BE HAPPY AS A GOAT / Live Your Sustainable Life NOW

Mountain goats remind me of the innocence and spontaneity of pure joy. They display a dance of joy where one goat starts rearing and leaping and tossing its horns and whirling about. Soon, others join in and the whole herd is participating in the dance. They jump for joy for the simple pleasures in life – sunshine, being well fed, community.

When they experience and celebrate joy, they expend much energy. I suspect that, as a result, they receive energy in leaps and bounds. And I think we humans do, too. When we are connected with joy in our life, energy seems to be abundant.

What brings you joy? When do you feel most alive?

Think back to an experience where you felt fully alive and happy. Take five minutes to close your eyes, get comfortable in your seat, and go on a mini-retreat, revisiting that experience in your mind’s eye.

What is available to you there? What sensations do you remember?

When you come back from your mini-retreat, write down what was most vivid and savour it some more. Think about where you could create more of these mini-retreats in your daily life. It could be as simple as looking up into the sky or feeling the air on your face as you walk along the street. Whatever it is that lets you experience joy, invite it into your life. Soon you will experience that your days become more colourful and you sustain your energy.

As Charlotte Joko Beck put it, “Joy isn’t something we have to find. Joy is who we are if we’re not preoccupied with something else.”

Julia James is a Certified Life Coach. She partners with busy professionals to help them achieve balance in their lives. Julia creates a safe space for clients and group participants to explore their passion. For more information visit: www.JuliaJames.ca.

Recommended reading:
“The Joy Diet” by Martha Beck http://www.juliajames.ca/life-coach-resources.html
The Joy Diet is for the soul rather than the body. Martha Beck introduces 10 steps that practiced on a daily basis help to achieve greater fulfillment and a happier life.