What if joy was a rare event, occurring only once a year? Not only would we look forward to that day, we would also worry that something might steal it. Oh, Lord, what if we got food poisoning? What if we fell off a mountain or a mountain fell on us? We might string up imaginary barbed wire, hoping to snag trouble before it had a chance to creep up and steal our joy. The problem is, we could get tangled in our self-protection, sabotaging that one, magical day.

Fact: It’s impossible to fill your cup with joy if it’s already overflowing with worry or regret. A positive outlook can change our lives. That may sound facile, but it’s the truest thing I know.

In 1856, a newspaper in Colchester, England wrote about the potent force of our thoughts. Years later, in 1872, an Iowa newspaper reworked the idea a bit.

“Plant a thought and reap a word.

Plant a word and reap an action.

Plant an action and reap a habit.

Plant a habit and reap a character.”

Plant a character and reap a destiny.”

     –Bishop Beckwaith (credited)

Thoughts turn into action.

Action creates destiny.

If your thoughts and actions are negative, you may be lucky to experience joy once a year. 

I once knew a lady who hunted disappointments the way a squirrel searches for acorns. As the lady repeated a litany of daily insults and horrors, her black mood seeped into me. When I finally stopped listening to the emotional tirades, I felt happier and healthier.

Moods are contagious.

Don’t let a miserable person make you miserable. Happiness can be elusive because we are human. We don’t live alone. We have loving families and live in communities. It can feel selfish to follow your dreams–and dreams require tending. 

During the long winter, I studied positive affirmations, and I slowly began to understand that I was like Dorothy Gale, stuck in Oz, unaware that I had the power to return home by clicking the heels of my ruby slippers. Instead of slippers, I had another tool: I could change how I began each day. I could choose optimism.
I wrote down an affirmation. Then I said the words out loud. I imagined the words rising into the wind. And I let them go. 

During my research, I read that negative thinking will rewire the brain, so you end up like the woman who hunted disappointments. Luckily, positive thoughts rewire neural pathways, too.

Thoughts can shape your destiny.

And what about that strange world that has one joyful day a year? 

Isn’t it marvelous that we live in a world where we can choose to be joyful every single day. Maybe we’ll only catch a buoyant moment while we’re in the butterfly garden. Maybe we’ll have a quiet, blissful walk in the woods, gathering sticks. 

One second. One minute. One day.

No matter: it’s a gift.

During that time, we let worries be.

We hit negativity with a brick. Whomp it upside the head.

And we will just be happy.

Thoughts turn into action.

Action creates destiny.