-
Joy To The World
December 1, 2020
Have an opinion? Add your comment below. -
“Happiness Is A Factory Setting” Jim Fortin
I’m not going to lie. I’ve spent a majority of 2020 wallowing in my bullshit, feeling sorry for myself, seeing the glass half empty, focused on all that’s wrong with the world, deep down the rabbit hole of doom and obsessed with how the Covid-19 pandemic is making everything suck. Sounds fun right? NOT! I am guessing I am not alone in this line of reasoning; I mean misery loves company, right? This got me thinking about music trends.
Back in my day the Goths or Punk Rockers who leaned towards anarchy, revolting, all black garb and the darker side of life. They were the epitome of resistance and going against the grain. Then came the “emo” trend which was a popular genre of songs I worked on in my illustrious music career. Songs by the band The Used “Buried Myself Alive,” and “A Box Full of Sharp Objects” or “The Taste Of Ink” all leaned dark and mysterious. The band My Chemical Romance has some doozies as well “I’m Not Okay,” “Disenchanted,” “Cancer” and “Welcome To The Black Parade.” Why is it that these songs became so popular? Is it because most of the world identifies with struggle and suffering? Why does pessimism prevail? If artists, musicians and actors aren’t tortured souls, does this make their work less worthy of admiration? Is being a rebel a noble trait? Does it bring joy to the world? Does everyone hate Mariah Carey because all she wants for Christmas is you?
As we move through the Holiday Season, where celebration and joy ring high, let’s evaluate what percentage of our days all year long are spent in glee, jubilation, possibility, exhilaration and delight. Do you give yourself permission to feel these feelings on the daily? Or does the calendar dictate times you allow yourself to rejoice and appreciate your life? What portion of your day do you spend in lack, annoyance, sadness or negative thought patterns? According to the National Science Foundation, an average person has about 12,000 to 60,000 thoughts per day. Of those, 80% are negative and 95% are repetitive thoughts. If we repeat those negative thoughts, we think in a negative way more than we think positive thoughts. Since thoughts precede feelings, odds are happiness takes a back-seat majority of the time.
Here’s where we have it all twisted up and ass backwards. As babies we are born happy, it truly is a factory setting. When our parents smiled at us, we smiled back. When we were rolling around on the floor drenched in drool, we were giggling with glee. Were we thinking we were fat when our chunky thighs were hanging out of our diaper? NOPE. When we cried, we did so because basic needs aren't being met, not because our feelings were hurt. It’s only through conditioning, maladaptive behaviors, and unhealthy experiences that we shifted out of happiness 24/7. So how do we rewrite this jacked up script?
The first step is awareness. Pay serious attention to where you are functioning from all day. How much of the day are you living in happiness and possibility? Honestly, I never thought of it from a percentage perspective until I started working with the fabulous Wendy Wise. She is a First Nation Indigenous healer and coach who has literally broken me open to seeing my patterns. Once you are aware, you cannot go back. It’s such a gift to learn simple tools that can make monumental shifts in your life.
Here are some things I learned. Wise breathing - when you feel off or start to spiral into stupid stuff - breathe in and out of your mouth. Do this 5-7 times. It will interrupt your thought process and shift you back to awareness. Then ask yourself “Is this taking me closer or farther away from happiness, my goals, joy, freedom or whatever delights me?” For every breath you can choose again. These tools help you to create new more positive patterns that can truly change the trajectory towards play and pleasure. The more time we spend in joy, the more joy shows up.
It doesn’t need to be Christmas to sing “Joy To The World.” So, go ahead and like Justin Timberlake said, “I got that sunshine in my pocket, got that good soul in my feet.” It sure beats a “Box Full of Sharp Objects” any day. Sorry Bert! I hope this has served you as it has for me. After all, it’s always an Inside-Project.
If you are interested in learning more about Wendy Wise, click below:
https://wendywisehealer.com/Or sign up for an Intuitive Tap session with her!
https://training.wendywisehealer.com/offers/mFezDo3M/checkout -
-