3 Joy Quotes: How Does Practicing JOY Bring Order and Harmony Into Your Life? Also, Joy Contagious Lip-Syncing Cop Viral Video

               Joyful X 2 Bathmat

Now if everyone in politics and every CEO in Big Business would read this, think how much people would quit hating their jobs, their bosses and their politicians!


From Denny:  Have you ever noticed that when you are filled with Joy that your whole world is suddenly harmonious and everything just falls into place?  Joy is contagious too.  When you feel good, everyone around you feels good too!

While not everyone is called to enter into the decades long rigorous training to become a mystic for the benefit of humanity, a lot can be learned and practiced in everyday life to better enjoy life's journey.  Practicing Joy is practicing healthy spirituality, regardless of religion or no specific religious preferences at all.

Joy is a central principle for the human spirit.  Joy sustains us through life's sorrows and disappointments.  Joy acts as a counter balance while climbing out of depression or grief, dealing with past trauma and the ensuing PTSD, keeping us from sinking down further into negative emotions and thoughts.  Joy is important to safeguard not just our mental, emotional and spiritual health but it has a direct positive benefit upon our physical health too.

Adults often develop habits that steer away from Joy.  Babies laugh hundreds of times a day.  How much have you laughed out loud today?  How much have you laughed in the past month?  Do you find your world crumbling around you, feeling out of sorts and grumpy, thinking limiting thoughts, focused upon how little is going your way? ...

Joyful X 2 Padfolio

Inspire: Keep your Joy up and flowing to attract order and harmony into your life all year long!  Visit Denny Lyon Gifts  @ CafePress.com - see what's new!  Thank you to those who are supporting this effort.  You rock!  

Proceeds go to Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank (Louisiana) and to St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital for all the awesome help they have given to the children of the Gulf Coast.  

Developing this online gift store is one of the ways of how I keep my Joy up, focusing upon creativity that creates proceeds for charities doing great work.

*** Joyful x 2 design found in the Denny Lyon Gifts store @ Cafe Press in these sections:  bedding, stationery and inspiration (plenty of style choices for women, men, baby and kid's t-shirts and hoodies.)

Attitude Quote in Poem

From Denny:  Check out this clever direct poem about how our daily attitude shapes our lives.

Funny Attitude Quote

From Denny: Check out the latest interesting quote to make you smile while you think.

12 Funny Quotes About Prayer

From Denny:  Prayer is a wonderful thing.  It can bring us comfort, calm our fears and inspire us.  It's also quite amusing to view it in terms of the human condition called "whining."  There is also "bargaining."  Once you grow past those two obvious pitfalls you discover "peaceful communion."

What Exchange Happens During Prayer?

From Denny:  When you pray and meditate do you ever spend a few minutes just concentrating upon your breathing in and breathing out?  Tell the mental monkeys to hush and sit in the corner playing quietly while you do so.

The beauty of what you will discover after many sessions is what happens between the inhale and the exhale, that small beat of Time where a window opens up to reveal the awesome.  It's an awareness you receive like when you read the Book of Genesis, the first chapter.  Now pay close attention to the space between verses one and two.  Why read the rest of the Bible when you have that much to contemplate for the rest of your life?

Are You Willing To Step Over Your Self-Imposed Limits?

Do you feel you are on a plateau going nowhere? How to move past where you are in Life to receive your blessings.

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"God often asks us to step over the limits we impose upon ourselves to venture out into the unknown - trusting." - Denny Lyon


From Denny: Today I was reflecting upon how easy it is to place our thoughts, our lives, our expectations and tuck them away, in a neat little bundle, imprisoning them into a very small world, a box. So often we humans are so afraid in life that we invent rules for everything in order to control the world around us.

Perhaps rules should be treated as mere guidelines as how to behave in a culture so as not to bring offense to our neighbor? Doesn't it seem many people live too close to the rules that they end up as what is known as "rule bound"? They end up trapped, and suffocating spiritually - by the very rules they invented to protect themselves from the world of chaos and uncertainty.

We humans do so love our security in life whether it's economic security, emotional security and status security, our exalted place in a family or society. If we spent as much time on true spiritual development - as we do on inventing and slavishly following rules - this world would literally become Heaven on Earth.

The Spirit of God has trained me for decades since I was a very little girl, always calling me to go beyond what society taught me. Of course, I caught a lot of static from everyone around me when I "followed God not man" - still do - follow God and get static. In time though those around me came to see the wisdom of God's doings as I followed confidently, trusting He knew what He was doing. Instinctively, I knew "the why" would eventually be revealed and explained, causing everyone to calm down and quit getting in a huff about not following the rules.

