During a deep conversation with a dear friend, our discussion turned to the various emotions we experienced and how each either escalated us to a state of bliss or diminished us into a downward spiral. We talked about different emotions’ impact on the vibrational scale - in essence how our energy was affected when we were in a range of emotional states. Then my friend posed an interesting question to me – If I were going on a trip and could only choose one emotion to bring with me, which would I pack and why?
Immediately I said, “That’s simple, I would choose love.” But then later that afternoon I started to think. Would this be the best feeling for me to bring? Sure, love is the answer in so many ways. It is the only tool to harness fear, and it’s what poets and songwriters have focused on for centuries. But could I find something that fit me even better than love? After all, love can be heavy, sad, and lonely. And love can also be lost, forgotten, or unrequited. Maybe love really wasn’t the best emotion for me to take on this imaginary trip.
Knowing that there was no right or wrong answer – it was my choice what I packed – I stepped back and took some time to ponder this thought-provoking question. What would I truly want to bring with me on this journey? What would serve me best in my travels ahead?
Wanting to ensure that I didn’t miss out on any possible candidates, I quickly Googled “List of emotions.” After eliminating all of the negative or sad possibilities on this webpage, I came up with this list of possible contenders:
· Content
· Happy
· Peaceful
· Loving
· Joyful
· Peaceful
· Empowered
· Confident
· Grateful
· Optimistic
· Enthusiastic
· Creative
· Inspired
· Vibrant
· Motivated
· Energized
Of course I wanted to bring all of these feelings on the expeditions that lay ahead. Yet knowing that I had to narrow it down to just one, I began to cross off emotions that I felt could be experienced through others on the list. Just as there is no room for several pairs of jeans in a small carryon bag, I had to find the single emotion that fit me best – and I only had room for one.
After completing this challenging task I was surprised to discover the winner – joyful. This was not a word I used frequently, but I felt that it embodied so many of the other words on this list. Being in a state of joy felt energizing, motivating, and vibrant. Plus, when I experienced this sentiment I was definitely happy, content, peaceful, and loving. That basically left empowered, grateful, optimistic, inspired, creative, and confident – all items on the list which could be sensed through joy.
So, I quickly texted my friend, telling her I changed my mind – I chose joy.
One definition I found for joy was “great happiness.” But to me, joy means so much more. When I am in a state of joy everything is right in my world. My love is endless, my hope is eternal, and I feel fantastic about who I am and the choices I am making. Both the famous Christmas carol and The Three Dog Night wrote about “Joy To the World.” And many of you share a special friend of mine whose alter ego, Joy, surfaces during times of much fun, laugher, and well, joy. Who wouldn’t want to be around Joy? She’s the best!
Then I asked myself what would happen if I let joy tag along wherever I went? How would that affect my actions, feelings, and views? No doubt I’d spiral upward more frequently, perhaps even avoid some of those “down the rabbit hole” moments. And could adding joy to my life benefit those around me? If I were in this extreme state of happiness, wouldn’t that impact others who I encountered? If so, how wonderful would that be?
This propelled me to wonder what would happen if we each chose one emotion that embodied all of the characteristics that we hold true to our heart and kept it in our pocket, bringing it everywhere we went? My guess is that it would not only increase our own vibrational level but it would also influence the energy of those around us. This is how change begins – slowly, person by person – as we alter our own state of being we can then collectively transfer this increased energy to our surroundings, positively impacting our world.
So ask yourself what emotion you’d bring with you on your trip. And then commit to taking it wherever you go, lighting up the world and those around you.
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