Let Joy Be Your Compass
Are you familiar with the “Hotter-Colder Game?” It’s a children’s game where an item is hidden somewhere by one player while the rest cover their eyes. The rest of players then walk around looking for the hidden object. If they get closer, the one who has hidden the object says, “Warmer, warmer.” When they move away from it she says, “Colder, colder.” If someone gets very close they hear, “Hotter, hotter, hot!”
I’ve been inwardly guided in many ways; two of the ways are through pain and through joy. We are sometimes squeezed in the direction that is best–doors slam in our face, barricades seem to be everywhere keeping us from what we think we want and need, and things seem to be taken away. And like a baby who’s playing with matches believing these are great toys, we cry believing what is in our best interest is being denied us or taken from us. This guidance through pain will still accomplish the task of moving us in the direction we need to go, but it’s clearly not the most fun way to be led.
Another way to be guided, and certainly more preferable, is through joy. Why we wouldn’t we just choose to be guided by joy rather than pain as it seems an easy choice? Being guided by joy can be tricky because unfortunately many of us don’t think that following the way that brings us joy is divine, or that we deserve it, or that it’s not more than an indulgence. The whole “no pain, no gain” mentality is pervasive in our culture.
You Want Me do What?
Following our joy can also seem to make no sense at the time. If we are experiencing deep financial problems, for example, and our inner nudges of joy lead us to go to an amusement park, we override these inner prompts because we judge them as not something that will help us with our problems as we perceive them. In short, being led by joy requires trust, faith, and a willingness to suspend our own judgements about what we need and how to go about having those needs met. This takes practice and through this practice we begin to see that we indeed can trust these nudges and that we are led in unimaginable and miraculous ways. Ways that all our planning could never dream of.
We can practice this by being alert for those joy nudges. Similar to the “Hotter-Colder Game” when we get closer to the way we need to go, we will begin to feel little tinges of joy or a warmth inside, or a lightness. As we get closer and closer, the feelings become more and more intense. I often experience this guidance as a giddy joy with a sense of excitement and glee. I feel like I have butterflies in my stomach. I also experience a sense of fear of sorts but more like the fear of a child standing in line for a roller-coaster ride she’s wanted to go on for a very long time. As we practice, we begin to learn the individual and often unique feelings and sensations that mean we are following the Voice of Joy.
Conversely, when we move away from the our joy, we experience heaviness, depression, and enervation. For me, it feels like I’m walking in mud and things begin to feel like a chore–I can barely muster the energy to do even every day tasks sometimes when this is happening. I start to feel frustrated and even angry.
Who Knew Doodling Could be Healing
When I first began painting Princess Sassy Pants, I was at the end of probably the longest and darkest period of my life. Try as I might, I could see no way out. I had been a professional fine artist for years and had done quite well with it for a long time, but along with many other things, that work became so painful I simply could not continue. I dragged it on as long as I could not knowing what else to do, so by the time I finally stopped, I hated it and never wanted to paint again.
One day I was trying to get my mind off my life that had crumbled all around me, and just started doodling. To do this, I had to suspend my judgements about how I felt about making art and how much I loathed it at the time. I just wanted a moment of respite and had no idea how to get it. As I doodled, I felt the tiniest bit of lightness–when you’ve been in deep darkness, any light feels like drinking water after being lost in a desert.
I doodled and doodled some more. I started to post my doodles, added words to them, and doodled some more. Since it was literally the only thing that felt even remotely good at the time, I started to do it all day, every day. As I played with the character I felt more and more spontaneous laughter bubbling up and the more I laughed, the more I could feeeel and see the healing taking place both inside and out.
My life didn’t turn around in a minute and there still seemed to be deep challenges in need of healing, but I kept my focus on those things that were bringing me even the slightest sense of joy.
It’s not that we no longer have problems and challenges as we follow the joy nudges, but things do begin to unfold more effortlessly and with a sense of passion, hope and yes, even laughter.
Princess Sassy Pants & Co.™ 
I find great joy reading your post daily. I thank you for holding your ground and perseverance. Who cares what the nay sayers believe. Don’t drink the Kool-Aid
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Love this! Thanks for all you do. If not even but 1 person it helps, you’ve done what you was lead to do.
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Absolutely beautiful and spot-on post! Thank you for all the joy you bring to others with your art ; – )
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Your posts have divine timing. You describe how I have been feeling for awhile now. And when I proposed doing exactly what you have done to seek the next best thing in my life, I get lots of advice to do something different and practical.
I do feel like I need to make changes so I will try to follow joy.
I have the word joy all over the place in my home which doesn’t come as a surprise. Thank you for sharing your journey. ✨
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I’m sure glad that you went back your art work! You are such an inspiration and encouraging lady for many who read your blogs! Thank you for the joy you bring to me in your words and art!!❤️
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Princess,
Thank you for your words of wisdom
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Thank you for your words of wisdom
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