Oh Joy!

Have you ever gotten giddy when you've captured a dog or child in innocent, joyful play? If so, you received joy from their joy. This is Mudita, which is a formal Buddhist practice. If you've been following the Facebook page, you might have seen May's Joyful challenge--commit to doing at least one thing each day that brings you joy and then post it in the comments section of my daily posts and we can celebrate that joy with you. This is joy expanding! This is the practice of Mudita, the essence of  rejoicing in others' happiness, success and good fortune. There is a lightness about this type of joy that comes from another's joy and it can even help us transform the difficult states of jealousy and envy.

There is enough joy for us all and when we know we can experience joy from others' joy, we are all the more willing to support them reaching their joy! 

When we recognize that our own happiness is affected by others' happiness, we are more likely to not only want others to do well, but to actually take action to bring joy and happiness to others.

I invite you to try it and see. What happens if you practice an act of kindness that brings joy to someone you know or don't know? Does it inspire you to do more? WHO does it inspire you to be? Helpful? Kind? Giving?

This isn't to say that doing good things for others with the intention of receiving benefit ourselves should be the motivation--that may actually lessen the joy, because it has been adulterated by self-interest. In other words, an expectation of a return may arise--but rather it is a natural consequence of recognizing that our joy not only is not hindered by another's joy, it may be enhanced by it.

This may be a hard concept to grasp in a culture that is dominated by ideas of competition supported by beliefs of scarcity. But, beginning anywhere on this path of enjoyment will bring benefit.

I questioned since early childhood why some of my peers seem to prosper, receive love, do fun and exciting things when I wasn't. It was somewhat the Cinderella idea--there was only one glass slipper. A lot of resentful feelings and actions arose from those beliefs and it was only in the last decade or so this understanding began to shift and change.

Slowly, as I've learned to build my own life, not live it in reaction to others or out of fear, but from the authentic uprising from deep in my core, this has changed. Compassion-based mindfulness has helped this radically, as has recovery and my career as a mindfulness-based life coach, where I get to help others step into their highest good and success.

Now the joy for others' happiness, success and well being is mostly spontaneous and genuine. And when it isn't, I can make a conscious effort to see it that way. Mudita is something we can make effort to practice when feelings of jealousy or envy arise.

There is enough joy for us all and when we know we can experience joy from others' joy, we are all the more willing to support them reaching their joy! 

What brings you joy? Feel free to join us in challenge and the conversation and allow your joy to bring joy to others and maybe experience a little more joy yourself.