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Guidepost 4: Cultivating Gratitude and Joy, Letting go of Scarcity and Fear of the Dark
Brown calls “Foreboding Joy” the fear that the other shoe is going to drop when good things happen to us in life.
Many people carry an unconscious belief that says “I can’t have too much of a good thing…”
This belief comes from a place of scarcity. It says “I won’t let myself feel this joy, because it won’t last forever.”
Gratitude provides a clear pathway to experiencing more of this joy. By practicing gratitude when for the opportunities you have to experience joy, you can be with it fully, BECAUSE it’s brief. Be grateful that it happened at all!
Start practicing:
Reframe your expectations about the level of joy you’re capable of experiencing in life. What if you expected to bring joy into each day?
Make noticing what you’re grateful a part of your daily life. (Like keeping a gratitude journal.) There’s always something you can be grateful for. And therefore, always a reason to feel joy.
When you feel fear or scarcity, use it as an opportunity to practice gratitude. For example, if you fear losing something, connect with the reasons you’re grateful to have that thing/person/opportunity in your life in this moment.
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Sound stuff. I take my cue for this sports fans. Whether ahead or behind at the moment, celebrate your team scoring. This is also a collective call to joy.
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