Joy is a Practice: 8 simple ways to celebrate and find more joy everyday

If you're not living each day in a way that brings you happiness, then take a look at this 8 joyful tips below and brighten up your daily routine!

1. Play Dead
I know this may feel counterintuitive, but the first way to practice joy is to remind yourself every morning that you are going to die and everyone you love will die. Wait! Don’t go. Read on! When we remember that our days are limited and that at any moment we could lose someone we love, we bring more attention to what a gift life is. When my son walks out the door to go to school in the morning, I look him in the eye, I tell him I love him, I give him a big hug. Thinking of death doesn’t have to be morbid; it can be a reminder of how much we love and who we want to be while we’re here.

2. Give Thanks
Every morning take the time to list 10 things you’re grateful for. You’ve heard it 1000 times before. And there’s a reason for that. What we focus on expands. When we focus on what we have, we feel good. And we start looking for more things to appreciate. And we find more things. And we feel even better. When you make your list, and as you go about your day, try to include things you take for granted — like being able to see, the car starting, running water, heat, having a bed, your child’s creative mind.

3. Inspire Ourselves
Face it; there is a lot of negativity out there in the world. It’s key to seek out the beauty and inspiration we want in our life. To consciously create our own sense of well-being. Here are a few ways to inspire yourself”
• Spend just 10 minutes in the morning playing music, reading or writing poetry, laughing with your children, dancing, reading good fiction, or walking out in nature.
• Pay attention to messages you are hearing inside or outside of your head. Consciously turn your attention elsewhere when something negative crops up. Do this over and over and over. Feed yourself inspirational audio rather than the news.

4. Energize and Revitalize
There’s no separation between our bodies and our emotional states. Make it key to be healthy. Eat well, sleep well, and exercise. Seek ways to feel energetic. Energy=joy. Here are a few:
• Play music you love and dance for three minutes.
• Do ten minutes of yoga.
• Take a 10-min walk and look at the sky.
• Deliberately drink Amazing Grass vs coffee at the afternoon low.
• Add a vegetable or leafy green to your lunch or dinner.

5. Create extraordinary moments
Consciously choose to make someone feel great or to create a beautiful moment for yourself.
• Send a thank you note to the clerk at the drugstore, an
author, a teacher, etc.
• Look someone in the eyes.
• Deliberately compliment someone.
• Give someone a flower — even a stranger.
• Start a conversation or share a laugh with a stranger.
• Creative, conscious gift giving.
• Write three things you love about someone and mail ‘em.

6. Seek an Adventure
One simple joy that we often forget about occurs when we break out of our rut and challenge ourselves, even in the smallest of ways. I have a coaching client who told me one day that he was dedicated to doing something differently every day for a week. Driving a different route, going someplace new for lunch, wearing clothes he didn’t normally wear. Try it.
• Sign up for a new class.
• Pick up a book about something brand new.
• Meet someone new.
• At lunch today, take your lunch and sit somewhere brand new.
• Use a coffee mug you never use.
• Wear something you don’t normally wear.
• Speak your mind in a new way.

7. Elevate the ordinary
Buddha said, “If we could see the miracle of a single flower clearly, our whole life would change.” Often what creates a real feeling of joy is simply that we are present to life. Try it, right now. Stop reading. In the next two minutes, breathe deeply and focus on something in front of you. Really see it. Imagine this is the first time you are seeing this object or person. What happens?

8. Celebrate
At the end of the day, spend just 5 or 10 minutes making a list of everything that went right. What did you do that made someone smile? What electronics didn’t break? Were you able to walk/see/think? Did you have a connection with your spouse or child? Did you make someone feel great or create an extraordinary moment for them? Don’t let these things go unnoticed. Celebrate yourself and your life. You want more joy in your life? Celebrate the joy you do have. Celebrate the amazing person you already are. Bill Cunningham said, “Those who seek beauty are sure to find it.” When you find it, celebrate it!

Here's to a life filled with joy!