Do you celebrate milestones as an opportunity to stop and reflect on how far you’ve come? Today’s message has a bonus guest. My Frenchie turned 75 this week (I know, he doesn’t look it!) so I invited him to share pearls of wisdom from what he has learned from 75 years on this earth. He surprised me by talking about joy. In fact, when people meet Yves (his real name), they always tell me that he is so full of joy! It’s true and today’s video represents that. He shares his secret sauce to living a life of joy with these three things:
1. Gratitude
This is no secret. We all know how important gratitude is. But Yves emphasizes how no matter what you are going through, you can find something to be grateful for and that will bring you joy. His example is his cancer surgery he had last year. There were so many people (maybe even you) who sent him cards and gifts with well-wishes, and that brought him so much joy! He also reminded us, the more you look for things to be grateful for, the more you will find things to be grateful for.
2. Forgiveness
This is a game-changer. When you forgive, you release yourself from the burden and confinement that comes with holding on to anger, resentment, and bitterness. When you forgive, you also forget. That doesn’t mean you continue to let people into your front-row who harm you, but it does mean making choices to forgive and move on. That freedom from forgiveness also results in more joy.
3. Look for the good in others
I love how Yves sees it as a treasure hunt like challenge to find the good in other people. When you search for goodness, you are more likely to find it. This is why people say to me that my Frenchie treats everyone regardless of who they are, what they look like, what their status is…with such respect. That’s because he is genuinely curious about them, silently searching for their goodness.
So on this front-row Friday, we celebrate Yves 75th birthday and the pearls of wisdom that we can all learn from in order to have more joy in our lives. How come I get the feeling I’m going to have people request more Frenchie! Am I going to have to re-name this “Front-Row Friday’s With Frenchie”?
Enjoy!
Your Head Usher,
Marilyn
That was the best Front Row Friday yet. I’m so happy to have met Frenchie. He looks great.
Thank you for bringing him on and for being an inspiration to all of us.
Too cute!! How endearing was that little kiss!
Ah, thanks Tami! I really appreciate it! He’s a charmer that’s for sure. How are you?