Have you ever talked to someone who genuinely loves doing something? It could be an activity, a job, a hobby, etc. If so, you’ll recognise the sparkle in the eyes, the expanded heart, the positivity and passion that radiates from them. It is mega attractive being around someone who lives in this energy.
As I start up my summer dance training this week — what I’m most stoked about right now!! — it’s gotten me thinking so much about doing things for the joy of it. For the simple joy and love that it brings you.
These days we do things in life for all sorts of reasons that have little to do with joy. We might take a job for the money or for more experience. We might choose to study or learn something because it’s useful. We might hang out somewhere because it’s convenient or familiar or inexpensive. We might wear clothing or eat food that’s easy, that we don’t really have to think about or put a lot of effort into. We might post statuses on social media to get likes and approval. We might say certain things to others or act a certain way to fit in and be accepted.
I’m not saying these things are totally wrong.
But how often do we do things in life for the simple JOY of it?
Not to learn something or get somewhere or better yourself or make money… but simply because it lights you up and makes you come alive?
Dance is one of those joy activators for me – it makes my entire spirit light up and soar. Something comes over me when I dance. I feel so connected with and driven by a force bigger than myself. It’s hard to explain. I feel like I’m expressing the full ME in all its multi-dimensional layers. I often feel like spirit is coming through me when I dance. I’ve experienced so many moments where there’s such a flood of joy from expressing my body in this way that it seems like my heart may literally burst open!
I get uplifted by lots of other things I’m really passionate about as well like traveling, writing, music, coaching, yoga, nature, food. But few are able to light me up so immediately and exquisitely as dance. It’s a full body emotional experience.
Over the past couple weeks I’ve been prepping a lot for dance intensive season and thus, have been doing a ton more dancing. I’ve had such interesting encounters with people recently. People who are complete strangers, who have been coming up to me on the street and saying things like, “Your energy field is so expansive, I had to come talk to you. You are radiating so much light and it’s beautiful.”
If this sounds super weird, let me just say I agree!! This does not usually happen to me! Yet it’s been coming up more and more frequently over the past several months. I know I posted about this on instagram as well a while back. I had one guy approach me a few days ago saying, “I just want to let you know, in the most respectful way, that you are gorgeous. I noticed you across the street and just had to come let you know that you’re beautiful.” Wow.
I shared these happenings with my coach who told me all these encounters are no accident.
She said these people are beaming back to me what I am radiating out to others with my energy.
Joy is such a high energy vibration — it’s actually higher on the emotional vibrational scale than love — and doing things that you absolutely adore catapults masses of good energy into your body and into your spirit. It uplifts you. It makes you incredibly magnetic to other people because joy is something we all want to feel.
I remember one of my mentors from a few years ago saying that if you can keep your vibration consistently high (consistent in the range of love and joy), this will actually uplift all those you come into contact with who have a lower vibrational state. This means you can truly change the world by doing what brings you joy.
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What does joy look like for you?
Maybe it’s running, maybe it’s yoga, maybe it’s making art, maybe it’s music or traveling. Maybe you aren’t quite sure yet and that’s ok too. But I’ll bet if you tune in you’ll see glimmers, little sparks where your heart instinctively wants to go.
This post is about celebrating the things that bring us so much joy. The things that make us smile and beam and make the world a freakin better place because this energy is so uplifting and powerful.
Today I want to inspire you to connect with the feeling of joy. Do something — anything! — that brings you joy. You don’t have to go far to make it happen. Often the things that bring us the most joy in life are the simplest. Beyond dancing for me, I can immediately think of watching a sunset, laying in the grass barefoot, swimming in the ocean, eating the food at my favourite cafe (food so amazing and life-giving and served in a little oasis – another full body experience!). Listening to beautiful piano music (if I start doing ballet to it, I need to prepare for the ultimate joy explosion, sometimes that will leave me in tears!)
It is not selfish doing what brings you joy – it is wonderful and such a gift for others. This is the big reason why I like teaching yoga to toddlers. They express so much pure joy at the smallest things. It is an honour and pleasure to watch their face light up from the simple poses we do in class and I can’t help but be inspired and pick that energy up from them as well.
So many of us lose touch with joy as we become hardened by Life. If you are someone who can still access your joy on a regular daily basis, you will indeed be ahead of the game and a gem to all of those around you. Hang onto it, this is special.
There’s another big reason why doing what gives you joy is so important and that is because it brings us into the Now.
Have you ever been so immersed in something you love that it felt like time stood still?
I’ve had this experience at times when I’m dancing, when I’m eating something amazing, when I’m out in nature, when I’m doing yoga. In fact, when I think about the moments in life where I’ve felt absolute sheer bliss, it’s always been when I’m completely 100% engaged in something. When my thoughts aren’t scattered and spread in various other areas (ex. 20% thinking about what I have to do tonight, 10% thinking about an email I need to send out, 10% thinking about a conversation I just had, 15% thinking about what I have to do tomorrow, etc).
My personal opinion is that far too many of us spend far too much time looking to the future for fulfillment. When you do what you love simply for the joy of it, you aren’t living in the future and focused on any sort of outcome. You’re here NOW and that is a wildly incredible feeling.
So have a laugh about something, smile more, dive into your passions and make the most of them. You and I, we have this time and we’re meant to live it. And just watch your energy begin to transform.
I hope this post was inspiring. Please share it with anyone who’s in need of a little uplifting!
Big love,
Diana xx
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