When life gives you lemons…

July has been a very interesting month of intense personal introspection and expansion into deeper layers of my personal TRUTH. I had decided a while back that I would no longer “judge” any of my experiences as good or bad and instead just greet what ever was presenting itself in front of me with curiosity and openness. This is one of my core spiritual practices that allows me to trust, surrender and embody my mantra that ” everything always works out for me”. I feel like this practice has collapsed the time/space continuum of my life. The duality within the events of my experience is occurring simultaneously. Huge changes are sitting side by side. Perhaps it was always like this and my focus has shifted? Not sure, all I know is that within the chaos and demands of my life I have been able to maintain my center, and even find sweetness in all the sour moments that have presented themselves to me. Every moment now becomes an opportunity rather than a burden. Every experience is sharpening my arrow of living a joyFULL life.

When life gives me lemons I seem to turn them into fuel for becoming an expert Joy Hunter. That doesn’t mean I bypass the emotion that I am experiencing, rather it means that as I continue this earth walk, especially now as a single mother, with more clarity in each moment that whilst juggling my many responsibilities and demands of life making a conscious choice to become a “Joy Hunter” means actively meeting myself in moments of bliss in each day and in each experience.

I am a very results driven person, I always have been. Since deciding to be a Joy Hunter, accelerated by the many major life events of the past 4 years I might add, the first step on this journey is to have self-compassion, and this meant that I needed to treat myself with the same kindness and understanding that I would my closest friend. To allow myself to feel vulnerable and gentle. Self-compassion has been a foundational element for me as I often can’t meet my own (probably unrealistic) expectations of how I want to be as a mother, daughter, lover, friend. I often find my well of energy quite stretched. The question I always ask myself is how can my children and all those whom I love get the best of me when there are so many demands on my time?

Short answer: Set Realistic Goals! I have a small white board in my kitchen and I can only fit maximum 5-6 tasks on it. That is plenty. And each week I work through them. Allowing time for rest and self-care. Celebrating each one and feeling that little dopamine hit each time one gets rubbed off the board! That’s a really concrete way of inviting joy into my life too. When we need to wear many hats and have huge amounts of responsibility, it is easy to loose yourself. Anther important factor for me is to embrace my network of support people. The best part of joy hunting is sharing the journey of life with others.

When I speak with my family and friends I hear the word “guilt” a lot. I have also removed that word from my vocabulary! Guilt truly is a wasted emotion. I invite you all to LET GO OF GUILT. Especially when life gives you lemons. Focus on the attention you are giving to your loved ones. I especially notice when I’m off track as I have 3 precious children letting me know when I’m not giving them attention! Presence is the antidote to guilt as well as being courageous to live the life you came here to live rather than worrying too much about what others think.

Being a Joy Hunter is about finding happiness in the journey within ALL of life despite its challenges. By cultivating self-compassion, setting realistic goals, embracing support networks, prioritising “me” time, creating special moments with your your special people, practicing gratitude, and letting go of guilt, you can embark on a fulfilling path of joy and contentment. Remember that the only thing that truly defines you is your sense of self. So, embrace the joy within you, and let it radiate into the lives of everyone around you. Turn those lemons into radiant rays of JOY.

P.S. if you enjoyed this blog and the work I am sharing with you and feel the call to support me on this path please see below a donation form. Everything is energy and your contribution means the world to me. Many blessings and thank you.