Spiritual Uber Rides & Why You Should Start Chasing Joy
By: Jessica Lyda
Tags: Healing, Spirituality, Joy, Positivity, Wellness

Image by Rachel M. Peck

I’ve spent 80% of my life up to this point saving joy for later. I vacuum sealed it, with ideas like “work hard, play later” and by putting my head down to just “power through.” I tried freezing it by slowing down time and “savoring” it when the tiniest bit came my way. But if there’s anything I’ve learned, it’s that joy isn’t something you keep or hold. Joy isn’t a possession to be carefully tucked away. It’s meant to be embodied, marveled at and chased.

What’s the Expiration Date on This Stuff Anyway?

For the longest time I saw joy as an endangered resource that could run out. I cherished it when it came by reading my favorite books slower, waiting for special occasions to use my new gifts from Christmas, and taking small bites of my favorite chocolate bar (ok, maybe not that small). When exciting projects came up, I’d wait until “the right time” to work on them, when I felt special enough or fully in my flow. I’d convinced myself I was giving joy the respect it deserved but all I was doing was hiding it and missing the point entirely.

Joy isn’t some mystical prophet; it never asked to be worshipped or for me to stop my life entirely to curtsy to its arrival. It wanted to be a part of my life all along — to let its hair down and party with me, to start projects before I was ready, to be imperfect with me, to accelerate everything that was exciting and race towards it with reckless abandon.

Your Uber Is Here and it Sucks

But joy is so much more than a good time. It’s an alignment master. It too knows our purpose and how we are supposed to succeed and help the world. It’s the vehicle that has arrived to take us to the party and it’s one slick ride. But we’ve become so practical that now we’re calling smelly, sketchy Ubers and expecting to arrive to our purpose party in the same amount of time. Good luck getting that rickety orange Toyota Camry past spiritual security…

We are all given certain wants, desires, and joy-bringers for a reason. It’s not a coincidence, so stop acting like it is and taking the hard road. Jumping into joy fully with both feet is the best way for you to help the world. Just think of how you feel when you do the things you love — you have more energy, you wake up ready for the day, you breathe more and sigh less, you have less spiritual road rage on your way. Denying yourself the things that bring you joy is a surefire way to burn out and not serving anyone (and — just taking a stab in the dark here — is probably something you’ve experienced more than once in your life). Cue the insomnia, depression, sickness, and angry outbursts at work or with your partner.

Save The Best for First

We’ve all been taught to save the best for last. Screw that! The path to your purpose doesn’t have to be hard to be relevant. We don’t have to be frugal with joy or save it for later. It’s not a resource that runs out. It can be infinite and we have the ability to create more of it. Read the book. Take the tags off the dress. Start the project before you’re ready. Eat the whole damn chocolate bar at once. Sprint towards joy with everything you’ve got and it will give you more.