Joy doesn’t have to be hard to manifest in your life. You can create it by making a conscious effort to have more happiness.

Joy is an important mindset. It’s not just about what happens to you. Your reactions to events, circumstances, people, and situations are part of it. Joy may feel impermanent or fickle, but you can attract it and make it more stable.

Create more joy in your life:

1. Make a change: Whether you’ve always wanted to learn how to play the piano or take a professional cooking class, you can make changes in your life that lead to joy.

• Avoid allowing fear to stop you from making changes.

• Joy tends to be on the other side of fear. Can you imagine how you’ll feel when you finally take the class you’ve always wanted? Can you imagine how you’ll feel when you switch careers to something you love?

• The change doesn’t have to be huge. You can take small steps toward your dreams.

• Realize that your happiness depends on you. You can’t expect your life to get better by doing nothing every day. So make a change to take you in the direction you wish to go.

2. Learn gratitude: It’s easy to focus on the day-to-day stress and lose sight of the simple things that you’re thankful for.

• Make a list or keep a journal of all the good things in your life. Review it each day. This will help you find peace and joy on a daily basis. You’ll see that your life isn’t made up of just negative moments.

• Your gratitude list can include ordinary things such as having a home, a bed, or a breakfast every morning. The key is to focus on the areas of your life that make you feel happy.

3. Make a happy board: Similar to a vision board, a happy board is filled with things that make you happy – right now – rather than goals that you’re working toward.

• For example, if the beach is one of your favorite places, fill your happy board with images of beaches.

• You can make it on paper or design it online.

• The key is to use the space to add things that bring joy to your life. This can act as a manifesting agent and help you get more of the things you love.

4. Stop the flaw focus: One of the things that hurts your ability to have more joy is a focus on your flaws.

• This applies to both internal and external influences. If others are concentrating on your flaws, then it’s time to move on and find new friends. Likewise, if you’re paying too much attention to your own flaws, then it’s time to change your mindset.

• Practice love and acceptance each day. Recognize your flaws without focusing on them.

5. Forgive yourself: You can’t experience happiness if you’re constantly blaming yourself and making yourself feel awful. It’s important to learn how to forgive yourself to have joy.

• Learn to let go of the guilt and shame that has built up in your life. Negative situations come up for everyone. Consciously avoid dwelling on them.

• Practice forgiveness and stifle your inner critic for good. View forgiveness as a way to use self-care on a daily basis.

Joy doesn’t have to be a fleeting moment you feel on occasion. Let joy be a bigger part of your daily existence. Use these strategies and enjoy your life.