Terri Conrad Designs

Where's the JOY? Joyful Thought No. 2

"right here, inside your heart" she whispered.

If you’re just starting our series, allow yourself a few minutes to begin here. Then, meet up with us here when you’re ready! 

Where do you look for joy?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

JOYFUL THOUGHT No. 2

"Joy comes from within. The seed is planted in my thoughts, and the harvest blooms in my heart."

When most of us survey our lives, we discover that joy is scarce. Particularly so for women, because joy has been displaced by daily stress, pressure in being all things to all people, work, house-work, mothering, wife-ing, cooking.  After doing and being all this, we are often completely disconnected from what we feel—and we certainly don't know what makes us feel joyous. Most days we're happy just to get some sleep.

My days have been a whirlwind for what seems like the longest time, up at 6:30 and working in one capacity or the other until sometimes as late at 1-1:30 in the morning. I've recently been sleeping through my alarm, which only adds pressure to the morning routine for my girls and me. I believe my body is telling me, "it's time to take a break - refresh, renew and refuel." We cannot continue to run effectively on empty.

 

 

 

What really brings you joy? It's a simple question, but often not easy to answer.

Having more joy does not necessarily require a life overhaul—you may just need to create more space in your life for moments of joy. When my life and schedule become so demanding, as has been so recently, I need to take a step forward taking control of it, rather than it taking control of me. 

I need to make sure I am getting what I need, so I have what's required of me to give to all the other areas of my life.

 

 

 

 

In color therapy, orange is the color of joy and happiness and symbolizes energy, balance, enthusiasm, warmth, vibrance, expansiveness, flamboyance, and demanding of attention. Does your personal joy demand your attention?

Creative Expression No. 2:

Right now grab your journal, an orange pen and at least a half hour for yourself.  Ask yourself

Where do I look for joy?

What brings me joy?

When was the last time I experienced joy?

What do I believe about myself that could be robbing me of joy?

Feel free to print, cut & past this "I willl make time for JOY" tag into your journal and promise yourself to make time for JOY.

 

 

Our joy is right inside our heart - it's been there all along - we simply need to give it permission to bubble to the surface.

If you'ld like to play around with some collage work and  create your own expression of joy, I used my Hello Beautiful scrapbook papers which may be purchsed in my etsy shop.

It's a gorgeous day here in L.A.  - may yours be filled to the rim with joy!

xoxo

Terri

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Every Woman Deserves Joy! (Positive Thought No. 1)

"Everybody wants a happy life. But sometimes people, in order to achieve a happy and successful life, rely entirely on external means like money and power. I think this is a mistake. Ultimately, the source of happiness and joyfulness is within ourselves. And once our mind is more calm and joyful, then our activities can be more effective." Dali Lama (thank you, Sue)

Every Woman Deserves Joy - (yep, this includes you, too)

We're beginning a joy journey here; the destination, a more joy-filled life.  In a series of posts, I'm going to give you "31 Positive Thoughts, for a Positively Joy-filled Life" beginning with this post. We may even have a guest or two sharing their joyful thoughts. Through journal writing (learn how you could win one of my new botanical journals below) collage, creative visualization and actual bubble blowing, we will

(1) look at and learn how to change some basic attitudes about ourselves,

(2) discover and define our inner power, personal joy source

(3) become empowered by giving ourselves permission to let our personal joy bubble to the service on a daily basis, and

(4) create some pretty joyful reminders

You will also have an opportunity to share some of your creative expressions here on my blog.

Just One Chapter From My Life (oh there's more sistah)

I recall having conversation with my friend, and then neighbor, Tracy Klehn, about what the word success means to both of us. Tracy was on her journey to becoming a published author and I was preparing for a career in art licensing. Little did I know during this conversation what would soon follow for me would be the flooding of my just remodeled home (seriously, it was 3 days later!), a divorce, the sale of my beautiful family home, a move to a rental home, a house fire rendering my children and me homeless, remarriage to my husband, the purchase of a real fixer-upper, the rebuilding of our family and financial life, another flood, loss of my husband's employment, and only two years in to my licensing career deep betrayal by my first  licensee. . .okay, I'm feeling anxious and there's a tightening of my heart as I write this - I think you get the picture, so I'll leave it at that. Suffice it to say, I felt completely overcome with stress from these external circumstances and deeply unfulfilled. Where was the joy, MY joy?

To create a new life for myself and my family, and get my career back on track, I had to get clear about who I was, what I believed and what I thought was important. I desperately needed a place to retreat to, to renew my strength, and refresh my soul so I could face another day and not just survive these dire circumstances, but thrive. My success needed a new source of measurement, a different measuring stick. I needed to redefine what authentic success meant for me. Do you know what I discovered?  Having joy is authentic success. But to experience joy, I had to first learn what brought me joy—that deeply felt contentment that comes from recognizing my own worth, my purpose, and my joy-point - regardless of any external circumstances! Then I had to align every part of my life with what brought me joy.

