Mindfulness everyday: How to live with intentional joy

Today I had a bunch of errands and plans I wanted to complete. Last night, I set my alarm clock to wake up one hour earlier as I wanted to start my day with a run. Recently I have set the intention to invest more time to pay more attention to joy in my life. I’m intentionally focusing in find more meaningful things every day. Even though our days today look different, we are still busy, and dealing with a lot in everyday life. More than ever it is vital to take time to do the things that bring meaning and value to our life. Setting this joyful intention has helped with finding more mental and physical energy. I have been doing three things to bring more joy daily. I will share with you today how these three simple things have been enriching my life and hope that you can add them to yours. If these actions do not resonate with you, please find other and customize your intentional joy. Three joyful energy boosters: Create more community connections Today, as I went for my run, I came across 20- 25 people. The trail that I went for my run was busy. In my journey, I said good morning to everybody that crosses my path. Usually, I get quite a good number of replies back. But for some reason, today, I only got three. Yes, only three. I was not getting many verbal responses, and it got me thinking if it was worth it. I came to the following conclusion. I still think it was valuable to say good morning to everybody this morning in my run. Even though the number of people who replied was low, I could still connect to three people they replied. Two of them gave two big smiles. I got three community connections, and I connected three times with trust and joyful energy. I also gave the same gift to the people that replied. Maybe even the people that didn’t respond also got a connection. Connecting with Nature Every day I sit outside on my deck, back yard, or porch. Today, I sat on my porch to work on writing some blog posts. As I was sitting, I noticed so many bugs, bees, and unusual insects. Whenever I saw a one, I stopped typing, I observed the insect, followed what it was doing, and admired their beauty. Amazingly, all these were all so beautiful, delicate, and fascinating to watch. Connecting with nature is something that I love to do because It reminds me it is critical to stop, pause, and admire beautiful things. Keeping track of the people that support me Every day I have been intentionally paying attention to the people in my life that support me in the small, routine, or simple things. Daily I notice the person who put the groceries in my car. This person drops off our daily package deliveries, the person who complimented my mask, the person who washed my car, the person who answers the phone at the dentist office, the person who sends me a check for payment for my work, the person who smiled at me and said thank you. When my kids give a hug, and I love you and a thank you. When my husband helps with business and people attend my classes and online programs. I write all of these events in my gratitude journal. They remind me of the goodness in my life. I can now see clearly how each day I get tons of support and help from people. The more I look, the more I find. One quote ― Adrienne Enns“I believe that joy is at the core of my being. I know the joy I seek is already within me. I commit to it with a lightness and ease that evaporates all barriers. I will create joyful moments with every heartbeat.” One question Have you considered setting an intention to connect with more joyful energy in your life? If you would like more information or want to CONNECT with me, visit happymeditator.com.