1. SEARCH – Go for a walk and search for hearts in nature. Snap photos of the hearts you find. You will be surprised how many you find. When I see a heart-shaped leaf or a heart-shaped stone, it reminds me of the love God has for us. It’s as if He is sending us little love notes.
2. PLAY – Take some time to play with your kids, your pet, your spouse or friend. With little kids, this is an easy way to find joy but if you don’t have kids, play with your cat or dog. Play a card game with your spouse or friend. Play golf, tennis, racquetball, croquet….the ideas are endless.
3. ACCOMPLISH – Fix something or clean something that you have been putting off for a while. I know this sounds like work, but if you’re anything like me, when I have something I really need to do, but put it off, it wears on me. Then, when I finally do it, it feels terrific and I wonder why I waited so long!
4. VOLUNTEER – Pull weeds at your church, help out at the local soup kitchen or women’s shelter. Help a neighbor hoe his/her garden. Here again, the ideas are endless. Helping others will make the giver and the receiver experience joy.
   
5. LAUGH – Do you have a friend that you can just be silly with? You both make each other laugh? Pay them a visit. Watch your favorite sit-com or funny movie. Watch home movies of when your kids were little (this may make you laugh and cry). YouTube is a great source for laughter…..click here for tons of laughs!
6. APPRECIATION – Find joy in the small stuff. Go for a walk in the woods. Stroll through a flower garden. Eat dinner outside. Go on a picnic. Set up a tent in the yard and "camp" with the kids. Have smores around a campfire. Watch the sunset. Lay on the yard on a blanket and look for objects in the clouds.
7. LISTEN TO INSPIRING PEOPLE – While cooking dinner or driving home from work, put in an inspirational CD. Here are some good examples…Zig Ziglar, Napoleon Hill, Earl Nightingale, Rhonda Byrnes
8. MAKE A HEALTHY MEAL – This may sound silly to some of you, but when I cook a healthy meal for my family and watch them enjoy it…knowing I am helping them to be healthy and strong, I find joy in that. Some days making dinner can feel like a chore…especially if you have nothing planned and at 5pm, you run to the store to get something you can quickly cook for dinner. Take time on Sunday to plan out your meals. Go to the grocery store once to get all that you need to make the meals. By being prepared every day, you will find cooking dinner for your family a joyful experience. This goes for anyone who is single as well.
9. CREATE – Write in your journal, draw in your sketchbook, play with clay, make a necklace, pick flowers to make a bouquet. Find joy in creating something.
10. GRATITUDE PRAYER – Many times when we pray we are asking for God’s help. Instead, find a quiet place, sit in a comfortable position, relax your body, close your eyes and thank God for everything you can think of for 15 minutes. This is the best way to find joy every day.

There are plenty more ways to find joy in every day. The above list is just the beginning. The more you seek joy, the more you will find it. Soon, It will be so ingrained in your mind that you will automatically find joy in every day.

How do you find joy? Share your ideas with me!