By Marc Lainhart

Have we ever encountered someone filled with pure joy and happiness? We know it, not just because we see and witness it, but because we can feel it and the incredible energy radiating around that person! How is this even possible? What is their secret? How did they gain such knowledge and wisdom to become, apply, and radiate such joy and happiness? The happiness journey of joy and being is what many of us strive and “prospect” for in search of becoming gentler, kind, compassionate, light-hearted, having an attitude of gratitude, or going through life with that happy-go-lucky state of mind while enjoying this amazing life journey, not just as humans, but as humans being! Joy is not something to be faked and does not come from outside of us; it comes from within and can be seen and felt across a vast room. So how do such people develop such traits of joy and happiness, and how can we be more aware of the joy, happiness, and the art and application of being joyful?

Practice Stop Complaining! Joyful people have daily practice and dedication, spending their valuable time not complaining. The journey of both joy and being in the present moment will raise energy to a more positive experience, where constant complaining about our lives or the material world around us brings down the energy to a more negative impression, a feeling of dread or gloom and can be bad behavior, trait, and human habit for the health of our cells, our nervous system, our heart and mind, which responds directly to our thoughts, words, and actions. 

People who are happy and radiate joy very often first look inward and focus on that inner voice, the higher self, the ego, the self-sabotage, and the one person we talk to the most in life, ourselves! Then, after a brief conversation with themselves, people who have joy and radiate happiness will turn their focus, attention, and awareness outward to the material world and shift the synergy and mindset with all positive aspects of daily life and all positive aspects of daily living and the human experience. What was the good in our day? Only we can decide that. When directly impacted by adversity and the negativity that life can bring forward to all of us, move or shift to both awareness of that feeling around, breathe in deeply, practice a pause, alter, or become mindful, and move away from such thoughts, people, conversations and or groups. As the old saying reminds us, “misery loves company,” so do yourself a huge and healthy favor, create distance, create boundaries, create mindfulness, and actively move away from those thoughts, people, and life situations because it is draining, exhausting and not a great combination for the journey towards joy and happiness. It takes away, distracts, and disconnects us from all the good around us. 

It is okay, natural, and part of being a human being to claim, speak, know, and acknowledge that we cannot be filled with joy and happiness every minute of the day, especially in this crazy, chaotic, and fast-moving world of ours, but if we look close enough and make a consciousness choice with our most significant power given to each human being of freewill, joy, and happiness are all around. We need to know when, where, and how to access, acknowledge, accept, blend, and become a good host filled with joy, happiness, and all that comes with it daily. "The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails." -William Arthur Ward.

Practice Gratitude! The main difference between those who radiate joy and happiness and those stuck in a hostile and low vibrational state of being is that those who have joy and happiness express daily gratitude and create habits for an “attitude for gratitude” daily. There is no need to wait until December 31st to make this a new resolution; make that resolution today, right now, because that is all the time we ever have, and at the end of this day, we are another day older, and time is the one thing that money cannot buy. Look for the “magic in the moments,” the delicious food, a warm shower, a great cup of coffee and conversation with a stranger, a nice sweater, a friendly smile, a lending hand, a sunrise, a sunset, or even both on the same day! Gratitude daily can be endless and vast, and those who choose to live in this state of being will naturally carry a higher vibration of what we put out, we get back or said another way, like attracts like, or as the great Jedi Master, Qui-Gon Jinn from the Star Wars movie reminds us “concentrate on the moment. Feel, do not think. Use your instincts. Always remember, your focus determines your reality.” Joy and happiness are formulas just waiting to be discovered if we choose to look, know where to look, and apply that formula to everyday life. 

Practice Being Present! Those searching for joy and happiness are in the present moment and do not run or turn away. Joyous and happy people look for the good in their present moments and journey, even if they disagree with the material world around them and what their eyes are showing them. People filled with joy and happiness in a wild and hostile world will continually be shifting their state of mind to focus on the good things in life, the beauty of life, the gratitude for having this day in life and connecting with the actual, profound, and positive aspects that only this life can bring us. One must make this a conscious choice, a daily decision, a daily dedication, a daily discipline, and a daily goal with determination, ambition, focus, and an applied mindset to live in the present moment and not sit and marinate back to a negative mindset which can be very easy to do if we choose to let it. 

According to the teachings and philosophy of Master Buddhist Thich Nhat Hanh, lessons remind us that in order to achieve acceptance, we need to start embracing the present moment and the beautiful miracles that exist all around us.  “When we are mindful, deeply in touch with the present moment, our understanding of what is going on deepens, and we begin to be filled with acceptance, joy, peace, and love. Around us, life bursts with miracles–a glass of water, a ray of sunshine, a leaf, a caterpillar, a flower, laughter, and raindrops. If you live in awareness, it is easy to see miracles everywhere. Each human being is a multiplicity of miracles. Eyes that see thousands of colors, shapes, and forms; ears that hear a bee flying or a thunderclap; a brain that ponders a speck of dust as easily as the entire cosmos; a heart that beats in rhythm with the heartbeat of all beings. When we are tired and feel discouraged by life’s daily struggles, we may not notice these miracles, but they are always there.” 

