So often on my own path of spiritual awakening, I have forgotten one very important thing.
Being human is an expression of the Divine. And my own personal joy is an outpouring of that expression.
Essentially, your own personal joy will light up the world and fill it with love more than any other thing you can do.
That statement causes resonance and confusion all at once.
We know we are expressions of the Divine. Yet much of what we are taught tells us to put ourselves last, sacrifice, give to others, become more of what we are, etc. We’ve been so inundated in this message of being good=giving to others first, that we forget we can give our joy to others.
When you see someone smile, the corners of your own mouth start to turn up. Unless you put thought into why you shouldn’t be smiling, you receive the gift of that person’s joy. We often have trouble receiving the gift of joy, which makes sense why we forget it is something we have to offer. When you are happy and joyful you radiate that to others and have an energetic impact on them. Your smile received by another can carry them through the whole day. When we share our joy we are offering a higher frequency to which others can raise up to meet and call forth in themselves.
So why do we forget this amazing gift we have to offer ourselves and others? Because we often don’t take the time to reconnect to ourselves and receive it from our Source. We have gotten out of the habit of connecting to ourselves, our souls, and our Source throughout the day. If you have a morning meditation or spiritual practice, great, that’s a good start. But that can wear off through the day, just like our breakfast does.
There is a distinct difference between connecting and being connected. When we train ourselves to be connected through the day, we literally become channels of love and joy, and as we bring that into us, and send it out. We receive the benefit and then we pass it on. This is why in the field of well-being, you are asked to pause and take moments of joy and reflect on those moments. The more in alignment with your own joy you are, the more you will pass it on to others.
Which came first, the chicken or the egg? I don’t know, but I do know if you are a giving person you will cultivate joy. I also know if you cultivate joy, you will also be a more giving person. They go hand in hand. When you are happy and joyful you are expanded and want to give to the world around you. I bring this up because so often we are shamed with the concept of being selfish that we opt to not give to ourselves, i.e. take time to experience our own joy, and instead choose to do something for others. Sometimes that’s fine, but sometimes you feel depleted and frustrated and less joyful than you thought you would. And that creates a whole cycle that’s another story. So yes, sometimes giving to others creates joy and sometimes, it just creates overwhelm.
On the other hand, cultivating joy in yourself always allows you to give something to others. Your joy is a gift to the world and it lights up the world. When you are happy you hold the space of happiness for others to rise up to. We are energy and we lead by energy We as humans lead by example. Our words always fall short of what our energy and actions convey. If you want to see more of something in the world, then be it. First energetically and then by how you act. It’s easy for humans to get caught up in the thinking, the idea of things. This is why we often say to drop out of your head and into your heart. Overthinking can rob you of your own joy.
Whenever you catch yourself overthinking, pause, focus on your heart center, and take a deep breath in, then use your amazing mind to think of something that brings you joy.
We still don’t know which came first, but just like the chicken and the egg, joy and giving go hand in hand.
You’ve undoubtedly tried giving as a means to joy, now try it the other way around and see how the people around you start to shift according to your powerful joy energy.
