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The Hearts Hello
Welcome to The Hearts Hello, where we believe our hearts are the foundation of our well-being and happiness. Our hearts hold the key to unlocking a life of purpose, meaning, and fulfillment, as they are the very essence of our being. We aim to uncover the secrets of a heart-centered life through authentic conversations, inspiring stories, and practical advice. We discuss the importance of emotional intelligence, mindfulness, and self-awareness in developing a healthy and vibrant heart. Additionally, we explore the role of vulnerability, empathy, and connection in building meaningful relationships and positively impacting the world. Join us on this journey of self-discovery and transformation as we awaken the heart and rediscover what truly matters. We'll use personal experiences and expert insights to explore the vital role of emotional and mental well-being in caring for our souls. Together, let's create a world where the heart is at the center of everything we do and where love, empathy, and kindness are the guiding principles. Let's learn to listen to our hearts, honor their voice, and live a life that aligns with our deepest values and aspirations. When the heart matters, everything else falls into place.
The Hearts Hello
Reclaiming Your Joy: Why Today Matters More Than Tomorrow
Are you postponing your happiness until some future milestone? Waiting to feel joy until everything in your life is perfectly aligned?
Joy isn't a luxury reserved for when you've checked all the boxes—it's your birthright, available to you right now. In this heartfelt exploration of authentic joy, we dive into the profound difference between happiness (which is circumstantial) and joy (which is rooted deep within). This distinction changes everything about how we approach our daily lives and personal growth journey.
Many of us have been taught that joy is the reward waiting at the finish line of our struggles. But what if joy is actually part of the healing process itself? What if you could experience tears of joy even while navigating challenges? Through personal stories and powerful insights, this episode reveals how joy can coexist with pain, how it manifests in everyday moments, and why choosing joy is one of the most powerful acts of self-love.
We explore joy as both loudly expressive and quietly sacred—from laughing until your stomach hurts to feeling a moment of peace despite imperfect circumstances. Most importantly, we unpack the four steps to reclaiming your joy right now: awareness, permission, presence, and courage.
You've survived enough, sacrificed enough, and waited enough. Today is your day to live fully in joy. Join me for this transformative conversation, and don't forget to reflect on what brings you unconditional joy. Share your reflections on Instagram and tag us so we can celebrate together! Remember: "I choose joy today. I don't have to wait. I am worthy of feeling good right now."
Hey. So, before we get started really quickly, I just want to say thank you. I want to say thank you to each and every one of you all who show up every week to listen to me sometimes rant, to listen to me, get on here and preach, to listen to what it is that I have to share with you from the bottom of my heart, and I also want to just take some time to clap for you. I want to be your cheerleader, because I know that if you tune into this show each and every week, that you are also an action taker, that you are not just listening to my words, that you are actually a doer, and so I just want to congratulate you. But, like I said, I just want to thank you for your time, because your time is your most precious commodity and you just spend a few minutes out of your week listening to me. And for those of you all where this is your first time tuning in, welcome. I look forward to your emails, I look forward to your DMs. Yes, I do indeed respond to each and every one of them, and I truly appreciate you All right. So now that we got that out the way, I am excited about this episode because, yes, we are still in this month's theme of Rediscovering you, and last week we spoke on unlearning and relearning, because there are some things, if we can just be honest, that we have been holding on to in our lives for far too long and they are no longer serving us. There are some lies that people have told us about ourselves that we began to believe and are still showing up in our lives today. So there are some things that we had to one, recognize, two, let go of and then we had to relearn it, because this authentic version of ourselves that is desperately trying to emerge as we are rediscovering who we truly are, it has to be let go. And so this week, you all, we are going to be discussing how to reclaim your joy and stop waiting.
Speaker 1:See, joy is not a luxury, it's your new standard and you yes, you, you are allowed to stop waiting for later and start living now. So you'll hear people talk about oh, I have to wait until this happens in order for me to do this, or I have to. You know, sometimes it could be where the children have to grow up and you got to do all of these different things, but I need you to realize that joy is there for you and it's for the taking. See, what most people don't understand about joy is that it is a decision, it's not a destination. That joy can exist, joy and pain can exist at the same time. That joy isn't selfish, it's survival. Joy is internal and it's not based on circumstances. And joy can be loud or quietly sacred. See, most people will just talk about happy or happiness. Joy is another level.
Speaker 1:See, I had a prophet some years back and he talked about how for me that there would be times that I would just be crying tears of joy. And at first I was like wait a minute, why am I crying? Why would I want to be crying? When you associate tears, you associate it with pain. You associate tears, you associate it with pain, and that is not the case. It wasn't until I realized that you can truly cry tears of joy.