My father was often exasperated with me, saying I "had no fear." He kept trying to instill fear into me - which is counter-productive to spiritual development. I never thought of myself as fearless as I often sized up situations,  treading lightly, realizing it was not wise to engage as violence could erupt, creating an even bigger mess. Yet my father complained constantly as he feared everything and everyone, trusting no one, a decided agnostic one year and then an atheist the next. He did not want to be constrained by a conscience. Whether you believe in God or not is irrelevant because we all come hard-wired with a conscience.

My father never would give up all the space inside himself he gave over to making Fear feel comfortable and welcome. And I never gave Fear a home. Wisely placed Trust is smarter, more profitable in Life and certainly far easier to live with inside yourself.

But how do you get from the place of Fear to the place of Trust? Many a Christian claims to trust God and yet deny requests from Him on a daily basis without fully realizing their rebuff. How many times have you been requested to do something outside your current comfort zone? You said "No! I won't go there!" or "I won't talk to that person because they are this or that label and don't fit into my idea of the right kind of person with which to associate."

See? Rules can trip us up and we can miss out in Life. We also miss out on how God is working in our lives to move us past our limitations and low expectations so he can bless us with so much more.  To receive the blessings for which we keep asking we must first empty out the negative energy which is taking up the space where we are to make a home for our blessings.

In this New Year take the time to re-think your self-imposed limitations and expectations. Think again about how the Spirit of God is quietly calling you in small every day situations to do more, be more, think on a larger scale. The one small act of kindness may not seem big to you but is huge to the person receiving it - and it sure makes glad the heart of God who loves us all.



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*** Come by for a visit and check out my other blogs:

The Social Poets - news, politics and humor
The Soul Calendar - science, astronomy, psychology
Visual Insights - photos, art, music
Beautiful Illustrated Quotations - spiritual quotes, philosophy
Best Spiritual Posts
Poems From A Spiritual Heart - poetry
The Healing Waters - health news
Dennys People Watching - people in the news
Dennys Food and Recipes
Dennys Funny Quotes - humor

3 Positive Attitude Quotes to Help Shape Your World

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From Denny: Lately, the way the economy has been shifting continually under our feet, never knowing what to expect from month to month, it's a good idea to cultivate a positive attitude. After all, what does a negative attitude get us beyond a moment of acting like a safety valve to blow off frustration and anger?

The problem comes when we stay stuck in anger and frustration. When Life seems to be constantly coming at you - and you know darned well it isn't Lady Karma paying a visit but you have to deal with it anyway - catch your balance by giving yourself and your loved ones around you a refocus.

It's important for us not to react to situations but rather step back, slow down, think and then, after pondering for a while, even a few days, to then act. And when you do act, act in progressive stages, a slow step at a time and observe how the situation presents itself.

As you slow down the resolution of the issue you will be able to clearly see which step is the best to take and which step to succeed that one. Eventually, you work your way through the problem or situation. It seems to be in our American DNA that we want instant gratification and instant one step solutions to complex problems. Well, Life just doesn't work that way or they wouldn't call it "spiritual testing." :)

What's also important for our refocus is to remember we didn't come into this world just to pay bills but rather to impact our world in a positive light. In order to successfully fulfill ourselves we need to quit allowing others to keep our emotions in a tail spin like the tail wagging the dog.

We are spiritual people living in a physical world not the other way around. We have more power to address our circumstances if we only take the time to listen inwardly to our spiritual heart that contains all the wisdom of the ages and the universe.

To finish our refocus when Life presses in make sure to add Hope to the list. Hope keeps our attitude from falling off a cliff into despair. It's also a reminder that just as our situation changed for the negative or chaotic it will change again into the positive and the peaceful - if only we will focus upon that good thought. In no time Life will greet us with our positive focus as if to say, "I don't know what you were stressing about. See? You knew what to do all along and everything worked out right."


Quotes


* We are not here merely to make a living. We are here to enrich the world. - Woodrow Wilson

* We are not creatures of circumstance; we are creators of circumstance. - Benjamin Disraeli

* Practice hope. As hopefulness becomes a habit, you can achieve a permanently happy spirit. - Norman Vincent Peale


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Mothers Day Quote From Rose Kennedy

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Photo of Rose Kennedy with son President John Kennedy - from JFK Library


From Denny: It's one thing to believe good things for your children's futures; it's quite another to have captured this large vision like Rose Kennedy did. Surely, her vision was highly unusual, containing infinite possibilities.

