Want to discover your capacity? First, you have to be empty.

"Fullness of joy is only discovered only in the emptying of the will."

~Ann Voskamp

I was musing yesterday about areas of my life where I found a new capacity.

Have you ever looked at the times when you reached a point that was more or higher or fuller than you had ever been before? I'm sure exuberant souls like me have a tendency to find ours more regularly, but all humans find their capacity in regions of their lives. 

Perhaps it's the shock of stepping on the scale after avoiding it for a few years - new capacity reached. Or maybe hitting total on how many hours you worked this week - new capacity reached.  Sometimes it's good news, and you can feel proud, and at other times, you might realize there's a need to dial something back. 

So this week, I am going to take a closer look at 'capacity' through a joyous perspective. 

So how do we find our capacity in the many areas of our lives? What are the right capacities to look for, and what are some we should avoid? Well, to get started on finding out, we must first do some housecleaning in our internals. It's kind of like preparing for one of those horrible examinations we have to have every few years - and it can be nearly as annoying. Check out the list below. It's Dr. Joy's prescription for cleaning out the mind, body, and spirit:

1. Make peace with your past so it won't disturb your present.
2. What other people think of you is none of your business.
3. Time heals almost everything. Give it time.
4. No one is in charge of your happiness, except you.
5. Don't compare your life to others and don't judge them, you have no idea what their journey is all about. 
6. Stop thinking too much. It's alright not to know the answers. They will come to your when you least expect it
7. Smile. You don't own all the problems of the world.

There you go. Now commence evacuation of all the stuff that is keeping you from being buoyant and finding your capacity for joy. 

Cheers.