Joy Matters

““We cannot cure the world of sorrows, but we can choose to live in joy.” ”

— Joseph Campbell

At times like these, it might be easy to tune into the external happenings and lose sight of the power we have to turn up the light we carry within. It is our choice to experience and create joy, even in the face of world events.

We don’t have to wait for joy to find us. Joy is something we can create for ourselves.

Why Joy Matters
Choosing joy has nothing to do with denying the chaos, struggles, and difficulties that fill the news. It is a process for shoring up our mental health, and strengthening our ability to establish greater creativity, resilience, and connection in our lives. Studies have shown that joy can:

Reduce stress and increase overall well-being. A joyful mindset helps to balance our emotions and lighten the pressure we carry.

Spark creativity. The more we engage in joyful activities, the more open we become to new ideas and inspiration.


Deepen our relationships. Joy is contagious. Our joyful demeanor effects those around us, supporting our connections with others.


Improve physical health. It’s likely to be no surprise, that joy has been linked to lowering blood pressure, strengthening the immune system, and even increasing life expectancy.

In essence, joy is a powerful force… a supportive choice.

7 Methods of Creating More Joy in Your Life

Here are just some of the simple ways for infusing your life with more joy:

1. Be Present in the Moment.
Joy isn’t experienced in the past or the future. It is felt in the here and now. Take a deep breath, observe your surroundings, and take in this present moment.

2. Play with Your Creativity.
When was the last time you created something just for the fun of it? Any form of creative expression opens the door to joy… whether it’s painting, writing, dancing, or doodling.

3. Cultivate Gratitude.
Grateful people have an overall higher level of happiness and satisfaction with their lives. They are more easily able to keep the “ups and downs” of life in perspective and look at the good, even during difficult times. (shared from 2014 Post)

4. Move Your Body.
Go for a walk. Stretch. Connect with your body through dance or yoga. Movement helps to release any tension you might be holding and brings in a greater lightness of being.

5. Connect with Others.
A shared laugh, a heartfelt conversation, or even a simple smile can not only brighten up your day, but that of others as well.

6. Surround Yourself with Beauty.
What do you find uplifting in your environment? Choose the art, music, colors, and textures that light you up. Tune into the way you feel in your space, and in the beauty of places you choose to spend time.

7. Give Joy to Others.
One of the most joy filled ways of creating joy, for yourself and for others, is to give it. A kind word, a statement of appreciation, a thoughtful gesture, or an unexpected act of kindness creates ripples of happiness.

So, what brings you joy? How might you create more moments of joy in your life?

You may also be interested in:

Creating JOY: a 30 Day Challenge
JOY is Contagious: Some Simple Moments

Joy is Contagious - Some Simple Moments

Our expressions of joy are more powerful than we realize. Joy is expansive and cannot be contained to a single individual. Expressions of joy are shared whether there is direct or indirect connection with others. Joy is carried out into the world as vibrations of positive energy.

Simple moments have the power to touch our lives, for a day or even a lifetime. One of the most common of these is the joy experienced when coming face to face with someone whose warm and genuine smile lights you up. It can happen at any time, anywhere. When your smile meets theirs, there is a genuine connection that may only last for a fleeting moment but you get to carry it with you into your day.

And how often do you find yourself engaged in brief interludes with people you happen to encounter when out and about? Those passing conversations, while waiting on the grocery checkout line, on the treadmill at the gym, or while walking downtown, are simple moments that may impact our lives and lighten our days.

Catching a Tune: One morning, as I walked from the subway to work, on the streets of NYC, I passed a man who was humming a melody. We were both walking quickly, as people do in New York, in the opposite direction from one another. I knew that tune. It was from Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf. So I picked up the tune and carried it with me as I continued to the office humming the rest of the way. As I walked, I wondered how many people may have been effected by hearing my humming that morning and how many had picked it up as well, touching others with music before beginning their work day. I may have had many mornings of walking from the E Train to 57th and Madison Avenue but that is the only one that has stayed with me through the years. And I still feel a zing of joy when I am reminded of it. 

Impact of Laughter: Just recently. I was driving home and stopped at a red light. Suddenly I heard a man laughing. I smiled at the sound. Moments later I heard it again. It was coming from a nearby pickup truck with an open window. I smiled again and this time I smiled the rest of the way home… and i am smiling now at the memory of that experience.

So, how might you be impacting others with your expressions of joy? And how are you impacted by the joy of others? I believe that creating more joy in our lives, even when unseen, has a positive impact on a world that could really use it.

You have the power to spread JOY wherever you go.

