I can't promise days without pain,
laughter without tears,
nor sun without rain.
What I can promise is strength for the day,
comfort for the tears,
and light for the day.

- author unknown

A person comes to coaching because something is not working in their life. They aren’t happy. Something needs to change. As a life coach, when I am presented with this, I wonder “What would bring them joy?” Finding joy sounds so simple. I wish it were. For some people, finding their joy is easy. They know what they want to do and they do it. They are on their path and never get off. How lucky. But for many, creating a happy life is more of a challenge.

Finding real joy is a treasure hunt. I’m not talking about the joy we get from grabbing a cappuccino or having a laugh over a good movie. I’m talking about the joy that comes from waking up each day and knowing what we need to do that makes us feel whole and happy. Does that sound like a tall order? It can be and we shouldn’t settle for anything less.

When seeking the happiness that is true for us alone, we are looking for the treasure that will make our heart sing, that will make our lives “feel right” to us.
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In her book “Big Magic” Elizabeth Gilbert says:

“We are all walking repositories of buried treasure.” I love that. It is the map for finding our personal gifts, skills, and interests. It’s about finding our personal joy. The treasures that will bring us joy are inside us. It’s like each of us have been given a gift, a treasure that is uniquely ours. As we find our expression through our uniqueness we feel whole, we feel joy, we live a creative life.

Elizabeth Gilbert illustrates this point with a true story about a man who made his made his living as a common worker and who wrote poetry. His poems were published. He was honored with fame and public acclaim. And he turned his back on all that. He found it boring. He went off to live a simple life in Europe and continued to write his poems. After awhile, he published another book with the same appreciative response from the public audience. After this success, he agreed to teach at the University of Tennessee.

His students described him as “not quite of this world.” He would teach them “why” to write instead of “how” to write. He encouraged them to write from delight and gladness. Once while conversing with a young, aspiring student who expressed her desire to become a writer, he counseled “Do you have the courage? Do you have the courage to bring forth this work? The treasures that are hidden inside you are hoping you will say yes.”

How about you? Do you have the guts, the strength, the fearlessness to turn your attention to uncovering your treasures, that which wants to be expressed from within you?
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I hope so. When we commit to making our life right, happiness and many other good things follow. When we make our lives right, we make our little corner of the world right. Making our lives right is a gift to ourselves, our community, and to the world.