Wednesday Wisdom | You’d never let a thief into your house. So why would you allow thoughts that steal your joy to make themselves at home in your mind?

This week’s Wednesday Wisdom is the quote I promised from Christen Whitney‘s Instagram story two + a half weeks ago before I was so moved by that week’s episode of the I Don’t Get It Podcast. Shoutout to Christen who responded with a red heart when I replied to her story telling her I was saving this part of her story for a blog post. Thanks girl!

I’ve spent an awful lot of time in focused thought + prayer over the last few months because someone very close to me is going through a huge crisis. It’s big, loud (figuratively) + scary. It’s honestly one of the worst things that could happen to a person that’s as kind, caring + genuine as this person. I know I’m being incredibly vague, but this person, the most important person in my life, has asked me not to share the situation with anyone. This person is so hurt by the entire situation + as an empathetic person, I feel the pain, too. I see this person cry daily out of fear + confusion which always makes me cry. I have to admit, I’m scared for this person, too. It’s so unfair what’s happening to them. No one ever deserves this, but especially not them.

But I can’t sit in this fear. I can’t live in it. I know what it’s like to have a fear that debilitates you. I spend the time praying in confusion for why this is happening + asking for an increase positivity to be able to support this person. It does us no good if we’re both sad all the time. Besides, I spend so much of my own time on negative thoughts about myself, my weight, the fact that my face isn’t symmetrical. The list goes on + on. So I’m going out of my way to find + create joy for this person to distract them from thoughts that steal their joy. When this situation has worked itself out, one way or another, I can focus on myself. Sure I have a ton on my plate to deal with myself (look out for my first travel guides coming soon!), I will always find a way to make it work for this person.

I encourage you, if you tend to be negative about yourself like I am, to try to focus on only positive thoughts for an hour each day to try to build a habit of cultivating joy for yourself. You are brave, beautiful, strong + enough. Start with reminding yourself of that!

xo.