6 Keys To More Joy In Life | Ep 193

Melissa Deally: 00:00:06

Music. Imagine getting up every day full of energy, as if you were in your 20s again. What would that be like? What would that be worth to you? What is your health worth to you? Think about it. Your health isn't everything, but without it, everything else is nothing. And yet, too many of us are taking it for granted until something goes wrong. No one wakes up hoping to be diagnosed with a disease or chronic illness. And yet, we've never been taught how to be proactive in our health through our school system or public health as a registered health coach and integrative health practitioner, I believe it is time this information is made available to everyone, combining new knowledge around your health and the ability to do my functional medicine lab tests in the comfort of your own home will allow you to optimize your Health for today and all your tomorrows, don't wait for your wake up call. Welcome back to another episode of The don't wait for your wake up call podcast. I am Melissa Deally, your host, and today I am very excited to dive into a topic that I believe will resonate deeply with all of you, and that topic is joy. Who doesn't want more joy in their life? And today, we're going to break down these six keys to living a joyful life, and I'll be sharing insights that I've learned, not only from my own experiences, but also from working with countless clients on their personal journeys from pain to joy. Now before we dive into those six keys, I want to take a few moments to walk you through a client's journey, because this is something I see so often in my practice. It's a cycle, and once you recognize it, you start to see the patterns in your own life, and that's when real change becomes possible. So grab a cup of tea, get comfy, and let's dive in step one pain. This is where the journey begins, because most of us actually start our transformational journey in a place of pain. This could be physical pain like chronic health issues or fatigue, or maybe it's emotional pain like anxiety, depression, or it's a sense of feeling stuck in life. It could even be a more subtle discomfort. Maybe your life looks great on the outside, but inside, something just feels off. And it's important to acknowledge this pain, however uncomfortable, acknowledge that it's also familiar. I see this so often in my clients, they are suffering, and yet that that suffering has become comfortable. They know it. They know how to live with it, and even though it's not where they want to be, there's a sense of security in its predictability. We call this comfortable suffering, and unfortunately, it doesn't serve you in living your life joyfully. Here's the thing, living in pain simply isn't sustainable. At some point, something will happen to wake you up, to shake you out of that pain loop and push you to seek change. Sometimes this wake up call comes in the form of a health crisis, and they often occur because we've ignored the symptoms, or aka pain, for too long, thinking we'll just push through and that is what society teaches us. However, symptoms are our body's way of talking to us and asking us to do something differently. They are a sign that we need to pay attention pain literally means pay attention. And your wake up call can also come from a relationship breakdown, from being let go, from a jog, or perhaps sustaining an injury. There's many ways that we can receive this wake up call, and sometimes it is simply an inner whisper, a growing sense of dissatisfaction that says there has to be something more to life than this. And this is where many of my clients find themselves when they first come to me, they're in pain and they're looking for a way out. They simply don't know where to start. And that leads us to step number two, which is awareness. It's the wake up call. This is where your transformation journey truly begins. Without awareness. You remain stuck in the pain loop, but the moment you become aware of the patterns that are holding you back, something shifts you. Up to the reality that change is possible, and you begin to see the choices that are available to you. Awareness is such a powerful thing. It's that moment when you go from feeling helpless to feeling empowered because you now see what needs to be changed. And here's where people still often remain stuck or get further stuck. It's because awareness alone isn't enough. It's like standing at a fork in the road and realizing you need to go left or right. However, until you take a step in one direction, nothing changes. A lot of people think that once they have awareness, they'll automatically know what to do, or that the solution will somehow fall in their lap. And that's rarely the case. Awareness opens the door, and the real transformation happens when you take the next step, and that step is all about choice, which is step number three choice, the choice to stay stuck or to move forward. Now, once you've woken up to your situation, you get to make a decision. Do you want to stay stuck in your current circumstances or are you willing to move forward into the unknown. And this is no small choice. It's a decision that requires courage, because moving forward means leaving behind what is familiar, even if it's painful. We're camping in comfortable suffering if we choose to stay, and that's where many people are living, stuck in a loop of pain. However, it's a pain they know how to navigate, and moving forward into the unknown feels risky, so they retreat back into what's comfortable, even though it's not where they want to be. And this is the critical fork in the road. You can either choose to stay where you are, or you can choose to move forward. And what most people don't realize is that moving forward is about isn't about finding the quick fix or leaping straight to the solution. That's where many people get it wrong. They try to skip straight from the pain to the solution without doing the work in between. And guess what? It doesn't work. Why? Because there is a gap between the pain and the solution, a gap that requires you to learn new skills, change your mindset and do the inner work that allows you to step into the solution. So this takes us to step four. Is learning the new skills, doing that is the key to bridging the gap. This is a step that most people want to skip, because it is uncomfortable. It requires effort, it requires growth and stepping outside of our comfort zone. And here's the reality, growth is always uncomfortable and it is never convenient. And here's the truth, you can't get to the solution without learning the tools and skills that will support you on your journey. Let's be honest. This is the messy part. It's the part where you have to look at your limiting beliefs, your old habits and patterns that have kept you stuck. You have to be willing to say, I don't know everything, and that's okay. I'm ready to learn. I always tell my clients, this is where real transformation happens. When you're in the learning phase, you're building the foundation for lasting change, whether that's learning to manage your emotions develop healthier habits, or reprogramming your unconscious mind, this is where you start to see the shifts that will carry you forward. And that leads us to step five, which is the change state indicator, understanding the resistance. It's when we understand we're better equipped to work with it.

