Because Others: Joy and Your Craft

Despite the persistently aching fear I’ve felt about not having an income these past two months, the faith that I am doing the right thing keeps me moving forward.

When you find what makes you happy, you have to go all in.

Commitment to that fact must supersede all discomfort.

pile of poker chips being pushed in

all in? photopin.com

You have to let you know that you will do what it takes to look after you.

You, you, you.

You deserve it.

Especially because so few people are willing to commit to themselves. Especially because so few people are joyful. Because so few allow life in the living.

We have to be the ones that cover the cost. We have to be the ones that pay back to the universe all that she is consistently trying to give. We cannot put our heads down and accept drudgery simply because that path, at least, is mappable.

stressed man in business suit

this guy loves drudgery so much there’s just no time for joy! photopin.com

I write this because I have to remind myself of it constantly.

We deserve to spend this extremely short amount of time on earth enjoying ourselves.

I don’t mean that hedonistically; Enjoyment is often useless without service.

Part of the beauty in doing the things we love is that love creates joy and joy’s natural inclination is to turn itself outward.

Joy wants to share itself. Fancy that.

It takes no work to push ourselves toward service when we are joyful. Even if it’s only through smiling at a stranger or picking up a piece of trash…because little nice things are desperately lacking in life.

Wouldn’t you say?

happy girl in a crowd

joy like noone’s watching. photopin.com

Love and joy cause open our eyes to the world rather than turn our vision constantly inward and listen to that critical ego voice constantly telling us what we’re doing wrong or what we should be doing more of.

When you do what you love, the odds are that you will want to share it. Even if it’s just a little. With just one person. Or maybe just your cat.

In fact:

Use the time you spend in service as a measure of whether or not you are truly finding joy in your craft. If not, maybe it’s a good idea to reconsider the things to which you are devoting yourself?

When I write, I want to share it; I’ve never really had that feeling with other things.

I hope that as the writing helps me, it connects me somehow to the hearts of my readers and finds some way to help them, too. Even if it’s just that reader smiling because they think I’m full of shit.

open journal of writing

a little morning journal action

Whether you find joy in writing, computer programming, dancing, accounting, plumbing, whatever, a happy heart will spread itself. The product of your joy will help people. It doesn’t have to be in big ways.

It may just be positive energy radiating off that big happy brain of yours.

Effortless giving—we’re being lazy here.

Be joyfully lazy with me.

Won’t you?


So…have you found your thing?

Do you agree with this idea of wanting naturally to share joy? Admittedly it’s my own theory (although I’m sure it’s shared by many), but I often have this habit of thinking I’m right…

So what do you think??

Despite the persistently aching fear I’ve been feeling about not having an income these past two months, the faith that I am doing the right thing keeps me moving forward.

When you find what makes you happy, you have to go all in.

Commitment to that fact must supersede all discomfort.

You have to let you know that you will do what it takes to look after you.

You, you, you. You deserve it.

Especially because so few people are willing to commit to themselves. Especially because so few people are joyful. Because so few allow life in the living.

pile of poker chips being pushed in

 

We must be the ones to cover the cost. We have to be the ones to repay all that we’re given. We cannot bow our heads and accept drudgery simply because that path, at least, is mappable.

I write this because I have to remind myself of it constantly.

We deserve to spend this extremely short amount of time on earth enjoying ourselves. I don’t mean that hedonistically. Frankly, enjoyment is often useless without service.

Part of the beauty in doing the things we love is that love itself creates joy, and joy’s natural inclination is to turn itself outward. It wants to share itself.

Fancy that.

It should take no work to push ourselves toward service when we are joyful. Even if it’s only smiling at a stranger or picking up a piece of trash. Little nice things are desperately lacking in life.

When you do what you love, the odds are that you will want to share it. Even if it’s just a little. With just one person. Or maybe just your cat.

In fact:

Use the time you spend in service as a measure of whether or not you are truly finding joy in your craft. If not, maybe it’s a good idea to reconsider the things to which you are devoting yourself?

When I write, I want to share it; I’ve never really had that feeling with other things.

I hope that as the writing helps me, it connects me somehow to the hearts of my readers and finds some way to help them, too. Even if it’s just thereader smiling because they think I’m full of shit.

open journal of writing

a little of my morning journal action

Whether you find joy in writing, computer programming, dancing, accounting, plumbing, whatever, a happy heart will spread itself. The product of your joy will help people. It doesn’t have to be in big ways. It doesn’t have to save the world.

It may simply come from positive energy radiating off that big happy brain of yours.

Effortless giving—we’re being lazy here, and it’s great.

Be joyfully lazy with me.

Won’t you?


 

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