When I brought my twin girls to a week-long sleep away camp last week to drop them off for a outdoor hiking and nature-bonding mega adventure, there was understandable trepidation. My daughter Olivia had been having severe anxiety and just not sleeping at night. Because of this, I wasn’t sleeping either. I began to feel like I did right after I gave birth…totally sleep deprived…dreaming while awake, and dangerously catching myself drifting off behind the wheel. It wasn’t a good situation. Needless to say there was lots of tension in the house.

So the idea that she could sleep away from home, and away from her Mama, felt like nothing but wishful thinking. The only thing that got us there at all was her excitment at the idea of all the wonderful activities that were promised…hiking, canoeing, archery, yoga, drama, guitar, rock wall climbing, crafts…all the things she loves. So we chose to focus on that.

As we were hugging goodbye and her eyes were welling up with tears, a sign on one of the cabins caught my eye. It read, “Seek the Joy.” That was the name of the cabin. Seek the Joy. I said, “Look Olivia the sign is speaking to us. It’s telling us to focus of the all the exciting and joy-filled adventures you’re going to be having here.” It seemed to make the goodbye easier.

On the way home I kept thinking about the sign. It wasn’t just for her, it was speaking to me as well. How easy it is to get wrapped up in the drama of a challenging event. But, now there was breathing room. My husband and I were free for a whole week! What joy! My mindset shifted immediately and I chose to trust everything would work out with her. I chose to focus on my joy (something that had been seriously lacking as of late.)

Not only was I focusing on finding and focusing on the joy…I was choosing to activate it. Joy is within us at all times. We’re just not usually connected to it. Life gets so serious at times. But here in this moment we can choose to connect with the joy…seek the joy and even more…amplify whatever joy might be present and celebrate it!

Try it right now. Focus on what you love about your surroundings. What’s going right in your life? What’s going right in your world? Focus on it, and then turn up the volume on it. Celebrate it! Let it expand and fill your heart, your body and your mind. Let it take over.

Keep doing this little excerise and watch what happens. You are literally creating an attractive energy that brings more good into your life.

Post script: I got caught up on my sleep and my daugher made it through camp with flying colors. And although there were a few difficult moments, she had so much fun, she didn’t want to leave! Even better, the anxiety seems to have abated…she’s sleeping like a baby again.