*In the last couple of months, I have been fortunate to be able to share the troubles of others. Why fortunate? I believe that the ability to be very close to the pain and fears of others has allowed me to realize how utterly fantastic my life is.

*As with many of us, I am always able to find something that might not be going just as I would like, something I wish to be better, or different, or a whole other something. But as I watch others, and listen to the challenges they face and the problems they are experiencing, my world seems almost perfect. In fact, my life is perfect.

*My belief is that the more life throws at you, the more crucial it is to work on living in the present moment. I believe our lives are pieces of a puzzle. But were not given ALL the pieces nor are we given a picture of the puzzle to help us put it together or to show us what it should look like once complete. Our job is to fit the pieces we are given together the best we can and work with what we have until more pieces arrive.

*Isn't that fascinating!?

*I have found that I am more and more able to work patiently with the pieces I am given knowing that the rest are on their way. Furthermore, I have faith that when those pieces do arrive, they will be for the best, even though it might not look that way at the time.

*Thinking this way has had several wonderful benefits for me. I am much calmer in the face of what might appear as an awful situation. I can literally stop and strike up a conversation with my Self"Isn't this fascinating?" "I wonder what is really going on here that I am not seeing yet?"

*Almost every time I do that, I find gold! Usually, the reason I get into challenges is because there is a lesson for me. The trick is finding it! This challenge brings me joy. I always thought that joy was what you got when you found happiness.

*However, as I have struggled in the past to find "happiness", and continue to hear of so many others search for this same happiness, I now believe that joy is something else altogether . If joy is happiness, and you have no joy in your life, then it would stand to reason that you are not happy. That makes your joy vulnerable to your definition of happiness.

*For me, joy is having a willingness to accept the whole of life, knowing that it is not perfect. Joy is being willing to show up and meet what is there with no attachment to the result. To me, if I have no attachment to the outcome and can accept what comes no matter what, then I am free from worry, anxiety, or concern over what the future holds. For me, this freedom - is joy.

*It cannot be taken away, and it is with me always. *It depends on nothing and is almost invincible.

*The less we are attached to life, the more alive we can become.

*Joy is what I want for you! In-joy your self!

*As always,

Your online Coach and Friend,
*Miami www.creativemasterminds.com.
Helping everyone find their path and stay on it. coach@creativemasterminds.com

*Quotation of the Week
*I finally figured out the only reason to be alive is to enjoy it. Rita Mae Brown