Practice Selfcare! Instead of filling our minds and oversaturating our nervous system with negative thoughts, people, conversations, situations, social media, or bad human habits that take away from the journey of joy and happiness, take time to tune in to all that makes us happy and get an excellent addition to that new joy, happiness, and being. Joyous people are first kind to themselves, taking each day from the wake-up alarm in the morning until the head hits the pillow after a very positive, uplifting day we can choose to acknowledge, accept, and have if we do want it. Please start each new day with mental exercises, meditation, positive mantras, deep breathwork, journaling, Qigong, yoga, and deep breathwork to channel and move negative thoughts out, only to be replaced with responsibility for positive self-care, mental well-being, and healthy habits to help guide us to joy, happiness, and being. Start today to become the best and most positive version of ourselves. 

Practice Acceptance! Joyous and happy people accept their circumstances, people around them, material world events, and situations they know and realize they cannot control. The only control one ever has is how to respond or not respond to the many twists and turns offered on the pathway of L.I.F.E. or, put another way, Learn It From Experience. There is no point in focusing and fixating on the things outside their control and wasting energy and time that can be allocated and used to something, someone, or someplace that can bring joy and happiness, even that little corner of our minds. People filled with joy and happiness accept what the past has taught them and what the present moment can give them and be at peace with life's decisions. Acceptance will also offer us a broader perspective on the journey and with the practice of not complaining, being present, and gratitude, acceptance will change. Acceptance is a process. They allow things in and around our life paths without actively trying to change them. Acceptance entails letting any experience or "Soul Adventure," positive, neutral, or negative, exist in life without trying to alter, avoid, or deny it. “Acceptance…is an expression of lived wisdom.” –Jon Kabat-Zinn.

Practice Compassion! It is often the case that people filled with joy, happiness, and a sense of being have a greater awareness and sense of kindness, compassion, and caring for others. When someone is joyous, they do not dwell on how rubbish their life is, what the future holds negatively, or how miserable they might be in the present moment. Instead, they look for the good at that moment, the day, tune in to how they feel about themselves and life, and share that with others, often having more to give! Joyous people can generally carry out more acts of kindness and compassion for others. These do not have to be grand big gestures – they can be small acts of kindness, such as making someone a cup of coffee, helping a person across the street, smiling at a stranger on the bus, or just a phone call or text to express our love for others. Joyous people know that it does not cost anything to be kind. They know that they do not drain their resources by being kind, caring, and compassionate to others. 

Practice Looking for the Best in Others! Joyful people develop habits and communication styles that look for good and positive aspects in others. Put another way, joyous and happy people do not try to find what is wrong and a negative aspect with another human being. Instead, they find what they like, what they may have in common, and what is worth their time and investment to acknowledge, support, and even celebrate another person. Now, of course, there will always be exceptions to the rule when people may be rude, outright nasty, entitled, and selfish, but for the most part, joyous and happy people do manage to find something positive about that person and stay with that energy, frequency, and vibration as to not become or marinate in looking for the bad or negative in another but something more positive, uplifting and inspiring with that person. Joyous, happy, and present people have developed a strong and dedicated habit of "finding the good in the day," this extends to situations, life experiences, relationships, careers, and everything in between. A joyous, happy, and present person is more likely to bring something out or something up with a more positive perspective in another person than someone looking for the negative, drama, and being in that low energy, low vibrational state of being. Joyous, happy, and present people are more likely to pick up and point out the good qualities of another person. "If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change." -Wayne Dyer

Want to take the practice of joy, happiness, and being present to a whole new level or be around those who consistently do? Every year, when the Gallup World Poll releases the happiest nations in the world, Sweden is always in the top five, along with its Nordic neighbors Finland, Denmark, Norway, and Iceland. Analyzing why these countries are so happy shows their optimistic view of life with daily perspectives of positivity, joy, happiness, and enjoying the present moment. Practice does make for perfection, but do not let perfect become the enemy of the good, and the happiness journey of joy and being present will genuinely begin to reveal itself!
 

Minister Marc Lainhart is an award-winning Psychic-Medium, Intuitive, Published Author, and Best American Psychics 2020 Psychic of the Year. Based in Seattle, Washington, Marc's work as a writer, teacher, radio show host, inspirational thought leader, hiking guide, and certified healthcare provider is using his profound and tested perception to "Prospect" this mysterious, mystical, and magical world around us through several profound and monumental "Soul Adventures!" Marc is passionate about connecting, educating, guiding, helping, healing, inspiring, and teaching others from years of personal experiences and growth through loss, grief, trauma, death, and dying. While promoting balance, healing, peace, transformation, inspiration, and guidance to live again, explore and live life more fully, and assist those wanting to discover and reveal that beautiful and brilliant diamond within and the many hidden gems around us! 

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