In contrast to my rant in a recent Ezine article, "Are we creating Generation Me", sometimes (actually, all the time) it pays to see the just see the joy in the world. So I was tickled to come across a recent book and website by author, Kathy Davis, called Scatter Joy. Davis is quoted on PRNewswire as saying, "We're surrounded by amazing stories of generosity, kindness and courage every day," says Davis. "This will be a great new online venue where people can use the power of the Internet to share those stories and scatter some joy."
These kinds of sites are popping up everywhere as people discover the power of their thoughts and focus. Some will be overly earnest, sappy and phony and some will miss the point altogether. But many will give us the opportunity to notice the beauty that surrounds us every day and, as we notice, to create more of it.
That is a very good thing.
What a world.
A recent study by researchers at Indiana's DePauw University found that kids who smiled a lot during childhood had a significantly lower rate of divorce as adults. They studied childhood photos of 650 adults, 21 - 87 years of age. They found that those with the weakest smiles in photos from their last year of school were more than three times as likely to have been divorced.
While interesting, this is the kind of study that leaves less fortunate folks scratching their heads. If you were not a smiley kid are you destined for a life of struggle, divorce and sadness? Or do we always have the opportunity to change this destiny? Can we decide, moment by moment, to change our thoughts? Can we choose joy now?
We can choose. It may not be as easy as being that naturally smiling kid in the photo album, but it is somehow richer when the discovery of joy comes from knowing both sides and choosing joy.
Are you persistently happy? This was just too funny to pass up...
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I'm a writer. I like having original ideas. But there is something very powerful about seeing my thoughts mirrored in someone else's words. What's even more fun is when that mirror is someone from a completely different field.
Tom Asacker is a business branding expert who sees things a little different than most. When I read his blog this morning, I felt like I was reading my own thoughts:
"Many people call what I do "motivational speaking." I don't really see it that way. Instead of trying to motivate an audience to act, my goal is to transform the way people see, feel and think, through the creative delivery of new ideas. Lasting change requires a new mindset.... In my mind, there is nothing more motivating than having a clear understanding of today's world and how we can use our inherent assets and talents to be a force for improvement and for people's happiness." (Read Tom's complete posting.)
My sentiments exactly. I've been accused of expecting too much, but I absolutely think its all about transformation - the big revelatory kind and, much more powerful, the kind made up of tiny changes in the way we think, perceive and engage with the world around us. That is worth talking about.
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