Imagine finding joy while you're in the thick of adversity. Sounds impossible, right? I share my journey of discovering happiness in the most challenging period of life. I reveal how my morning routine has been my anchor in this heartbreaking time, and the significance of appreciating even the smallest beautiful moments. By sharing my personal story, it is my hope that I can guide you to unearth your own bank of strength, hope, and happiness, no matter what life is throwing at you.
Life's hurdles, as daunting as they may be, are simply tests of our resilience and determination. The key lies in how we react to these challenges and the actions we take to overcome them. In this episode, I dive into the power of perseverance and the profound impact that gratitude and joy can have on our lives. I invite you to join me in seeking joy amidst hardship, and to be the one who lights the path for others who may be struggling too by doing just that!
Imagine finding joy while you're in the thick of adversity. Sounds impossible, right? I share my journey of discovering happiness in the most challenging period of life. I reveal how my morning routine has been my anchor in this heartbreaking time, and the significance of appreciating even the smallest beautiful moments. By sharing my personal story, it is my hope that I can guide you to unearth your own bank of strength, hope, and happiness, no matter what life is throwing at you.
Life's hurdles, as daunting as they may be, are simply tests of our resilience and determination. The key lies in how we react to these challenges and the actions we take to overcome them. In this episode, I dive into the power of perseverance and the profound impact that gratitude and joy can have on our lives. I invite you to join me in seeking joy amidst hardship, and to be the one who lights the path for others who may be struggling too by doing just that!
Hey friends, and welcome back to another episode of Elevate with Erica. I'm your host, erica, and today we're going to be chatting about something that I've been living through lately and that is finding joy in the midst of hardship, and maybe I should say not just living through, but living because of I've been able to do that. So next I have to tell you about a book that has been helping me with my healing the past couple weeks. It was a gift from a friend and it's been a gift to my life, and it's titled You're Going to Make it, this is what it looks like 50 morning and evening devotions to unrust your mind, uncomplicate your heart and experience healing. Today and I'll also link it in the show notes the author is I think you pronounce it Lisa Turchurst. So in addition to that, I also want to thank all of you for your incredible messages of love and support over the past five weeks. No, I still have not provided specific details and I will, in time, tell you exactly what's been happening when it's appropriate to do so. But more importantly, I actually think it's good that the reason for my pain is not overpowering what the inspiring part of this part of my story will be, and that is that you can continue when you think you can't. You can help someone else in their pain just by lighting the path that you're taking in yours. You see, these five weeks have been the most painful I've ever experienced. Yet I've learned that even in these darkest moments, there's room for beauty too. So I don't know whether you're listening to me on the way to work, cozying up with a cup of coffee, sipping on a glass of wine or getting ready for your day, but thank you for being here with me. And let's dive into today's topic embracing joy in the midst of life's challenges. So, friends, let me be honest with you.
Speaker 1:
It's been tough. These past five weeks have felt like a never-ending storm, and some days I feel super strong, while on others I'm overwhelmed with tears and heartache. And I keep choosing to wake up each morning and stick to my morning routine, a routine that begins with splashing cold water on my face and putting on the clothes I laid out the night before and choosing an affirmation to focus on reading my morning devotion, releasing my worries to God in that and personal developments and journaling gratitude, and turning up some of my favorite songs before pressing play on a 30-minute workout. That routine, my friends, is my lifeline. It gives me confidence, strength and the positive energy boost to face whatever emotions might come up for me that day, whatever I might be triggered by that day, just whatever the day is going to throw at me. It's a seemingly small but crucial step in how I've found joy in this season and I share that routine every morning on my social media and the messages I've received on my strength to stay consistent in that with what I'm going through have been an amazing show of support. But also it's made me realize that I don't wake up with the strength to show up with that routine, like they might think. I wake up and I want to cry under the covers, hide from my problems, scroll social media and compare my life to others. And I want to share that because when we praise someone else on their strength to keep going when we don't think we would have, we're saying that there's something in them that we don't have and that's just not true. I wake up broken every day that this wasn't a bad dream. I wake up to that realization every morning. But I get up because I have responsibilities, I'm a mom, I'm a leader, I'm lighting the path for others in their own season of struggle.
Speaker 1:
The real strength comes after I go through the morning routine, not before. It's like the saying goes the motivation doesn't come before the action. You take the action and become motivated, right, or something like that. Action breeds motivation. That routine sets me to seek joy in the day in front of me. It's a mindset shift that reminds me that there is still something to be grateful for in every day. Sometimes I write down the same three things I'm grateful for for several days in a row my kids, my business and ideas for growth, and my community, family and friends. And you know what that's okay. Some people don't have those things right. Sometimes it's just the beautiful weather outside, sometimes it's just a quiet house in which to work. In that day, it shifts your perspective from those big problems that you are facing too Right, and it shifts them to okay, but what's good about right now, about this day? What can I focus on in this moment? Because worrying about tomorrow doesn't take the pain from tomorrow. It steals the joy from today, and damn it.
