I Choose to Like Things

…and other ways to stay positive when life is hard.

In a world filled with constant distractions, negative news cycles, and everyday challenges, it’s all too easy to get caught up in a whirlwind of stress and negativity.

So how do we regain control of our emotions and choose a brighter outlook on life?

Think about it.

How often do we find ourselves dwelling on the things that go wrong or the obstacles that stand in our way?

It’s so easy to get caught up in what’s wrong, what’s missing, or what we wish were different. But we get one life, y’all. One life that God has graciously given us.

So many of us are living in things we once prayed for, and somehow we still find reasons to feel discontent.

We’re human. Of course we do.

But sometimes we need to look around and remember just how much goodness is already here.

Positivity is contagious and flows out and onto our homes. As mamas, we want to be the best example to our little ones. When we choose positivity, it then uplifts our kids, which creates a ripple effect of joy.

When we choose to notice what is good, it changes the way we show up:

We complain less.

We become easier to be around.

We encourage people more.

We say thank you.

We check on the friend who has been quiet.

We stop assuming the worst. We make our homes feel lighter. We become more generous with our words.

Gratitude does not mean ignoring what is hard. It just means refusing to let what is hard become the only thing we can see.

So what are some simple ways you can think positively?

Choose to like things and find the things that you like.

(It’s pretty simple when you think of it this way, but I know it’s easier said than done!)

It’s a practice that has genuinely made my life abundantly sweeter.

For example:

1. I’m at a restaurant, and the food is just “okay” and service is slow.

   While it’s definitely easier to get in my head and pick things apart, instead, I choose to find the thing that I do love. I search for something in the restaurant that makes me happy and set my focus there, I focus on a flavor that I do enjoy, and that becomes my experience.

   I have very few negative feelings about anywhere I’ve been because this is a practice that helps me to find joy.

2. When I’m stuck in traffic, I could slam the steering wheel, honk and swerve through lanes, but I know that will only decrease my joy.

   So I choose to see it as a time of rest, a time to talk to God and pray for my heart and the people I love, and to choose thankfulness for a moment of reprieve.

3. When I’m grabbing a coffee and see a pretty street, I go out of my way to drive through it, to admire the trees, flowers and pretty houses while listening to music that I love.

4. When someone is rude to me, I choose to believe that they’ve had a hard day or that they are hurting, and even if I’m annoyed, I force myself to pray for them.

   Philippians 4:8 says, “Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable… think about such things…and the God of peace will be with you.”

This verse is so powerful to me because it says that once we focus on the good and lovely, then we will experience the peace of God.

We are responsible for our thought life and that directly impacts our relationship with Jesus and our peace.

Some other ways to find joy in your day-to-day:

• Do one small thing that makes your environment feel better. Make the bed, light a candle, clean the kitchen, open the windows.

• Call someone who makes you feel like yourself. Sometimes you just need real, human connection that doesn’t come from your screens.

• Make something. Cook, bake, write, garden, paint, or rearrange a room. Creating can help remind you who you are.

• Serve someone else. Bring coffee to a friend, send an encouraging text, help a neighbor. Joy often grows when we get outside of ourselves.

• Notice what is still good. You don’t need to deny what hurts. Life is freaking hard. But finding the good helps to keep pain from becoming the only thing you can see or feel.

• Give yourself something small to look forward to. A favorite meal, a movie night, a weekend plan, a morning coffee somewhere you love.

• Get outside and move your body. A walk, sunlight, fresh air, even ten minutes can interrupt the heaviness and literally turn your entire day around.

• Worship before your feelings catch up. Put on music, pray honestly, or read a Psalm out loud. Sometimes joy starts as an act of faith before it becomes an emotion.

• Do something playful. Play cards with your kids, dance in the kitchen, throw a football, watch something funny.

• Let yourself enjoy something without guilt. Hard seasons do not require constant sadness to prove they matter.

I love joy. I love it enough that I choose to seek it out, even on the days it feels impossible.

I thrive off of beautiful things, sweet relationships, and exciting adventures. And while I share a whole lot about my mess on here and on the podcast, I also have a lot of joy in my life that I fight to find.

I really do believe that when we look for the bad or choose to see patterns of negative things, we will absolutely see more of it. I see my boys with so much light, love, and passion and believe that cynics are made, not born.

I want to raise my boys to find joy in the smallest things and the beautiful life that Jesus has given us.

What is one way that you seek out joy on an average or hard day?
Comment and encourage others!

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