BE A BEACON OF JOY

Becky, you ask, what do you mean by be a beacon of joy?  Well, a beacon is something that acts as a signal.  Joy is a feeling of great pleasure and happiness.  So when I say be a beacon of joy, I am saying that to those around us, we should serve as one who sends out vibrations of positivity, happiness, bliss, glee, and delight.  Just as a lighthouse sends out light, a beacon, to guide maritime travelers toward safety, we should send out our “light” to help others navigate toward positivity and joy, steering around feelings of despair, discouragement, and distress.

Just how do we go about being beacons of joy?  We can:

• Act with kindness in words, deeds, and reflection, making those around us feel good and making them want to reciprocate the feeling.

• Share our smile with others, making them smile too.

• Release our inner, joyful child, demonstrating how happiness flows from within. 

• Concentrate on positive self-talk, replacing negative thoughts and words with positive ones and encouraging others to do the same.

• Look on the bright side; for the positive in life, role modeling to others how to see the positive in challenging situations and how to use both the positive and challenging as a learning experience.

• Approach each day with an attitude of gratitude, counting our blessings and being grateful for what we have and showing others how to do the same.

• Make someone else feel good about them, letting them know how much they are valued and appreciated.

• Create a day of optimism, choosing to be upbeat and positive all day and sharing that optimism with those around us.

• Go with the flow of life, dealing with challenges and changes in a healthy, productive manner, showing others how it is done.

• Live a meaningful life, making the most of every moment in every day, giving others something for which to strive toward.

• Look at the consequences of a less-than-positive attitude, seeking ways to avoid a negative spiral and turning things around and sharing the benefit in doing so.

• Reframe situations that may create a bad mood or attitude, changing the way we look at something and responding (not reacting) to the situation in a more constructive way and showing others the benefit of doing so.

• Avoid the energy vampires, showing others how steering clear of those who suck the energy and joy from us will help will restore their reserve of positivity and happiness.

Jonathan Lockwood Huie (author and “philosopher of happiness”) said, “You don’t have the power to make life “fair,” but you do have the power to make life joyful.”  We can do our part to make life joyful by being beacons of joy.  Our joyful spirit can be the “fire” that lights us up and keeps us moving forward in the face of difficulties. It lifts us up when the situation looks dark, and it energizes us when we are tired.  If we are beacons of joy, we can do the same for those around us.  We can brighten the lives of others by having our “light” help them navigate toward positivity and joy, steering around feelings of despair, discouragement, and distress.  When we choose to channel our joyful inner spirit and release that light that does shine within all of us, we might just be amazed at what this powerful energy can do for us let alone those around us!