Can You Teach Yourself Joy?

"In my own worst seasons I've come back from the colorless world of despair by forcing myself to look hard, for a long time, at a single glorious thing: a flame of red geranium outside my bedroom window. And then another: my daughter in a yellow dress. And another: the perfect outline of a full, dark sphere behind the crescent moon. Until I learned to be in love with my life again. Like a stroke victim retraining new parts of the brain to grasp lost skills, I have taught myself joy, over and over again." -Barbara Kingsolver, b. 1955

When I read this quote it felt so familiar to me. It reminded me of a time when I was unsure if I would ever feel like "me" again. I was worried that I would never smile... never laugh ... that I would never give a compliment again because I felt empty... that I would never love life again. It felt so permanent. While I was able to go through the motions, get by day to day, I was but a shadow of my former self.

Have you ever felt this way?

For me, it was the sudden, tragic death of my mom that took the wind out of my sails (but grief can really be from any loss or life transition).

And like all great stories, after a period of deep grief, I had a decision to make. Would I let my mom's death be the end of me and my light OR would I CHOOSE LIFE?

I was determined to do whatever it took for me to find joy again. I took my healing and recovery very seriously... like my life depended on it -- because it did.

Rediscovering my light again took me 7 years of continuous investment in support, guidance, training, coaching, education, and mentorship.

Like I said, I was determined, and I was not willing to let anything stand in my way. I remember saying, If I am part of my mom's legacy (and I am gonna be here on Earth) I WILL MAKE IT COUNT.

And I have.

And you can too! I don't want it to take as long for you and I want to share what I learned. I would be honored to show you the way.

If you just got here, I hope I can be a reminder to you that thriving in your life after loss is possible.

As my mentor Russell Friedman said, "You are not broken, you are broken-hearted."
And the good new is, broken hearts can heal with the right support, guidance, love, and action.

If you want to live like you mean it, rediscover who you want to be in this next chapter of your life, and even CHOOSE thriving rather than just surviving, I want to invite you to watch my FREE training : 4 Shifts to Move Beyond the Pain and Rediscover Meaning, Purpose, and Growth in Your Life. It is basically an accumulation of 14 years of knowledge and experience summed up in one FREE 40 minute training.

Not only have I rediscovered my light after loss, I have literally helped over 1000 grievers and trained nearly 1000 grief professionals. Just so you know, loving life after loss does NOT mean you’ll never be sad again. It means that you are able to embrace all of your emotions and find your way back to center whenever you want.

If you are wondering what it takes, all you need in order to heal is to DECIDE that NOW is your time and that you are willing to dedicate yourself to your healing.