful Journey

Life is a journey of the soul.  This journey can be treacherous and full of struggles and strife, but those hurdles are actually lessons and teachers for us.  Therefore, our life journey can be a beautiful experience if only we allow it to be.  We must awaken to this possibility and become aware of the potential of all that we experience in this life. 
            The question for many of us is, “How am I supposed to be happy about the junk that happens to me in my life?”  There is an infinite amount of ways to ask this question, but the underlying thread is the same.  Well, there are a few different ways to do this.  I am not promising that they are easy and will magically happen overnight, but they are quite powerful once you open to them.  I will share one way with you in this short article.
            The most important thing we could ever do in our lives is to have love and compassion for ourselves.  We so often beat ourselves up, degrade ourselves, belittle ourselves, and doubt ourselves.  We think we are not good enough.  We believe we cannot be successful.  We don’t feel worthy.  Once we can find love and compassion for ourselves we can shift those feelings and beliefs.  When we do this we allow ourselves to take off the masks we all wear at times – we allow ourselves to uncover our true selves and be authentic. 
            The only way to truly love others and feel joy in our lives is to first know ourselves and to love who we are.  Picture yourself as a small child who is sad, scared, angry or hurt.  Then imagine yourself being an adult who takes that small child in his/her arms and holds him/her taking away the pain or fear.  Another option is to consider a small animal – a puppy, a kitten - whatever resonates with you and doing the same to make the animal feel safe and secure.  What matters is that you visualize giving love and feeling compassion for that innocent being.  This can help you do the same for yourself. 
            This powerful technique can transform your life.  As you uncover your true self and open your heart you will open your eyes to the joy in your life whether or not it comes disguised as pain and strife.  It is all a lesson, an opportunity for growth and expansion as human beings and as the spiritual beings that we are.    

© 2011 Janelle Alex, Spiritual Coach, Relationship Coach, International Media Host, and Co-founder of Inward Oasis.  http://www.inwardoasis.com