It’s Not Supposed To Be Easy

Did you ever perform in any school concerts or drama productions as a kid? I was six or seven years old and I remember my mum putting curlers in my hair before I was about to play the recorder in the annual Christmas concert at our local church. I was complaining that it hurt and I shall never forget the comment my mum made: ‘Beauty comes at a price. If you want to be pretty then you just have to put up with the pain.’

Whoa, how’s that for a limiting belief? I’m sure you can recall plenty of others that reinforced needing to sacrifice yourself in some way in order to reap the benefits.

Life is like an obstacle course. The harder the challenges along the way, the greater the satisfaction when you achieve success, right? Nobody said it would be easy.

But what if they had? What if you had grown up believing that you are here to have fun, to grow through happy experiences and that the world is a safe place for you to express your authentic self?

What if you unsubscribed from the ‘no pain, no gain’ motto and opted in to letting joy be your guide instead? The good news is that it’s never too late to choose again.

Choosing to let joy be your guide is opting for ease and grace. Ease does not necessarily imply it’ll be easy, though…

• It takes courage to get out of your own way and trust the divinity you are.
• It takes guts to let go of wanting to control and let the divine take the lead instead.
• It takes dedication to truth to give voice to your soul.

You’ll risk being judged and criticized for even suggesting life is meant to be fun and not just while you’re on vacation. You’ll be rocking the boat. Others might say you’re being unrealistic.

One of the biggest objections I often hear from clients to letting joy be their guide and living a charmed life is that they’re afraid it’ll be boring.

Well, for the ones who love a challenge… I dare you to let go of your doubts, to let go of wanting to control circumstances, to release attachment to specific outcomes and to trust your inner guidance explicitly. To be a walking, talking embodiment of Source… to be the angel that you are, creating heaven on earth right here, right now.

Boring? You tell me…

What I’ve noticed over the years is that in order to let joy be your guide, you must be willing to let go of any and all addictions to drama. You’d be amazed at how deeply entrenched this drama addiction runs throughout society. I mean, just look at the news or read the covers of popular magazines or see which television shows get the highest ratings.

The message being spread seems to be that life is boring without drama so if you want your life to be exciting then you require a constant flow of adrenaline. Have we become adrenaline junkies?

One way this addiction plays out is through the drive to DO before allowing yourself to just BE. With the ever growing to do lists and demands on your time, do you find yourself reaching for a caffeine booster to keep up? Or do you set aside an extra hour to meditate?

I don’t know about you but my mind will tell me to get on with it and do some more. At times of intense stress, I’ve had to really train myself to remember to slow down and consciously breathe or go and spend some time outside in nature to recharge.

As much as my inner drill sergeant will complain and attempt to keep me soldiering on, I have discovered that I am so much more productive and efficient when I make myself priority #1 and ensure that I fill my own cup first before going about my business.

By taking the time to check in with myself and find out what feels joyful, uplifting and inspiring for me right now, I make very different choices than when I’m feeling tired or stressed out. I bet you can guess when I make choices that sustain my wellbeing instead of drain me.

I continue discovering new ways to let joy be my guide as I allow more ease and grace into my life every day. In some areas this is easy and in other areas, well… let’s just say that some habits die hard and require a little more persistent re-mind-ing to transform and receive an upgrade!

What about you? I invite you to share your experiences and wisdom by leaving a comment below. It may very well be a catalyst for transformation as others read your words.