Taking Time to Jump For Joy

I trust you have had a wonderful week. My daughter, Maggie, reminded me of something wonderful this week -- the importance of jumping for joy.

How long has it been since you were so excited about something that you physically began to jump up and down? For me, it has been years. I guess jumping for joy is not a normal behavior for adults. I may begin to break this unspoken rule. . .

On Wednesday afternoon I announced to my daughter that the following day she would be taking a field trip with her school to MerryMead Farms. MerryMead is a local farm that has hayrides, a corn maze, pumpkin patches and of course, ice cream. The moment after I made the announcement, my daughter began jumping up and down for joy. She could not contain her delight! Her smile was as wide as her face and she even began to squeal with delight!

I enjoyed seeing her so happy. Maggie truly loves life and celebrates everything about it. In the morning if I give Maggie oatmeal for breakfast, she makes an audible "mmmm" sound as she eats each bite. Sometimes she even tries to lick the bowl clean because she savors every last drop!

One important aspect of Harnessing Your Personal Power is to begin to live in a state of gratitude. As my inner despair got to its worst a few years ago, one of the only ways I knew how to shift my emotions was to begin taking stock of anything and everything I could feel grateful for. I saw that if I focused my thoughts on things I felt grateful for, my emotions shifted from feeling negative or down to feeling positive or up.

The more that I focused on gratitude and walked one thought at a time down "The Trail of Gratitude," the better I began to feel. The more I took stock of things I was thankful for, the more blessings in my life I became aware of.

Gratitude is now a daily practice for me. Anytime I feel myself starting to get sad, worried, fearful or depressed, I can regain my power by focusing my thoughts to gratitude.

As you approach this week, I encourage you to start expressing gratitude for anything and everything you enjoy in your life. Make a list -- from little things like a nice, hot cup of coffee to big things like having a joyful child -- get it all out on paper. Then, begin letting the people around you know when you feel gratitude for them. Imagine what the World would be like if we expressed to those around us how much we appreciate them. . . I envision a World where people smile more and where more adults begin to jump for joy.

If you happen to have any stories to share about things in your life that make you jump for joy, please pass them along to me. I enjoy sharing in joy with as many people as I can!

May you create an experience in your life that gives you the opportunity to jump for joy this week!

A big hug to all,
Trish