J is for Joy.

Last year I read a blog post over at Litopia, called: 'I Choose Joy.'

In the post, the author talked about her New Year's Resolutions, and how she chose to focus on the positive side of life, regardless of all the reasons not to.

Her post resonated with me on a deep level. I'm quite cynical by nature, but that doesn't stop me from being an optimist. I look for beauty as well as truth in life.

So there I was, inspired. I, too, would choose joy. Which lead me to the first problem: where would I find it?

Since then, I've thought a lot about what brings me joy. It was easy to name activities and situations that made me feel happy, but much harder to spot an underlying pattern.

By now, I think I may have found that pattern, or at least a first sketch.

However naive or arrogant it may sound, I get joy from inspiring people. I love sharing sparks and snippets that have the potential to improve the quality of someone's life, relationships, health and self-image.

'Inspire' is the key word here. I gather ingredients, mix and bake them, and then crumble the bread and sprinkle the crumbs. If anybody sees something they like, they're free to pick it up.

I don't want to overestimate myself and the effect one individual can have on other people's lives. But I'm done with assuming I can't make a difference and giving up before I've even tried.

And I remind myself that, whatever happens, the time and energy I put in my writing won't have been a waste, because the act of creating and sharing has already brought me joy. Anything else is a bonus.


What brings you joy?

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Photo 'Oli Smile' by David Long. Available under a creative commons license. © 2010, David Long.

Photo 'Joy of Thailand' by Stewart James Bim-Merle. Available under a creative commons license. © 2006, Stewart James Bim-Merle.

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Springtime Sing-a-Long: Oh No!

One of my favourite feelgood finds is the Welsh/Greek singer-songwriter Marina Diamandis, aka. Marina and the Diamonds.

She's a great artist and I like her style, her wit and her sense of humour. But I'll let you decide for yourself:

You can find more information about her and her music (and buy it!) over at http://www.marinaandthediamonds.com/ or on her Youtube channel.

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