What I like best about Rose's thoughtful quote here is she thought beyond just how her children would do in the world. She carefully considered how her children would impact the souls around them.

Happy Mother's Day!


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* Whenever I held my newborn baby in my arms, I used to think that what I said and did to him could have an influence not only on him but on all whom he met, not only for a day or a month or a year, but for all eternity - a very challenging and exciting thought for a mother. - Rose Kennedy


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50 Lessons Life Taught Me Quotes

From Denny: Seems like I read this a few years ago and then found it again online. This sure has made its way around the world. This column was written on 28 May 2006.

*** Written By Regina Brett, 53 years old in 2009 (not 90 years old as other sites have reported), of The Plain Dealer newspaper in Cleveland, Ohio. She survived breast cancer.

The reason for the confusion about her age is attributed to the following quotes:

* June 6, 2009,"Life's lessons speed up on Internet; 90 years of living in 50: Regina Brett."

* July 7, 2009, "The thing about being 90 is you savor every day: Regina Brett."



"To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 50 lessons life taught me. It is the most-requested column I've ever written.

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
4. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
5. Pay off your credit cards every month.
6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.
8. It's OK to get angry with God -- He can take it.
9. Save for retirement starting with your first pay check.
10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.



11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.
12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.
13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their
journey is all about.
14. If a relationship has to be secret, you shouldn't be in it.
15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry - God never blinks.
16. Life is too short for pity parties. Get busy living -- or get busy dying.
17. You can get through anything if you stay put in today.
18. A writer writes. If you want to be a writer, write.
19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood -- but the second one is up to you and no one else.
20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take "no" for an answer.



21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie -- don't save it for a special occasion. TODAY is special!
22. Over-prepare -- then "go with the flow."
23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.
24. The most important sex organ is the brain.
25. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: "In five years, will this matter?"
27. Always choose life.
28. Forgive everyone everything.
29. What other people think of you is none of your business.
30. Time heals almost everything -- give time -- time.



31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
32. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.
33. Believe in miracles.
34. God loves you because of who God is -- not because of anything you did or didn't do.
35. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.
36. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.
37. Your children get only one childhood -- make it memorable.
38. Read the Psalms. They cover every human emotion.
39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.



41. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
42. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful, or joyful.
43. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
44. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
45. The best is yet to come.
46. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up, and show up.
47. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
48. If you don't ask, you don't get.
49. Yield.
50. Life isn't tied with a bow -- but it's still a gift."

*** Thanks for visiting and come back often! :)

Giving to Others Gives to Ourselves

From Denny: This is truly so simple and becomes a great habit and greater blessing the younger you are when you begin. If you want to end your stress and develop wonderful friendships then choose to do good for others. What good acts you seed into the Universe comes back to you all grown up and ready to enjoy!

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If I choose to bless another person, I will always end up feeling more blessed. - Marianne Williamson

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There are always those who reject the vision of doing good in the world because they refuse to grow...

Today at The Social Poets:

16 Thoughtful Quotes From President Barack Obama, Why It Is Important to Stand Against the Republican Strategies

What Can Adversity Do for Our Talents?

Photo by Peter Kaminski @ flickr

From Denny: This quote is especially poignant with the recent figures out on job loss in America. Adversity really can test us and make us or break us. Try watching some of NBC News segments called Making A Difference to see what other people are doing when they lose their jobs. Many people all across the globe as well as America are reassessing their passion in life and following it. They are also realistic enough to realize they may need a day job to pay the bills.

One example? A man who has the experience as a motivational speaker and loves to talk to teenagers goes around his area giving speeches for free after his company succumbed to the recession. What's his job now? He works at a far reduced pay as a janitor and is delighted to have the job yet still follows his passion.

Adversity has a way of strengthening us as we decide our priorities. The transition can be a bit difficult to adjust to yet over time we do adjust when we decide to put our focus upon it. In the end, we work our way through the rough patches (which can last months and even years) and find ourselves positioned well for sudden good opportunities staring us in the face at a later date.

Why? Because we worked through it - instead of sitting in a mud puddle whining about what we don't have any longer. We struck out on a fresh start and began building another dream! Most of us in America had pioneer ancestors who faced all kinds of adversity. Maybe today's America can take a lesson from them on tenacity.

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"Adversity has the effect of eliciting talents which, in prosperous circumstances, would have lain dormant." - Horace