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Find Radical Joy in the New Year

Find Radical Joy in the New Year

Add more awe and wonder to your days through simple, joyful actions.

Sol TV
January 04, 2024

This Newsletter at a Glance

🌷 TL/DR: An Argument for Radical Joy

🫧 Sol Bites: 5 Ways to Practice Radical Joy

📹 Video Bite: Romina Kwong on Happiness

🦋 Words of Wisdom

We all have many roles in our lives, and sometimes when we take on our responsibilities as partners, teachers, caregivers, or activists, we feel overwhelmed by big challenges. During those times, it’s common to feel guilty about indulging in moments of joy and happiness.

TL/DR: An Argument for Radical Joy

My plan for the new year is to strive beyond traditional happiness and actively seek moments of awe and wonder, embracing the idea of radical joy. In my personal journey, I’ve discovered that radical joy can reveal itself in various ways. For example:

Radical joy exists when my heart feels heavy with the injustice and suffering in the world, but I can appreciate the warmth of the sun, the comforting breeze, or the simple act of taking a deep breath.
Radical joy becomes apparent when I am overwhelmed by life's pressures, yet I can find peace and contentment in the reassuring hug of my loved ones or a walk in the garden.

Radical joy is not about denying or dismissing the pain and anger that exists in your world. Instead, it’s about cultivating a space for the darkness and the light, finding moments of joy and gratitude even amid difficult circumstances.

Sol Bites: 5 Ways to Practice Radical Joy

Here are five ways that I plan to incorporate radical joy into my daily life:

Add more moments of awe and wonder.

You don't need pricey vacations or new material things to experience true joy. In fact, temporary sources of joy like trips or gifts can cause sadness when they end or lose their novelty. Instead, you can find radical joy in every moment simply by appreciating the world's wonders, including your own existence, breathing, and movement.

Practice detachment.

Radical joy won't be constant in your life. Different emotions like sadness, pain, and anger will still come up. Your emotions have important messages, so feeling and listening are important. However, it's also crucial not to get too attached to them. You should see them like passing clouds in the sky and remember that you are not your emotions but the awareness behind them.

Radical joy is still available when you experience negative emotions — try shifting your attention and allowing positivity in, even for only a few seconds. The more you practice these small shifts, the less control disturbing emotions will have over your life. At first, it may be easy to get pulled back into the emotional turmoil, but its grip will weaken with practice.

Listen to inner guidance.

Prioritizing others over yourself, living to please them, or always seeking their validation will pull you away from experiencing radical joy. To truly cultivate it, listen to and value your inner voice.

Embrace impermanence.

If you’re always trying to hold on to people, things, experiences, and beliefs, there won't be room for radical joy in your life. On the other hand, if you recognize that everything is always changing, you won't be as devastated when the universe or fate unexpectedly rearranges your life.

Remove inner blocks.

Do any of your beliefs hinder your ability to experience radical joy? Examine them! For instance, I used to prioritize hard work to gain attention and approval, leaving little time to savor the small wonders of life.

Other common beliefs that might hold you back include thoughts such as: Perfection is necessary; Nobody loves me; I am lazy; I’m not good enough. Question any negative beliefs and let them go.

Video Bite

Finding joy in the small things in life is a simple yet powerful practice. As Sol TV creator Romina Kwong shares, something as small as playing your favorite song can fill you with good energy and uplift your mood.

Notice how you feel more vibrant and alive with just this one tiny shift. This smile trick reveals that good vibes are not somewhere out there to find - they’re already right here in unlimited stock, waiting to be uncovered through small actions.