Here's what I know:

Every woman deserves joy.

Every woman owes it to herself to recognize & embrace  her self worth.

Every woman has a unique beauty, beloved spirit and unlimited possibilities.

Joy vs. Happiness

Joy is not the same as pleasure or happiness. An unkind, unscrupulous person may experience pleasure but be incapable of knowing joy, and any ordinary person is capable of being happy. While pleasure generally comes from things, and is experienced through our senses; happiness is derived from humans through relationship. Pleasure and happiness are mostly contingent upon external sources.

Joy is independent of my happiness and pleasure. For me, joy comes from a good conscience, knowing & loving God and believing I am His beloved. For me, my joy-point (my steady and abiding star) is my relationship with God. What is your joy point?

ProAction

Give yourself 20-30 minutes, open your journal and write down at least five things that bring you joy. Please feel free to share  your comments here and on my facebook page as we travel our joy journey together. Who knows, you just may inspire or encourage some one else in the process.

Positive Thought No. 1 - I Deserve to Live with Joy (write that in your journal too!)

"Joy is steady and abiding, fixed, like a star."

Creative Expression No. 1

3 Dimension Star

It's a journey  - the destination an authentically JOY FILLED life. Join me here and on my facebook page to begin creating a bounty of JOY FILLED hearts together. Next time, we'll take a look at where we look for joy, where it resides (it's pretty close to you), our basic attitude toward joy, and how NOT to compare ourselves to others so we find more joy right where we're at and with what we have. 

May we each be blessed, and bless one another as we declare "Joyful, joyful I will be!"

xoxo

Terri

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Want to win one of my brand new journals? 

 

(1) leave me a comment here declaring "joyful, joyful I will be"

(2) join my facebook page

(3) post about our Joy Journey on your blog, include my blog link and  invite your readers to come along

p.s.

if you wish to purchase one of my paper crafting kits or journals you may do so for the time being on my etsy site.  My new web site will be completed and the shop open once again very soon.

Joyful, Joyful I will be - think it, journal it, live it!

Joyful, JOY FILLED I will be - will you join me? (would you like to win one of my new journals?)

As I walked my dog, Shayna, this morning, I noticed how in-the-moment she is on our walks. She's filled with keen pleasure & delight being outside, walking (even when I make her power up the pace), sniffing the wild anis, wild rosemary and myriad of other telling scents nature offers. She is present and enjoying the moment, not laboring over yesterday, last year, nor contemplating her next step - simply, purely, in-the-moment and finding immense pleasure in that moment. Observing this reminded me that

Life is energy, focused in the moment. I want to charge mine up with positive energy - the joyful energy I experienced this morning, and with 

love

joy

forgiveness

compassion

kindness

grace

truth

Would you like to genuinely effect change in your life and in this present moment give yourself permission to let JOY bubble to the surface in your life? Do you want to dare to dream the best possible life for yourself and those you love and watch each day, each dream unfold into reality? I've been creating with this notion for a little while now.

As an artist, my job requires that I think something before it can become a reality. I do not have anyone telling me what to create or how to create my designs, my style, my patterns  - all come from my heart, my mind, and from my life experience. Infused in everything I create is a piece of my heart with the hope that a little beauty, a little joy is brought in to your life.  This idea that an artist first has an inspiration then creates a tangible piece of art is like a blueprint for gently guiding the thought or inspiration into form.

These past few years have brought many, many wonderful gifts to me and great success with my work. Along with these gifts, I've also experienced some tremendous pressure, set backs both personally and professionally, as well as other challenges. Through it all, I stayed my course, I persevered, and I allowed the journey to organically unfold teaching me the lessons I needed to learn. The details of which are not nearly as interesting and valuable as the lessons learned:

truth & goodness prevail

I am enough

I am valuable - and I know my source of value

I must listen to my intuition - it exists to serve my best interest and to protect me

Celebrate my creative path

I think it - I create it

hmm....there's something to this last lesson, after all I do this every day with my art, my work. I wondered, could I do this with my life? I've recently tested the theory in little ways, first making the choice, "joyful, joyful I will be." Then, each night as I lay my head on my pillow, I began thinking about certain professional goals I wanted to reach. Seriously, the next day I would hear from my agency that my thought (my intention)  had come to pass. OMG! I wondered, "is it really this simple?"  If I can creatively visualize my work, can I translate that into creatively visualizing my life? For me, the answer is yes.

As I celebrate my creative path, and journey into my imagination to create the life I want, I invite you to join me. I will share with you whispers of wisdom that help me along the way that you may write on your heart and in your journal.

To begin your creative visualization journey, I'd like to give you the opportunity to memorialize your personal journey in one of my brand new journals. These are as deliciously pleasing to the touch as they are visually pleasing to the eye, with canvas covers, a linen insert & brilliant crystals reflecting the light of possibility. You simply need to fill the pages with what you creatively visualize.

