What if your joy was totally within your control?

For many, that seems counter-intuitive or improbable. Often our first response is to say, “When X happens or when someone does X, it makes me so mad!” (Or worried, angry, frustrated, upset—however it makes you feel.)

What if that person or situation is just an excuse you have been using to feel mad, worried, angry, frustrated, or upset? What if you have the power to decide how to respond to something instead of having an automatic reaction?

Often we’re allowing all kinds of outside things to determine how we will feel—the scale went up, or didn’t go down enough. Someone is doing something that is negatively impacting us. Some situation outside of our control has all of our focus and we are having a negative emotional response to it.

What if you are really just saying:

• “I’m allowing this inanimate object that may not be accurately reflecting my body composition to dictate how I will feel about myself all day?”
• “I am wanting to control this person’s behavior in order to make me happy?”
• “I want to control situations that are outside of my control, and until I can, I refuse to be happy?”

And what if, when you are using an object, person, or situation to base your negative catabolic emotional response on, you are actually saying “No” to all the good things that All-That-Is (God, the Universe, Source Energy, Higher Coach—whatever works for you) is trying to bring into your life?

In other words, when you are feeling catabolic emotions, such as anxiety or frustration about something—like money, for instance—you are not allowing that money to come into your life. It’s only when you relax and feel anabolic emotions, such as hope, optimism, contentment, excitement, love, and joy that you allow the good that you want to flow to you.

Think of it like this—you are trying to water your garden. There is plenty of water flowing out of the hose, but you have accidentally stepped on the hose. The water is still flowing, but you aren’t allowing it to come out of the nozzle. Letting go of catabolic emotions is the equivalent of lifting your foot off the hose and letting the energy of Source flow freely into your life once again.

So when you catch yourself anxious, fearful, overwhelmed, or frustrated—just recognize that you have your foot on the hose. Don’t beat yourself up—you just have your foot on the hose. It’s not a big deal. The water isn’t gone. The situation is in your control. All you have to do is lift your foot off the hose.

“Well,” you might say, “I’ve had my foot on the hose for a very long time. This feels like a big deal. It’s not going to feel right if I lift my foot off the hose. I’m not really sure the water is on, so how do I know if I take my foot off it will make a difference? And frankly, I’m not sure I know how to take my foot off the hose. How do I take my foot off the hose?”

To let go of catabolic emotions, you can change the subject completely. Just get off the topic of money, or whatever issue has your attention, and think about how great your exercise is going, or about the friends and family that love and support you. Think about how awesome your kids, or pets are. Think about all the things that you have to be grateful for in your life.

You can also remember a time when you did feel good. You can meditate. You can focus on something you enjoy, like getting into your bed at night, or the feel of a hot shower, or the taste of a freshly grown strawberry.

What can you do to begin to choose to focus on what you do want instead of what you don’t want. What can you do to feel good now—regardless of the circumstances that are happening around you? How does choosing a different response change your perspective—and your life?

Together we can do it!