Speaker 1:
You guys, if you are in a low moment right now, if you are in a dark season and you're rolling your eyes at me, let me tell you something. If you haven't turned me off yet, let me tell you something. I'm not saying that this is easy. It's downright hard to do this practice when you're struggling. I've stuck to that morning routine the past five weeks, yes, but I've also cried through it some of those days. But I am fighting back against what I'm facing right now. You know, sometimes some blows knock us one step, some three, some right to our knees. But it's a choice, no matter how far you've been hit, to lay down and defeat or to fight back. You said you wanted this kind of life, you wanted to reach this goal, you want this kind of love, you want these kinds of relationships. You're working on that degree or whatever it is, and then when life hits you and it hits you good you don't pass the test. You lay down in defeat. That blow is a test. How bad do you want the life that you're trying to create? Because a bad season doesn't make a bad life unless you let it. Your power wasn't taken from you, unless you let that source of your struggle take it.
Speaker 1:
Let's take a quick break for a word from our sponsor. I have to tell you guys about a new meat delivery subscription service I'm using. Butcherbox delivers high quality meat you can trust, right to your front door. I'm talking free range organic chicken, humanely raised pork, 100% grass fed and grass finished beef and wild caught seafood so you can feel good about what you're eating. But also the taste and the quality are amazing. Click the link in my show notes to grab your first butcher box. Oh, and guess what? My listeners for Labor Day weekend can get two grass fed filet mignons and two wild caught lobster tails for free in their first box. That's a $60 value, totally free through September 6th only. So go find that link in my show notes and grab your first butcher box today.
Speaker 1:
Okay, back to the show. And guess what? I have had some incredible moments of joy in the midst of all this pain, moments that remind me that sorrow and celebration can coexist. I really want to share some of those with you today, because it's really important to take notice of these moments in your own life. So I hope this encourages you to do so, because it's really easy to get lost in the struggles that you're facing and forget all about the beautiful moments happening around you. Like you can be having the most amazing day right and then something challenging happens at the end of it, right, and then you forget about all the amazing things that happened earlier. So, as part of my gratitude practice, where I write three things I'm grateful for, I also write things that I loved from the day before. So, whether you're in a dark season right now or you're coasting, whatever it is, I want you to start creating this habit today, because it helps you seek the good in every single day and remember those things right. There's something powerful in pen to paper, and another cool side of that is that when you have a bad day, you can open that journal back up and read all the good moments that you've had in your life and intentionally start to seek those moments again. So, because you've heard me, you guys have stuck with me.
Speaker 1:
Right as I've talked about pain over the past couple episodes, I wanted to take a moment to tell you the ways in which I've experienced beauty to moments like spending time with my youngest son at a local fishing tournament, seeing his excitement as those big boats came in with their catch of the day, flying their flags of victory. It was pure magic. And then there was that trip to the zoo with him, where I learned more about animals that day than I ever thought possible. Who knew that my nine year old could teach me so much? He says that he wants his first job to be at the zoo and I hope he sticks with that. These moments with him are things that I will hold close. They get me through the hard moments.
Speaker 1:
But I also had the pleasure of finally seeing a band that I've always wanted to hear, all while enjoying good food and great company and perfect weather. And then that overnight girls trip by the water. It was like a hug for my soul. The sun on my face, laughter in the air and the smell of the saltwater oh, it was exactly what I needed. And watching my boys soaking in the last bits of summer at the beach, attending a friend's annual weekend get-together and going to a beautiful housewarming party where I felt completely at ease among the company these moments remind me that life is still beautiful, despite the struggle I'm in. There was also that day at the winery with my mom. We were just in the moment soaking up an amazing duo playing live music, the perfect breeze in the air because otherwise it would have been a little too hot and each other's company, and it was perfection. But you know what? It's? Not just in those big moments, right. It's the little ones too.
Speaker 1:
This painful season has brought me closer to my boys and allowed me time to grow from this pain. It's allowed me extra time to talk with God and to build faith that my best days are in front of me. So here's the takeaway, my friends A hard season doesn't mean every day has to be hard. That's what I got for my morning devotion today those moments of joy, even the tiniest flickers of unexplainable peace, as was said in my devotion this morning. They remind me that a bad day, a bad season doesn't equate to a bad life. There's so much beauty in the world and I won't let this painful season rob me of all of it.
Speaker 1:
I choose to be intentional about finding joy in the beautiful things in my life, no matter how tough it gets. And as much as I wish that this wasn't true, I know I'm not even through the toughest part of all of it yet, but I'm choosing not to dwell on that. And it takes work and intentional effort. But that's tomorrow's problem. It can't steal my joy today.
Speaker 1:
So I want to leave you with this Get intentional about finding joy in the beautiful things in your life, and it might be harder on some days than others, but I promise you it's always there if you intentionally seek it and it'll give you that strength you need to keep walking on the hard days. Light the path for others struggling to be the person that believes a new day can bring a new outcome. Have that faith. Be the person who keeps trying today, just today, and then do that again tomorrow, just one day at a time, because your current situation is not your destiny and this struggle is just a test, and I'm rooting for you to get up and fight back. Thank you for joining me today on Elevate with Erica. I hope you found some inspiration and a little reminder that even in the midst of hardship, you can seek, create and experience joy. They can coexist. Until next episode, keep seeking those beautiful moments in your life. My friend, you've got this E.
