Find joy despite life’s obstacles

Your inner child wants to laugh. You are not only a child when you are young — you can also be a child in your 20s, 30s, 70s, 80s and beyond.

by Bruce F. Rosen — 

Beneath the noise of daily life — filled with traffic congestion and sirens, incessant text messages and emails demanding answers, and obligations you are striving to fulfill — your true self is aching to experience and express joy, which is your birthright. Here are six ways to allow joy to enter your life:

1. Let joy in. You cannot obtain it like a material possession. It washes over you when you are doing the best you can to live an honest life and make wise choices. When you allow yourself to love yourself and let go, you will see that there are many things in life to treasure.

2. Give and receive gracefully. Try to limit your pride and need to control. Selfless giving brings peacefulness, resulting in joy. Gratitude allows you to accept the blessings of life, and then offer them in return.

3. Let go of regret and guilt, and move on. Perhaps the time has come for a relationship to end. This is not to say that you will not experience regret. Regret is necessary to educate your actions, to realize that you have made mistakes and to acknowledge failures. However, if it is not mitigated, it can destroy your health, rob you of self-worth and deprive you of a life full of happiness and joy.

4. Do what you love in any way possible. Music is magical. People create sounds that soothe the gods, as well as themselves, through voice and instruments. Enjoy theater, politics, and sports or recreation. Enjoy that you have a body that magically follows your commands. Find the joy in being human, and do what you love.

5. Laugh more. Your inner child wants to laugh. You are not only a child when you are young — you can also be a child in your 20s, 30s, 70s, 80s and beyond. When my mother was alive, her laughter amazed me. Even in her 60s, she laughed with the infectious, joyful, contagious sound of a little girl — dimples deepening within her cheeks. She brought joy wherever she went. I inherited the joy of laughter from my mom. We inherit so much from those we love. So allow yourself to recognize, appreciate and be joyful for the good that you have inherited — it is who you are.

6. Let go of your cares and worries. Take your cares and worries seriously, but be kind and gentle enough with yourself to let them go. Accept that you are human, fallible and that ultimately you need to be kind to yourself. All things will pass, including your life. You are here for a short time, so try to find more joy in your journey.

Bruce F. Rosen is an investment officer at a major financial firm by day and an award-winning writer by night. He is the author of If You Ever Need Me, I Won’t Be Far Away. www.almarosepublishing.com.