I was always interested in how to be more joyful. This goes all the way back to elemenatary school. I looked at what was going on around me and I wanted something better. Because my mother had so many ups and downs, I watned to know how to be “up” more often.

We are all drawn to problems and solving problems. Joy doesn’t demand our time. So we have to mark that time on our schedules. That’s the only way you are going to get it. Five minutes, three times a day in your schedule. That’s doable.

I do a lot of to-dos and a lot of lists. I realized I had to make room for joy. So I added “to feel” items on my to-do list. That’s something you can easily do.

You can’t have real and authentic friendships unless you honor your feelings.

Friends are people who are in your life because you feel good around them and you like them. Friends are the people you choose to be with.

God has joy for you right now.

When I am around someone who is a joy stealer, I say to myself, I only have to deal with you for an hour. That person has to deal with thinking that way every moment of their lives.

You have the strength to push back against what others are making you think or do. You use that muscle of confidence. In the same way, joy is from the inside out, and not letting the things on the outside define you.

I spent so much of my life shut down from the abuse of my childhood. I didn’t have friends and I didn’t have connections with people.

I realized that I spent more time thinking about my problem clients than my great clients. I had to stop feeding the drama of the problem clients-and other problems in my life.