You may also be interested in:

Creating JOY: a 30 Day Challenge
JOY Matters: 7 Ways to Create More Joy in Your Life

Creating Joy - a 30 Day Challenge

Joy is a powerful byproduct of the process of expressing our creativity and also, in creating what we want in our lives. I experience the joy of creating with words, paint, photos, food, and my imagination. I am also aware of the continuous process of creating my life... with life being the greatest canvas I have been given to work with. Each of us have that same invitation... to be an active participant in the creation of our lives.

Lately, it’s become way too easy to get caught up in the heaviness of the outside world. But in times like these, creating joy is something of a necessity for our health and wellbeing. What if, rather than feeling moved by external forces, we made a conscious effort to spend more time doing the things we love and creating opportunities to experience greater joy?

““Joy does not simply happen to us. We have to choose joy and keep choosing it every day.””

— Henri J.M. Nouwen

30 Days of Joy Challenge

The world can certainly use more joy. And it starts with each of us, creating it in our own lives.

I invite you to infuse your days with joy… for 30 days, one joyful act each day. It can be anything—big or small—something you enjoy, that lights you up, makes you smile, fills you with delight. Maybe even the same thing over multiple days. 

Just a few ideas: You might choose to draw, paint, play an instrument, take a walk, or hike, watch a sunset (or sunrise), dance around the house, run, sing, play a game, play with a dog, create something or anything, spend time with a friend, watch children play, read, or sit down quietly with a cup of tea.

And to get you started I have created two printable sheets… one to jot down some ideas of activities you enjoy, and the other to log your daily joyful experiences.

So… what brings you joy?

 Download the Joy Challenge Sheets
Or... just grab a notebook and start from there.
I’d love to hear if you decide to join in!
And feel free to share your experiences
of daily joy, by commenting on this post. 

You may also be interested in:

JOY is Contagious: Some Simple Moments
JOY Matters - 7 Ways to Create More Joy in Your Life

Painting Series: Portals of Joy

“Scatter Joy” 12” x 12” acrylic, papers, pencil on canvas

After filling many sketchbook pages with circles and grids, I finally admitted that my artwork was moving in a new direction. I needed to explore the use of geometric shapes and to get back to spending most of my time working on canvas. First I had to let go of my attachment to the Transcriptions series and allow a new creative flow to take shape. Once I explored the symbolism of this new focus, I was able to assign meaning to the paintings I would be creating and move forward with a new series. At the same time, joy had become more and more of a major influence in my life. This is how the Portals of Joy series came into being.

“Hooked on a Feeling” 12” x 12” acrylic, papers, pencil on canvas

This series is a reaction to the year we have been experiencing and the times we now live in. These paintings are created in joy, with a focus on joy, and with the intention of putting more joy out into a world at a time when it’s needed. The paintings each have a quote about Joy embedded into the background of the design, under the paint, present yet not readable… as JOY seems to be more often held under the surface this year, although still present in our lives. The grid of colors represents us as individuals but part of the whole. And the presence of the circular shape represents the wholeness, oneness, and unity that we all share, beyond the illusion of what we are seeing in the outside world.

“Uplifted” 12” x 12” acrylic, papers, pencil on canvas

“Ennobled” 12” x 12” acrylic, papers, pencil on canvas

“Third Story” 12” x 12” acrylic, papers, pencil on canvas

“Integral Flow” 12” x 12” acrylic, papers, pencil on canvas

The Portals of Joy paintings will be available here at the Website on December 5th. Prints and products of this series are currently available at Pixels.com

You may be interested in a recent post… Joy: a Morning Practice
and for more on these paintings… A Process Story

Joy: a Morning Ritual

Imagine what it would feel like to begin your day by embracing your inner joy. What a great way to jump start a day. And it’s quite simple… you’ve just awakened, eyes may not yet be ready to open, and you focus your thoughts on something or someone that brings you joy, lights you up, and makes you feel expansive.

It could be anything… a thought of spending time with someone who makes you smile, a trip you have planned or a joy-filled memory, an activity you enjoy or an idea for a project you would love to tackle, or maybe something new you’ve been wanting to learn or experience. No matter what you choose for your focus, it’s a method of switching on that sense of delight.

Once you have your point of focus, experience the joy associated with it and let the feeling fill you up. Then imagine in your mind’s eye, doing a little inner dance and maybe you just can’t help physically moving to your inner rhythm.

This is exactly what I began doing, first thing in the morning, this summer. And I can’t help but think that in doing so, every cell in my being became lit up and infused with a smile. There’s an effervescence that comes with it and a feeling of expansion, as if I am filled with light bubbles. I’m finding this a great way to launch a day!

Have you ever danced for the pure joy of it in a given moment… just you, expressing your delight right then and there? If not, I highly recommend it. Your whole body gets into the act of feeling that joy and it becomes an active exuberance.

Don’t wait for someone or something to light up your life… do it for yourself.

You may also be interested in Love: a Morning Practice.