Permission to Feel Joy EP 330

Hello, beautiful human. I want to give you permission for something today. Permission to feel joy. I know that sounds almost too simple. But I've noticed that so many of us have this quiet, guilty feeling when things are going well. Like we should hold back, not celebrate too much, not let ourselves get too happy because surely something will go wrong. That's called "foreboding joy," and researcher Brené Brown writes about it beautifully. The first time I heard her talk about it, I recognized it right away. It’s downplaying a big accomplishment because we don’t want to worry what might happen next or if we can follow up with something as impressive.  It’s not celebrating and instead, deal-making with ourselves instead. If I don’t share my good news or get too excited, then I’m somehow keeping something bad from coming. It’s not rational, but it’s how we’ve often learned to cope.  We preemptively dim our own light to protect ourselves from potential disappointment. And in doing so, we rob ourselves of the very moments we've been working toward. Here's how I’m learning to push back to that habit: joy is not naive. Feeling joyful isn’t selfish, it’s courageous. Letting yourself feel genuinely delighted, by a sunny morning, a good song, a laugh that catches you off guard, is an act of bravery, not foolishness. You don't have to earn joy. You don't have to wait until everything is resolved. Joy doesn't require perfect circumstances. It shows up in the smallest places, and it's real, and it's yours. So today, when something makes you smile, let it. Really let it. Don't hold back. Laugh fully. Appreciate what's good without rushing past it. The world is allowed to be beautiful and hard at the same time. It’s okay to be aware of the hard things that are happening, the tragic loss, or the natural disaster, or the cruelty we see on the news. You and I are still allowed to notice the beautiful parts too. We can acknowledge that everything isn’t as we’d like and still experience joy in the moment.  I hope you find something that brings you joy today. And when you find it stay there for a second. You deserve it.