The Voice of Southwest Louisiana January 2019 Issue

Peace from Pieces
By Carra Sergeant, Ph. D.; LPC-S
Licensed Professional Counselor
I HOPE YOU DANCE:
Choosing Joy in the Journey
The holiday season
is over and another
Christmas is in the
books. Welcome to 2019.
Please know that it is my
sincere wish for all of you
to have a safe, happy,
and healthy new year. The
beginning of a new year is
traditionally the golden time
to turn a page, change your
direction, make a new plan,
or simply tweak your life.
Whatever changes this year
brings, you may find a way to
choose joy in your journey.
Life is too short to delay
our happiness and joy.
Notice that I said happiness
AND joy – because those are
not interchangeable words.
Happiness generally comes
from an external source such
as material things and once
these things lose their value,
poof…your happiness is gone.
Joy, however, is who you are
in your soul. It’s what radiates
from you when your heart is
filled with hope and faith. It
is what allows you to connect
deeply and lovingly with
others.
We deserve to experience
joy and in order to receive
that joy, we need to believe
that we are worthy and
deserving NOW! One thing I
have learned in my 60+ years,
is that joy is about owning
who I am, not who I should
be. It’s about owning what I
have done or have not done,
not what I should have, or
should not have, done. It’s
about accepting where I am
in life now, not where I think
I should have been by now.
It’s about showing up and
being present, EVERY DAY, in
my life as it is right now in this
moment, because if I wait,
it will be too late and I will
have missed the chance to
experience true joy.
The things we gather
throughout our lifetime -
the degrees, the jobs, the
cars, the money, - are all
just trinkets collected in
memorium of “points of
destination” within our
journey. As soon as we get
one trinket, we move on to
get the next one and the
next one and on and on. All
of these “souvenirs,” bundled
together, serve as tangible
proof of each destination we
visited on the journey that
is our life. Here’s the rub: if
we get too focused on the
memorabilia, the trinkets, and
the things, then we lose sight
of the EXPERIENCE, and guess
what? The REAL joy is found
in the experience….NOT IN
THE STUFF. As we get older,
we eventually stop collecting
memorabilia at every point
of destination. This does not
mean that the journey ends
there, because, in truth, the
journey does not end until life
does.
Please understand, I am
not saying that we can be
happy all the time because
that is not realistic. Life just
sucks sometimes. Pain is a
natural part of the journey,
but even in those hard times,
joy is found in keeping an eye
towards positive progress.
A mindset of “it will get
better,” provides the sense
of optimism that helps point
you back towards the “finding
joy” momentum more quickly.
Some studies have shown
that a toddler will laugh an
average of 200 times a day. By
the time he becomes an adult,
however, he will only crack a
smile 6 – 10 times a day. Life
can sometimes just mow you
down.
Here are some concrete
steps you can take to help
you start learning how to
find joy in your journey:
••
Stay focused on the
progress you have made.
Treat yourself with grace
and kindness when you fall
short. In doing so, you lay
the groundwork for a better
tomorrow.
••
If you make a mistake,
admit it and make
amends, if necessary.
Move forward, taking with
you, the lesson you learned.
Don’t be embarrassed or
ashamed - after all, you are
only human.
••
Find joy in the presence of
your loved ones. Sharing
time with a buddy is a great
mood booster.
••
Before your feet hit the
floor in the morning, set
an intent in your mind
to look for joy in your
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January 2019 WWW.THEVOICEOFSOUTHWESTLA.COM Volume 6 • Number 6