Woo-hoo! I have been hired to conduct a Living in Joy workshop by one of the local colleges. It will be my first, official, paid gig as a public speaker. I did the Nashville workshop in August, but that one was a seminar that I organized, myself. This one is different, because I was the one invited, not the one doing the inviting, and that feels like a dream is coming true.
There are a lot of Living in Joy lessons, here, so let me share five of them with you.
1. Know what you want. It seems obvious, but the next time you are in the middle of something you clearly do NOT want, ask yourself what is it that you DO want? It may surprise you how much easier it is to identify the uncomfortable things and recoil from them, than to imagine the most fabulous things and run toward them.
2. Talk about it. My dream was to answer the question, “Shelly, how is it you always seem so happy?” and to help other people do that, too. Now, I get to try, because I started talking about it. You might be surprised at how many people are anxious to help you. We love winners. We love seeing people chase dreams and succeed, because it gives us all permission to do the same. And we love to think we are a part of someone else’s dream-living success. Give us the chance.
3. Go for it. Had I not conducted the Nashville workshop, the organizer at the college would not have known I am available for such things as seminars and workshops. Do you want a promotion? Start managing your current workload while also helping your superior meet his or her goals. Do you want to experience love in your life? Start loving. Do you want to be happier? Just start smiling as if you are already happy. (Actually, “feel good” endorphin hormones are released when your muscles contract in that way, so it really does make you feel happier.)
4. Appreciate Fear. I wrote a blog around the time of my Nashville seminar wherein I tried to explain how terrifying it felt to put myself out there, exposing my hopes and dreams, and putting myself in a position to fail. It wasn’t easy or fun. However, Fear is that emotion that warns us to prepare. Ultimately, it is meant to act like a flashing light to get us to pay attention to details, not like a closing gate to stand between us and our dreams. Prepare the best you can. Afterwards, make notes of what you can do better the next time. I know there were failure points in my Nashville seminar. The next one will be better. And much less frightening.
5. Be content with the fact that dreams are unattainable. Now, I know you thought I would say, “attainable,” but the truth is that once we reach a certain goal of our choosing, we immediately fill it with another one. It’s one of the side-effects of being alive. As long as we are alive, as long as we intend to keep living, we want new experiences, and we keep dreaming bigger, better dreams. It seems that the small successes we have, the bits of reinforcement that we get when we reach a goal, serve only to inspire us. I am very, very excited about this seminar, but I am also aware that this does not mean I’ve reached the finish line. Quite the opposite. I’m barely at the starting gate.
I truly believe that Living in Joy regardless of your circumstances hinges on some of these core concepts. You really can be, have and do anything you want to do in this lifetime, if you will just start by imagining what that might be. I, myself, am imagining very big, full, wonderful things. I hope you are, too! Care to share what they are? You never know who might be reading and need exactly what you hope to do.
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