TO WIN:

(1) leave a comment here promising yourself, "joyful, joyful I will be"

(2) join my facebook community here

(3) post the message, "Joyful, Joyful I will be" on your blog and/or facebook page, and invite your readers to visit Terri Conrad Designs' blog to participate.

In one week, one entry will be randomly selected to receive one of my new journals pictured here.

Your first whisper of wisdom (for your personal use only - please do not sell or otherwise seek to gain commercial profit with this image. thank you)

Are you ready to charge up - to change up - your life with positive energy? I hope so, because you're worth it!

I am beginning a new journal myself, dedicated to 31 thought-filled ideas that shall create a positively joy-filled life . Follow my posts here and on facebook and let's journey together to discover & change our deepest basic attitudes toward life and live with a joy filled heart.

May miracles bloom in your garden

Terri Conrad

 

Pray for Peace, Teach Tolerance

in the coming days and beyond, may we all consider. . .

please pass this message of peace on to another

blessings to all

What is REAL?

hello bloomin' beauties,

I have a little story for you today - are you all comfy cozy?

What is REAL asked the Rabbit one day, when they were lying side by side near the nursery fender, before Nana came to tidy the room. "Does it mean having things that buzz inside you and a stick-out handle?"

"Real isn't how you are made," said the Skin Horse. "It's a thing that happens to you. When a child love you for a long, long time not just to play with, but REALLY love you, then you become real."

"Does it hurt?"

"Sometimes," said the Skin Horse, he was always truthful. "When you are Real you don't mind being hurt."

"Does it happen all at once," he asked, "or bit by bit?"

It doesn't happen all at once," said the Skin Horse. "You become. It takes a long time. That's why it doesn't happen to people who break easily, or have sharp edges or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are REAL, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But those things don't matter at all, because once your are REAL you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand." (excerpted from the beloved story of the Velveteen Rabbit)

It occurs to me, in this story, the rabbit and Skin Horse were talking about the differences between superficial beauty, the stuff we often feel others need or want to see (the perception) and REAL inner beauty - the stuff we're made of - the stuff that makes us unique. They are telling us that in a life well lived, where we are TRUE to ourselves, all the struggles and challenges make us more loveable and more REAL. When we give ourselves permission to be vulnerable, to let our light shine, others can see this quality in us and this makes us even more real with their love and nurturing. What is REAL in you? What reflects your unique beauty? 

When I was 6 or 7 I received a Thumbalina baby doll from Santa. She was my baby, and I took care of her the way I wanted (needed) to be cared for. Over the years, I washed Thumbalina's baby doll hair (please don't do this!); I carefully, tenderly placed band aids® on her boo-boos; and I held her and loved her until her stuffing began to come out. She became real to me, a projection of me. She journeyed thru my turbulent childhood with me - nestled safely in my arms.

My life's journey has been one of recognizing, embracing and expressing my precious, irreplaceable, uncopyable (is that a word? let's make it one, shall we?) sweet self. It's a process, day by day, much like tending to a garden to keep the flowers in full bloom. Do you recognize, embrace and express your precious, irreplaceable sweet self?

If you keep a journal, give yourself the gift of twenty-thirty minutes to sit and write out some of your unique qualities: Begin with "I am . . ."

strong

persevering

survivor

optimistic

spiritual

creative

loving

loveable

encouraging

insightful

visionary

compassionate

These are some qualities I see in me and prompts to get you thinking about your sweet self.

I came across, for the first time, Spring Inspiration in Bloom (what a fabulous compelling name,huh?!) and the lovely ladies there are talking about authenticity too. The thought of it is in the soon to be Fall air I tell you. There, they share the joyful talented Graciel Evenstar's  ABCs of Authenticity:

Abandon doubt.

Be yourself in all situations.

Care for yourself first and foremost.

Do not criticize yourself.

Eat all things in moderation.

Forgive your imagined faults.

Give generously.

Honor your instincts.

Invite adventure into your life.

Just say "yes".

Kiss the back of your own hand.

Listen to your heart.

Make amends.

Never call yourself "stupid".

Open to new opportunities.

Play.

Question dogma.

Rise above negativity.

See the beauty within you clearly.

Tell the truth.

Understand your needs.

Value your own opinion.

Wield your power responsibly.

Xpress your talents.

Yield to softness.

Zip your lips before you start to gossip

Brava, Graciel, Brava!

 Here's my little gift to you for your journaling (kindly use for personal heartfelt profit and not commercial monetary profit)

Feel free to print and cut this out, then glue it in your journal and remember to write all your unique qualities that make your heart so bloomin' beautiful!

I'd love to hear from you here, or on my facebook page - What makes your unique heart bloomin' beautiful?

xoxo

Terri