From Darkness to Joy!!

When I was a kid I remember my Mum calling me 'Jenny Joy'. I was happy, carefree and liked making others happy. When I hit my teenage years, the Joy seemed to dissappear altogether. Now I know this is common for many teenagers but for me it became pretty severe. I changed into a totally different person, suffered depression, anorexia and eventually severe Chronic Fatigue. This went on for years. About 7 years to be exact, with me spending much of my time in bed extremely sick. Those were very dark days and I don't remember laughing much or feeling any Joy whatsoever. What was there to be Joyful about? Life just totally sucked!!

I remember people saying things about having positive thoughts and creating what you want in your life. Things were so bad for me that I was just irritated by this stuff. It upset me because I couldnt see a way out of the darkest pit that I was in. Fast forward many  years to my early 30's when I set out on a determined journey to find some meaning, purpose, passion and Joy in my life. I didnt really know how or where to start but I read books, talked to people, attended seminars and started putting positive things in place in my life and more importantly my thought life. 

I'm now 42 and I am amazed how much has changed in my life. I have Joy again. I laugh everyday, speak positively about everything and truly expect the best for myself and my family. This isnt some brain washing. It comes naturally to me these days and I've noticed how it's affected my husband and three children. Life doesnt suck anymore. It isnt always easy and our circumstances havnt changed alot but we've changed!! Everyday has Joy. Don't miss it because you're too busy being grumpy. Be Grumpy and everyone around you will suffer, be Joyful and everyone around you will rejoice!!! 

Sue

Joy is  'The emotion of great pleasure arising from present or expected good.' Maquarie Dictionary.

To find out more about creating Joy in your life come and hear Amanda Gore at our next Red Hot Events and Seminars Workshop, Friday 3rd Feb.

Click HERE for details

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Sue in the raw!

I'm going to get raw and vulnerable with you. This isnt always easy to do. You see these days I'm used to being happy and positive and full of enthusiasm. Thats the part I like to show people and thats the life I like to lead. These last few days however, have been a little difficult. I've been confronted with some not so positive stuff and some REALLY not so positive people. It almost knocked the wind out of my sails. I've made a conscious effort to surround myself in love this past year and to be with people that are kind, supportive and loving toward me. This has changed my life and given me so much joy.

The difficulty is that not everyones like that. It's impossible to only be around people like this ALL the time. Life just isnt like that. Sooner or later you will have to face those that may not treat you well and may make you feel pretty lousy. The trick is to be ready for that. Be strong and prepared and have a plan of how you will handle this. Know that it will happen and when it does, this is how you may feel and this is what you can do to cope. 

I like to fix things. I like to rescue people from their problems and make everything better. I wish we could all live in peace and happiness. Sadly, not everyone wants that. Not everyone wants to solve their problems and learn to live a more fullfilled life. Many people don't know how and actually don't want to know how. This amazes me and I find it so hard to accept. But accept it I must. 

What I've learned this past year is that what matters most is my own happiness. Because from that place I can truly shine and ignite joy in the lives of those around me. This is what I desire more than anything. My life has not been easy and I've risen from much adversity. But through that I have learnt to shine and be an inspiration to others. 

I can't 'fix' everything but I can 'fix' myself. I continue to grow, learn and change everyday. Its a journey that I love and will take anyone thats willing along with me. Those that arent, I wish them well and hope that one day they may find their own joy. 

Sue

www.redhoteventsandseminars.com

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Happiness isn’t having what you want but wanting what you have!

Happiness isnt having what you want but wanting what you have!!

This is a concept thats taken me 40 years to get a handle on.

Do I want what I have? Do you want what you have?

I can honestly say I do. But its only really been recently that I’ve

begun to fully appreciate and love what I have.

You see I’ve always had the tendency to want more, want it all and want it now!!

The trouble with that is that you lose sight of the blessings you have and you constantly look outside of yourself for the next best thing. I’ve spent my whole life doing that. The best job, the best group of friends, the best house, the best holiday, the best ‘Me’, older more well behaved kids and a husband that is just perfect! Does anyone else do this or is it just me?

I had my three children very close together so it was an extremely busy time. I wanted to rush through those years and have them older and more manageable. It was also a time when I decided we had to become more financially secure so I set us on a path of investment strategies. This has worked well for us but it also put us under alot of stress as we renovated and built house after house while also working, while also having three tiny children. All of these things in themselves were great but unfortunately I rushed through them all wanting to get to the next thing and never really stopping to just appreciate what we had and where we were at, at that moment in our lives.

I’m not sure if it’s age, maturity, wisdom or simply a conscious choice but these days I am definately stopping to smell the roses and loving every minute of it.

Life isnt perfect. There is still work to be done, children to deal with and plenty of relationships to work through everyday, but I am learning to be extremely grateful for each and every one of them and realise the blessings I have are golden. I hope you can feel that too. You have so much and your happiness is just a choice away. You may never have all  you want but you can always want what you have.

Sue     www.workingwomenonline.com

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