Speaker 1:See, for some of you all, it could be. When you've walked down the aisle for women, when you've walked down the aisle and you see your husband standing there at the altar, or for men, when you're standing at the altar and you see your wife approaching you, walking down the aisle towards you, those are tears of joy. It could be that you got the keys to your brand new home and just a few years ago, your credit score was in the 400s and you didn't have the money to even think about purchasing a home. It could be that you are the very first person in your family to have graduated from college. See, those, those are not tears of pain, those are tears of joy. And joy isn't waiting for you somewhere out there, it's already inside of you. It's waiting for your permission to show up.
Speaker 1:See, I already talked about most time, people just think of happiness, and joy is not the first thing that comes to their mind. See, happiness is external circumstances. Joy is internal, it's rooted and it's steady. So you can go out here and get some ice cream that could be your cheat day, that could make you happy. But joy, joy will have you sitting in your bed at night and you are thinking about where you used to be and where you are now and begin to cry, because it's reminding you that there is something that I didn't think was tangible, or something that I think or thought that I couldn't put my hands on, but is now here. All of the things that I have prayed for are now here, that will spark joy. And then there's this visual of happiness is weather and joy is the climate.
Speaker 1:Y'all I need you to understand that you deserve joy, you deserve to feel joy. You deserve for your heart to recognize that, oh, this feels good and I like it, and be rooted in that thing. See, your happiness reacts and your joy remains. So how do we so? How does joy tie into us? Loving ourselves. See, choosing joy means that we are choosing ourselves.
Speaker 1:So I know you're trying to figure out what are some things that people recognize as joy. I'm glad you asked. Laughing until your stomach hurts, that can feel like joy. A hug that feels like home. Hearing your favorite old song unexpectedly sitting outside and feeling the sun on your face, finishing something you once thought you couldn't, smiling at a memory that used to make you cry, watching your children or loved ones laugh without a care, waking up and realizing that you're at peace, even if everything isn't perfect. My God, can we pause there for a second? Because people want to rejoice when everything feels good. People want to rejoice when all of the stars are in alignment.
Speaker 1:Can I tell you that you can have joy in the middle of chaos? Can I tell you that you can have joy in the middle of chaos, that you can be crying tears of joy while all hell is breaking loose around you. Why? Because you've been in situations before and if you're a believer, you already know that you're going to come out on the other side victorious. So there's a level of joy even in the middle of the chaos, because you're not looking at what you can see, because that's not faith, right, you're looking at what the outcome is going to be on the other side, just like when there are storms that happen just in the world outside. The rain eventually stops right, the thunderstorm eventually rolls through, the clouds eventually push through and at some point, the sun does indeed come out. That's how we have to begin to look at our lives. See, there are going to be temporary things that happen, but that should not change that you are rooted in joy. I hope that you realize that, that there can still be peace, that you can wake up in the morning and be thankful that you opened your eyes. That should bring you joy. It could be savoring a good meal, slowly thinking about food that is so comforting.
Speaker 1:Here's what will get me each and every time hearing God's whisper when you needed it most. Have you ever been in church? Most have you ever been in church? And I can think back to times when I was little and I did not understand the prayers that the older folks would say. I would not understand the tears that would flow just being in the church building. If you're listening to worship music, I would not understand the dancing and the praising. I didn't get it until I got older.
Speaker 1:When you can close your eyes and envision yourself in God's presence, when you can envision all of the things that you have gone through and you've come out on the other side, when you hear God's voice, even when it's the stillness, the still small voice that sounds like a whisper, when you are having a moment to just remind you, it's almost like God saying I got you To remind you. It's almost like God saying I got you, I got you. So, yeah, those are some things that are rooted. Those are some things that will cause you to feel joy, and so I need you to feel joy. I need you to realize that you deserve joy. I need you to feel joy. I need you to realize that you deserve joy. I need you to realize that happiness is cool. But joy is another level, just like all of the work that we're doing to become the authentic version of ourselves. Joy, you deserve to feel that Each and every day, and so I admonish you to figure out what is it that brings you joy and how can you make sure that it's something that you are leaning into and reclaiming each and every day.
Speaker 1:So back to how does joy tie into us?
Speaker 1:Loving ourselves. Joy is an act of self-love. So every time we choose joy, we are choosing to believe that we are worthy now and not later. So how do we reclaim our joy now? The first thing is awareness. We have to notice that I'll be happy when thinking Now. We're not doing that, then we have to give ourselves permission so you're allowed to feel good now. Then there has to be presence. You have to find daily moments of joy and you're going to celebrate, celebrate small wins now. And then there's courage. Choose joy even when life feels unfinished.
Speaker 1:Joy is not the reward after healing, it is part of the healing. So I need you to realize that you survived enough, you've sacrificed enough, you've waited enough. Now, right now, is your time to live, laugh and reclaim your joy. So I have some homework for you. I need you to reflect on one thing that brings you joy without condition today. Reflect on one thing that brings you joy without condition today. Share it on Instagram and tag the hearts hello so that we can celebrate together. And here's a quick affirmation for you to take throughout the week I choose joy today. I don't have to wait. I am worthy of feeling good right now.