New journeys demand much of our soul. There are a full range of emotions that crop up while we are walking unfamiliar paths. Familiar emotions are amplified while unfamiliar emotions leave us unsure of how to cope. Frustration, irritability, fear, impatience, and a myriad of other inner experiences will color our perceptions and challenge our resilience. We may be increasingly irritable or grasping for control. Our soul will bear much of the inner weight of a new journey. We will need to find a way to lighten the load on our inner life. In short, we will need to downsize our emotional baggage.
Unfortunately, we cannot discard unwanted emotions. Emotions happen to us and bubble up from within the depths of our inner life. They are part of us, not unlike our fingers and toes. But we can recycle them. We can use them to lighten with the load they place on our inner life. We already have the tool for doing so? It is called delight.
Delight refers to the capacity to find joy in something. Joy fills our soul when we take delight in a conversation with a good friend. Joy surrounds us we when find delight in learning a new skill. Delight comes from a Latin word for being charmed. In delight, our attention is held captive by something that brings us great pleasure. It pushes aside the fears and worries and replaces them with joy. Delight can be cultivated and harvested almost at will. It will give us the energy we need to walk the path. It replaces apprehension with anticipation, fear with curiosity, and weariness with greater focus. Delight allows us to lighten the emotional baggage and open up our capacity for joy along the way to our next destination.
Unfortunately, we cannot discard unwanted emotions. Emotions happen to us and bubble up from within the depths of our inner life. They are part of us, not unlike our fingers and toes. But we can recycle them. We can use them to lighten with the load they place on our inner life. We already have the tool for doing so? It is called delight.
Delight refers to the capacity to find joy in something. Joy fills our soul when we take delight in a conversation with a good friend. Joy surrounds us we when find delight in learning a new skill. Delight comes from a Latin word for being charmed. In delight, our attention is held captive by something that brings us great pleasure. It pushes aside the fears and worries and replaces them with joy. Delight can be cultivated and harvested almost at will. It will give us the energy we need to walk the path. It replaces apprehension with anticipation, fear with curiosity, and weariness with greater focus. Delight allows us to lighten the emotional baggage and open up our capacity for joy along the way to our next destination.
TIP - Delight
Here are three ideas that may help you find delight in your new journey.
Find your energy – Get in touch with your soul. It provides the energy that drives the human will. Unfortunately, many are uncomfortable with the energy that bubbles-up with strong emotions, whether the emotions are welcomed or not. Such energy can make us feel out of control. Sadness bubbles up into tears which we hold back, afraid that once we start, we may not stop. However, the energy created by emotions causes us to act. It helps the will assert itself. When we are on a new journey, find the energy in your emotions. It will help you shape your response to situations and personalities that come your way.
Shape your will – However, the will must be shaped by choosing your perceptions. When a difficult situation occurs, we cannot control the emotional energy. We can change the way it affects our will. We can use fear to fight or flee, or we can use it to sharpen our senses and form another response that may serve us more effectively. We cannot choose our emotions, but we can choose our perceptions. By selecting what captures our attention, recovering appropriate memories, and constructively employing our imagination; we can use the emotional energy in our soul to shape the will to choose a path that leads to delight.
Make your choice – Nourish delight! Unfortunately, delight is kind of like chocolate. It is all too easy to chew and quickly swallow which only leaves us craving more. Chocolate is better savored slowly, allowing it to melt in your mouth so that you can savor every layer of flavor. Delight can be quickly enjoyed and then set aside as we look for something else to tickle our soul. But when we have found delight in our new journey, do not rush forward. Linger with that moment and allow it to fill your soul. Savor each moment and remain focused on that which brought you delight. Step back and enjoy that moment in your path and it will become an important milestone when the journey is complete.
New journeys are opportunities to rediscover and celebrate the person you are becoming. Because they challenge the familiar and comfortable, they harbor new experiences within and beyond our selves. May your journey fill you with delight as you find your way into a new inner and outer life.
Bob
Find your energy – Get in touch with your soul. It provides the energy that drives the human will. Unfortunately, many are uncomfortable with the energy that bubbles-up with strong emotions, whether the emotions are welcomed or not. Such energy can make us feel out of control. Sadness bubbles up into tears which we hold back, afraid that once we start, we may not stop. However, the energy created by emotions causes us to act. It helps the will assert itself. When we are on a new journey, find the energy in your emotions. It will help you shape your response to situations and personalities that come your way.
Shape your will – However, the will must be shaped by choosing your perceptions. When a difficult situation occurs, we cannot control the emotional energy. We can change the way it affects our will. We can use fear to fight or flee, or we can use it to sharpen our senses and form another response that may serve us more effectively. We cannot choose our emotions, but we can choose our perceptions. By selecting what captures our attention, recovering appropriate memories, and constructively employing our imagination; we can use the emotional energy in our soul to shape the will to choose a path that leads to delight.
Make your choice – Nourish delight! Unfortunately, delight is kind of like chocolate. It is all too easy to chew and quickly swallow which only leaves us craving more. Chocolate is better savored slowly, allowing it to melt in your mouth so that you can savor every layer of flavor. Delight can be quickly enjoyed and then set aside as we look for something else to tickle our soul. But when we have found delight in our new journey, do not rush forward. Linger with that moment and allow it to fill your soul. Savor each moment and remain focused on that which brought you delight. Step back and enjoy that moment in your path and it will become an important milestone when the journey is complete.
New journeys are opportunities to rediscover and celebrate the person you are becoming. Because they challenge the familiar and comfortable, they harbor new experiences within and beyond our selves. May your journey fill you with delight as you find your way into a new inner and outer life.
Bob
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