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After going through a particularly rough patch, I saw this wall art at Hobby Lobby and knew I had to have it. To choose joy is not easy for me. I’m one of those people who is always waiting for the other shoe to drop. I’m usually convinced the worst will eventually happen. It’s pretty much been my life experience, so why wouldn’t I expect it? But at 40 years old, I was finally fed up with that undercurrent of unhappiness. I deserved more. My children deserved more. Everything and everyone in my life deserved more. And that’s when I decided to change my narrative.
This wall art hangs inside my bathroom, right next to the door. Every single morning I get up, go to the bathroom and make myself stop to read that message. Every single day since I hung that wall art up, I make the conscious, active choice to choose joy. And it has changed my life.
Now, this is not to say that nothing bad happens. Of course, it does! It’s life! But those four little words have changed my perspective so enormously. Today, I choose joy. And when I do, I am more relaxed. I take more time to react, rather than just going with my gut immediately. I try to see the good before I assume the worst. I am more patient. I can let things roll off my shoulders easier. These small changes in my attitude have made me a better mother, a better girlfriend, a better everything.
I love inspirational quotes. I have wall art and image blocks all over my home, providing constant reminders of how I want to live my life. But not one has impacted me as much as the tiny piece hanging in my bathroom. Even if it’s completely against your nature, even if it’s the hardest thing you have to do in the face of everything else, choose joy.
Wake up, thank God for another day, and go out into the world reminding yourself that “Today, I choose joy.”
