2018 Spring Kansas Child

joyfulWork
interchangeable in creating a higher level
of energy for yourself and for others.
We don’t have to be afraid and doubtful.
Expecting the best and giving the benefit
of the doubt is the fastest road to an open
mind and an open heart. It feels good
to be optimistic and kind. When we feel
good, we welcome more joy into our lives.
4
Watch less news. Finding
positive ways to nourish your
mind creates joy. The information
we let into our minds can be
compared to food. If we
eat healthy
and stay
nourished,
we will be
healthier
and
have more energy. The same goes for
what we let into our minds. If we wake
up and read positive things and think
about the contributions we would like to
make for the day, we are off to a healthier
start. If we end our day with proactive,
self-consideration and positive reading
material we are nourishing our minds
as we go to sleep. Watching news in
the morning and the evening interrupts
opportunities for you to generate joy in
your life. Constant bad news drains our
energy and distracts us from our purpose.
Be informed, just don’t be consumed.
5
Laugh harder and more
often. There is a plethora of
research on how healthy laughing
is for the body and the mind. Laughing
gets your blood flowing; it releases
endorphins, relaxes your body and boosts
your immune system. Laughing gets us in
a better mood and inevitably spreads joy to
those around us. We all like a good laugh,
but most of us wait for something funny
to happen or for a funny thought to
come to mind.
About twenty years ago I saw a story
on television about a laughing club
that would meet to laugh together. I
tried to make myself laugh by making
funny noises and fake laughing sounds.
It worked. I looked in the mirror and
literally cracked up! I started doing
it with my children and their
friends, which led to lots
of laughter. Try it
in your
classrooms, around your dinner tables
and with yourself. Laughing is our hearts
singing. Make your own funny. You will
have more fun.
6
Live
in Gratitude. Gratitude is
the fastest way to create more joy in
your life. A woman who attended
one of my workshops created a “Joy Door.”
She put up a sign with “Don’t Postpone Joy.
Find Joy Every Day,” and each one of her
family members puts something up on the
door every day. She told me that even if
her kids were struggling to find something
joyful they would talk it out and dig deep
to write something down. When you focus
on what you are grateful for you tend to
focus less on the things that drain you.
Build Gratitude Practices into your rituals.
You can also create a Gratitude Line with
string and clothes pins. Hang what people
write or draw that they are grateful for.
This is a joyful way to decorate a hallway,
classroom, or for a party.
Tell people what you admire or are
grateful for about them. Write down what
you are grateful for. Find at least one thing
every day. You will have more vibrant
energy and you will create more good in
your life.
7
Make
Smiling a Habit.
Smiling creates presence and
presence brings joy. You can build
a habit of greeting your daily routines
with joy. One of the first steps in creating
more joy is ensuring your mood is good.
Practicing and intentionally smiling at
yourself and others is an essential tool for
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