Melissa Deally: 00:09:00

This tool really helps us understand why we resist change in the first place, and then how we can navigate it more effectively. Think of it this way, when your neurology and your environment are in alignment, you feel comfortable. Everything feels like it's flowing smoothly, and then something happens. Maybe you lose a job, a relationship, shifts. You experience a health crisis, and suddenly your internal state no longer matches your external environment, and this creates a gap, and our instinct is to climb back up to where we were. We want things to go back to how they used to be before that change happened, right? And here's the catch, you can't go back. The only way forward is to climb into the unknown, to learn new skills or change your environment, or both, so that your neurology and your surroundings match again. It's how you create a. New comfort zone. The change state indicator reminds us that change is inevitable, and that resisting it by trying to climb back to the way things were only prolongs your discomfort. And if we can instead embrace the gap, knowing that it's an opportunity for growth, we can move forward with more ease and confidence. When I'm in the gap, I ask myself, What am I supposed to learn here? And simply by asking myself that question, I can shift into moving forward because I'm open to the answer. I've just opened myself up to the curiosity, to the learning that can happen every time you up level and expand your comfort zone, your capacity for joy grows. It's not about avoiding the discomfort. It's about embracing it as part of the process. And that takes us to step number six, implementation, turning knowledge into action. The final key, and arguably the most important, is implementation. This is where everything you've learned and all awareness you've gained come together. It's not enough to simply know what to do. That's what we call shelf development. You know, you read a book and then you just put it back on the shelf afterwards, and nothing changes. It's because you have to actually do it, and not just once, but consistently over time. Think of it like this, you wouldn't expect to go to the gym once and come out with a six pack, right? The same is true for your emotional, mental and spiritual health. You have to apply the tools you've learned on a daily basis, you have to make them part of your routine, part of your life. In fact, all learning, all behavior and all change, are unconscious, and they have to happen in that precise order. In order to get the change or the transformation, you must learn the information and then apply it by taking action. That's the behavior, stepping into that new behavior, and only then do you get the change that you are looking for. And this is where so many people get tripped up. They think that once they've learned something, the hard work is done, but the reality is implementation is where the magic happens. It's where the transformation becomes real and lasting. And this is why all our training courses include both theoretical and experiential aspects. It is only with both that you can create the transformation and receive the wisdom of your learning. So let's recap the six keys to a joyful life. The first step is pain, acknowledge it, don't ignore it. The second step is awareness, wake up to what's holding you back. And the third step is the choice, decide whether you want to stay stuck or move forward. The fourth step is to learn new skills. If you've decided to move forward, you need to learn new skills in order to bridge the gap between the pain and solution. And then the fifth step is acknowledging the change state indicator, embrace the fact that change is going to happen. In order for you to keep moving forward, it needs to happen, and embrace that, rather than resist it. And then we have implementation. Turn your knowledge into daily action. So if you're feeling stuck or like you're spinning your wheels, I encourage you to reflect on which key you might be missing in your own life right now. Which step Are you still stuck in the pain loop? Are you resisting change because it feels uncomfortable? Or maybe you've learned the tools however, you haven't actually implemented them consistently wherever you are in your journey. I want you to know this joy is available to you, and it requires effort and growth and sometimes stepping into the unknown. I want you to know that it's absolutely worth it, because on the other side of that discomfort is a life filled with more peace, joy and fulfillment. And if this message resonates with you, I would love to support you further. You can reach out to me directly at Melissa, at your guided health journey.com or check out my training courses at your guided health journey.com where we dive deeper into these concepts and we give you the tools to create lasting joy in your life. So thank you so much for joining me today, and remember, don't wait for your wake up call. Take action now and start. Your journey toward a more joyful life today. And if you know someone that needs to hear this message, then please share this episode with them as well, and we'll be right back here next week with some inspiring stories of people who have healed themselves, they've gone through this journey from pain to awareness to choice. So come on back and listen and learn the incredible power of our body to heal when we step into the choice to move forward and get out of pain. Thank you for investing this time with me on the don't wait for your wake up call Podcast. I'm so glad you joined in. If you can take two minutes to share this episode with someone you think can benefit and have a positive impact on their life, that would be wonderful. Please leave a review by going to your favorite podcast listening app and let me know what you enjoy or would like to hear more of it, will support me in my effort to bring the possibility of natural healing to a wider audience and help disrupt the sick care system we have today and make human Health a global priority. Health is your true wealth. You.