How Ready Are You For Joy?

It is quite amazing to me that it makes no sense at all not to enjoy life, and yet, so many people continue to live without fully enjoying life.

Now what do I mean, when I say ‘joy’? Charlette Joko Beck, a Zen teacher, defined joy as ‘being willing for things to be as they are.’

Why would we fight with ‘what is’?

Living a joyful life does not mean being happy all the time. It means being with the circumstances of our life and the ups and downs of life, with acceptance and/or appreciation. This includes the disappointments, the beauty, the injury, the breath, the loss, the pleasant sensation of taking a shower, and the other wonders of life.

Why not change and be joyful for no reason and have ‘unreasonable enjoyment’?

Carlo DiClemente and J. O. Prochaska introduced a very practical five-stage model of change based upon their personal observations of the stages that people experience when going through change. A key factor in their model is readiness for change.

How ready are you to live joyfully?