Earth laughs in flowers.
-Ralph Waldo Emerson
Easter just weeks away is a reminder that we’re embarking on a new spring season and wild ride that this life is. Easter is a symbol of hope and a sign of life. It’s a time of celebration and joy. It’s one I look forward to, despite all the world’s turmoil.
I made this imprime (imprinted) cherry blossom jelly sponge roll over the weekend to take a break from all that’s going on.
I cut it in the shape of a letter and added cherries.
On that note and when life doesn’t feel like a bowl of cherries–when you feel hope is missing in this life–it’s important to reset on the hopeful. That’s a good time to evaluate your thoughts and hear uplifting messages of faith. That’s what I do and is one way to restore your joy and get out of self-sabotage moods.
Here are 3 other effective ways:
✔️ Feel compassion for others less fortunate than you. There are always people who fall into those categories. You don’t have to go far to hear about the needs. You can turn on the news to feel.
✔️ Answer the question: what is the worst that can happen? Come up with options from your current standpoint and knowledge. Doing this helps put your mind at ease with plan options. And so does knowing you’re never alone in this world (that’s never-ending evolving). If you stay in the belief that things will be better on the other side, then you stay hopeful.
✔️ Bring curiosity back. Reflect on daily unique coincidences in your life and try to discern the meaning. Maybe you keep running into the same good situation… like you’re the first in line or there’s one item left for you. Do you see these as blessings or nothing out of the ordinary luck?
Children are in awe over common things so much easier than adults. They get excited and wonder about the things we glance over. Things like nature, butterflies, and ladybugs. Children and growing living things give us hope.
You can also borrow hope from others who believe there is life after passing through this life… another form of hope.
If you are (or become) a believer, then your outlook and outcomes are very different than if you aren’t sure or don’t know. No one is born a believer even if they’re given guidance. It’s a deliberate choice that each person has the right to.
Believers know what’s at the end. That’s why they can walk around with a smile on their face even when they are going through chaos. Because they know in the end, good wins. But they too have to feed daily their healthy mind-body with the hopeful fuel to keep growing.
And they know who’s in charge at the end of the day and where to turn to, that’s not other people. And when they see other like-minded believers, they know they will see them again.
With a deeper perspective, there is a greater purpose in life. What if you could feel this way if you don’t already? You get to choose what you believe in almost any situation.
Seeing the writing on the wall happens from a change of heart, baby step actions towards a want, and often many failed attempts. Fail forward and fast is a much better belief than the one I grew up with of “don’t fail.” That was just a setup for failure. So glad that the world has wised up in its beliefs.
When I was younger, I didn’t know there was a free will choice to live a life other than the one I was living. But before knowing this as a young adult, I knew I didn’t like the course of life I had or the limited resources I carried. Or the problems that I was burdened with. I felt like I was missing something even though everything seemed to run okay on the outside. So I looked for other possibilities that I couldn’t see.
Having this why of wanting better led me to try to find formal mentors or professional help like therapy that turned into failed attempts that eventually steered me to the right places.
I also read self-help and expert-led books, getting knowledgeable through words and not just guessing. Authors I didn’t know were my mentors and I was my self-therapist. 😉
I also read Scripture and certain words jumped off the page. The comforting ones like “do not worry…” and “If God is for us, who can be against us”… which sometimes can be ourselves getting in our own way. (Amen?).
In the beginning, I thought the fun side of life I had would end. And for an Enneagram 7, that’s hard to swallow as one of our motivators. I thought I’d have to start living a stricter life and had no idea how that would work.
But gradually, I learned the keys to daily peace, enjoyment, and guilt-free living. I went to Bible Study and church and then church again in the same week because I wanted to. My soul was fed and my spirit grew. The people were nice and liked to have fun, and we listened to the same types of rock music. And I felt safe.
All the things I wanted to change, gradually changed on their own with the desires in the back of my mind. It was an inside job that I can’t credit myself for.
And if you can relate or already live in a similar way, are you happy and healthy? Are you taking care of yourself (body, mind, and soul)? Are you living your “highest and best use”? This is a phrase I learned in business school that pertains to living out an optimal life in every area.
Pleasing others or playing it safe may not be your best life. The biggest rewards are from taking chances and having faith. Because I do think it’s a test and how you live here matters.
But if you’re unhappy (or know others who are), there’s a good chance that your (or their) gifts and talents are getting buried. You would know this because you’re not as creative or productive as you’re capable of or once were. And if you’re possibly feeling stuck or spinning wheels. I know this because that’s how I felt a lot when I knew it was time to move on.
Do you know or remember the parable of the gifts and talents? It’s a good reminder that the more you use your talents, the more you will get. We want to see your gifts in the world. Give and you will get more.
That’s how I believe I discovered hidden talents I didn’t even know I had inside me, as a mature adult. I started using gifts blindly not knowing what was ahead.
…Which btw reminds me of the idea of blind baking where there’s no real risk. But you do wonder if you’ll have an amazing bake, and if nothing else you learn something new in your repertoire to build on.
That’s how I see blind people in the news who better use their talents without sight, and who are both amazing and constantly learning. Now that’s hope. 🙏