Consciousness Known by Rhonda O'Brien

For a long time I had heard that I needed to make room for joy in my life. This message fell to very deaf ears for a number of years. I had committed myself to my dream and I was going to do whatever it took to make it work and in my mind that meant hard work and lots of it.

I can and do work hard and don't often consider joy a requirement in life. I will be joyful when all of my dreams come true...but until then I will just work my bones off.

Then life threw me a curveball. My business was booming and I was still working full time due to a wonderful article written about me in a local magazine. I am so grateful for this windfall of luck.

I was busy and while it was everything I had ever dreamed about the inevitable happened...I got burned out for about an eight month period.

I could see it happening like a slow moving accident, but I didn't listen to the signs. I kept feeling inspired by new projects and prospects and I never took a break for a long time, too long apparently.

What happened in getting burned out was actually a blessing...I finally learned what people had been telling me all along. That life is supposed to be enjoyable and that when we put an effort into enjoying life we make more room for joy and joy makes room for success.

What did I start doing?
1. I crafted. The Dollar Tree became my new addiction as I found their craft section to be a gold mine of creative inspiration.
2. I started going out more and socializing. This involved becoming more engaged with my family and going to social gatherings with my family more often.
3. I started watching movies (I don't have cable so I don't watch tv) and I watched all the sappy romantic comedies that I love.
4. I stopped feeling like I had to do intense, long workouts and I started walking and doing yoga or just taking naps (mainly whatever my body wanted to do).
5. I spent more time engaging with my clients and getting to know them on a personal level before and after appointments. These are, often times, people that I really connect with and have a lot in common with. Oh, and I am grateful for each and every one of them. Honored that they share their lives with me and so thankful for each and every one because they are, often times, my greatest teachers.
6. I started to go to therapy and have finally found a wonderful therapist that is helping me to unravel my life and put it back into wonderful, healed, thriving pieces.

What happened as a result of me trying to interject more joy in my life:
1. I had fun.
2. More social opportunities presented themselves.
3. When I decided that I was going to exercise less and with less intensity I also decided to eat less and I found that it was easy to cut down on what I consume at dinner and that my body responded positively to this change. I lost weight and started liking my body more.
4. I laughed and enjoyed life so much more than I have for a very long time perhaps ever.
5. My business continues to thrive and I found that I connected more with my clients, enjoyed my work more and the gift of having each and every one of my clients bless me with their knowledge and their presence in my life.
6. I am feeling more healthy and whole on mind, body and emotional levels.
7. I still love my work, but unlike in the past, it is not my one, very few sources of joy. I am thoroughly enjoying life 360 degrees around me.
8. Men have started asking me out on dates. Yes...I am dating. I know that many of my friends and family members have given up on me ever having a dating life...to be honest I had given up on me ever dating, but, lo and behold it is happening and I am not going into it kicking and screaming. I am having fun like a stupid teenager as naive as a 13 year old but...enjoying it nonetheless. Yes, I am still fearful of getting hurt but getting hurt is part of playing the game. Thankfully the sting of rejection gets less and less with time and with practice.

Sooooo.....have more fun in doing so you will continue to bring more joy into your life and maybe even be more successful in all of your ventures in doing so.