Tag: Joy

Keep Seeking Joy

I recently came across a photo of myself that was taken during my senior year of college and I’ve kept it on my nightstand for an occasional chuckle. 

Yes, my pants are too big ( I was really petite back then and did my best! 😂) and yes, I remember where I was – in a friend’s dorm room, enjoying a surprise party thrown for me. 

I look like I’m singing because I was. But can I really sing? Sadly not. I had fun trying, though, with whatever song was playing at the time.

I look like I was acting silly because I was. And guess what? 

Beneath my sometimes reserved, often inspirational and occasionally feisty demeanor lies a woman who is still fun at heart and able to laugh at myself and with others.

I was 21 in this pic and considered grown.

What I’d tell that young girl from my now full-fledged adult state is actually what I exemplify in this photo: to always find joy in the small moments and sing (and dance) through the rest. 

That girl didn’t always get it right and neither do I; but both versions of me have been, and remain, grateful for love, laughter, grace, life lessons and the journey itself – gifts that never age or go out of style. 

This week, I challenge you to dig up a few of your own funny pics from the past and reflect on your treasured (or silly) moments from yesterday. May you be inspired to embrace new dreams, cut yourself and others some slack, and create more meaningful memories.

Stacy during her senior year of college.

Earn It, Expect It, Return It

Respect yourself and what you bring to the table, while respecting others and their gifts, too. 

Value who you are and treat others with value. 

Hold onto the truth that no matter what, you are a ripple that helps create waves.  Make sure your waves are the best kind – waves of difference making, positivity, kindness, resilience, impact and hope. 

Appreciate your singular opportunities to serve, share and be your best.  

This process requires intention and persistence, and results in the kind of contentment that leads to joy.

Lean Into Joy

According to writer Leo Buscaglia: “Ancient Egyptians believed that upon death they would be asked two questions.

The first question was, ‘Did you bring joy?’

The second was, ‘Did you find joy?’ 

On this first day of February and throughout this month, choose to do both – bring joy to the lives of others in simple and profound ways, while gifting the same to yourself. 

Do this consistently and intentionally, and watch yourself, and those you touch, flourish.

How to Find Joy in Your Journey

Count it all joy:
The blessings that bring you happiness
The lessons that lead to wisdom
The heartbreak that teaches you empathy
The hope that helps you grow.
Each step
Each stride
Each experience
Each opportunity
Comprise your daily gift – the life that only you get to live.

© Stacy Hawkins Adams

Be the Superlative

~ By Stacy Hawkins Adams
TGIF! Today is the kickoff for Super Bowl Weekend (guess I’ll root for those Falcons since my Boys won’t be playing), and it’s also a great day to be a superlative in someone else’s life.
Share a smile. Give a hug. Forgive an old grudge. Make a new friend. Laugh. Be kind. Eat some chocolate.
Accept someone different instead of judging, remembering that we never know another person’s full story. creative-commons-cco-pixababy-thunderstorm
Treat encounters with hate as opportunities to inject some light and love into a dark space.
Read something meaningful or simply fun – just read!
Celebrate life and decide to enjoy every drop of this day.
 

Why a Life Untapped Matters

Living life to the fullest doesn’t mean living a carefree, pain-free life. It means finding meaning and joy in the things that matter most, no matter the circumstances.

(Inaugural post from Life Untapped curator Stacy Hawkins Adams.)

Your life matters because you matter.

Your hopes. Your dreams. Your flaws and failures that make you who you are and give you your unique (and valuable) perspective. The purpose only you can execute during your time on earth.

Life Untapped, the blog, is meant to be a source of hope, how-to and motivation as you seek your lane of service, love, joy and impact.

We all have one – whether it’s to be the best stay-at-home mom, office administrator or community leader possible or to change the world in some dramatic way.  But the first shift toward our destiny begins with believing that the “story” we’re each living is our unique gift to the world – our personal opportunity for relevance.

Whether you aim to be a writer or simply want to read and write more intentionally to learn and grow, Life Untapped is here to help. We’ll provide inspiration and information you can use to move toward the reality you long to live.

Use the messages here – from me and my guests – as a guidebook and example of how to shape your life into your own particular masterpiece. Not perfect; just personal. And become intentional about enjoying the process as much as securing the prize, whatever it may be. That’s important, so that your memories will make you smile long after a task is complete, a goal is accomplished or a seed is planted and the flower of your life has bloomed.

Thanks for joining me here. I’m honored to be on the journey with you. Stacy Signature