Life is full of contrast.
Perhaps as you're reading this, you're experiencing significant contrast in your life right now. This may mean that you're in the midst of a crisis. How you navigate this crisis is of the utmost importance. You always have choices even when you don't recognize them.
Joy may seem highly inappropriate as you navigate this crisis. However, you're not being disloyal or disrespectful if you seek joy in a crisis. In fact, joy is one of the choices in how to navigate more easily through a challenge. Additionally, gratefulness is another way you will best navigate through a crisis. There are also your personal habits.
Be diligent practicing your beneficial habits as they will support you through challenging times and the energy will be felt by others as well, in some way, shape, or form. Think the popular sentiment..."Our energy ripples out to all".
Every single one of us, no matter what our circumstances, can find something to be grateful for. It can range from many 'somethings' to one 'something'. You have at least one 'something'. Look for it.
Habits, choices, action, joy, and gratitude all matter.
Joy seems elusive in challenging times. It isn't. It's always there waiting for you to allow for it. Is there a bluebird that showed up on your feeder today? That bluebird is bringing you joy. What about that daffodil that's poking up through the ground? You planted it last Fall hoping it would live and show you Spring. That's a joyful thing indeed.
For me, it's all of the above, and listening to my husband rip out the floor baseboards in our living room while he's listening to music. As I hear him opening and closing doors going in and out of the garage for tools. I feel both gratitude and joy for my husband, our home, and for music.
You know how to do this because you do this in large and small ways every day already. Even in crisis, today is no different from any other day in terms of being able to feel appreciation.
Now we come to feelings. Joy is not about denying your troubling feelings.
All of your feelings are worthwhile and valid. However, it will serve your life journey well if you nurture the habits that will support you through troubling times. And it's those beneficial habits that will transform your thoughts and beliefs around the crisis or challenge you're experiencing.
Think of this crisis as an opportunity for your spirit's growth.
Mankind experiences crises in all shapes and forms to varying degrees. If you're experiencing a crisis you never thought you would see in your lifetime, you're in good company. You may be somewhat or very shocked. How you process life experiences is as individual and as unique as you are.
The crisis will end and mankind will have evolved. And you'll now better understand how to effect a dramatic positive shift in your life. If you can step up to looking to yourself in challenging times, you'll definitely be able to do this on an average day. This is you learning to stand in your personal power and create light in more and more moments. Even in the tough moments. Mastering your energy in terms of your thoughts, feelings, and emotions, through your choices, patterns, and habits will serve you well. It will serve others well.
And expect more opportunities throughout your life, to experience mastery around life crises and everyday challenges. But also expect more opportunities for mastery around creating light, love, joy, compassion, lightheartedness, and ease. Humanity is all of this. Being human affords plenty of practice in seeing our power.
So the question becomes, how do we want to navigate and live through these times? At any time?
Do we want to stand for collaboration? Peace? Love? Joy? Compassion? Inspiration? Or, do we want to live in fear and buy into hopelessness and disillusionment? Sure things can always be better. Way better. But do we realize how important we are in how the world's experiences progress? Each one of us is creating that which we are experiencing. There's no better time to practice calming our mind, body, and spirit so to create the kind of world we want to contribute to. Contribute in terms of love, peace, collaboration, support, kindness, cooperation, and assistance.
This moment in our lives is a turning point. In fact, every moment is a turning point. But it's the seemingly biggest moments of enormous challenge that can awaken more of us to our true selves. Your true self is a beautiful loving energy. That energy fears nothing. Being in a human lifetime means experiencing a range of emotions. Of course at times you'll naturally feel fear. I'm merely suggesting things anyone can do to manage a temporary or new normal that has fear attached to it.
On the one hand, I know that it's completely normal to feel fear around global disease. Or, to feel disillusioned by how some people are treating each other. But I also feel very strongly that I will not let this kill my spirit.
I will do everything in my power to learn what this experience is bringing me. This lifetime is only temporary so I savor it because I'm in this particular lifetime but once. Everything I experience in this lifetime will evolve me, sometimes kicking and screaming, but always moving forward. I just might not always notice it.
Calming mind, body, and spirit is but one way to assist ourselves. As we navigate through what we process as our more challenging moments, these simple practical practices can keep one centered, self-aware, and trusting that we are still empowered, strong, and loving beings no matter what is appearing.
Resources: Here's a post titled: "We're The Big Picture".