Choice. The quote I shared yesterday identified the power to choose how one reacts to their day: joy, happiness, negativity, pain. To reiterate, here is the quote.
Today I choose life. Every morning when I wake up I can choose joy, happiness, negativity, pain… To feel the freedom that comes from being able to continue to make mistakes and choices – today I choose to feel life, not to deny my humanity but embrace it.
Kevyn Aucoin
The concept of choice is one step in living with thankfulness and gratitude. A start to being thankful for what you have, not what you wish you had. It leads to contentment.
Do you choose joy? Can you choose joy? Is joy a voluntary or involuntary emotion? As I’ve been exploring the concept of joy, there are different definitions on if joy is an action or a reaction to life.
Joy seems to come from within, where happiness is an outward expression of a tangible event or object.
The idea of choosing joy is common on the Internet. There are thousands of “Choose joy” or “Today, I choose joy” quotes, posters, and social media images to share. As if joy is simple. I don’t find joy that simple. Remember joy the joy is bliss definition? “Today, I choose bliss” doesn’t have the same sound if you’re posting on social media. Maybe if it’s your wedding day, that sentiment is right. Even then, with the stress of modern weddings, many don’t find this an entirely blissful day.
These quotes are trying to say, “I choose to live a positive life.”
Perhaps choosing to be an optimist or to see good and know even when events are bad, knowing that you’ll be okay, is the start to finding moments of joy regularly.