Jump Start With JOY

[ Diane's Story Of Finding Joy.... & Her Dave ]

January has come to be known as my "Jump Start with Joy" month.  For the past two Januaries (2013 & 2014), I have attended Joy's ME Mapping Workshop which truly helped me transform my life!

I've known Joy since 1987 and have always known her to be talented, smart, witty, creative, caring, and helpful. So, when she told me about her ME Mapping endeavor, I went just to be supportive. The next thing I knew, I was mapping out my life and zeroing in on areas that I wanted to improve (faith, friends, family, career, and health).  

I started a gratitude journal, working out regularly, found more time to spend with friends, and healed from a year of devastating losses. I lost the weight I gained from recent cancer that I could never seem to shed, and even began to date again. All of those things I mapped out became a reality.  

So when 2014 rolled in, I once again attend the ME Workshop and mapped out my life for the year ahead. I focused on a theme and called it my "Fabulous 14" Lifestyle which focused on Faith, Friends, Family, Fitness, Food, and my Focus.  I even picked a symbolic color, fuchsia, and bought a snazzy hot pink coat to remind me of my 2014 purpose.  

I improved in all areas, but my focus area (to engage in a positive relationship based on the Fruits of the Spirit) proved to be the biggest transformation of all!! I wanted to find and maintain a life-long relationship and mapped out (in a giant heart) all of the traits and important qualities I wanted to find. A month later, I met Dave. Dave possessed all of my mapped out qualities and was looking for a similar commitment filled with cooperation, communication, and Christian values. After our first date (which lasted 7 hours), I immediately called Joy and told her I was going to marry him! Three months later, we were engaged and married six months later!

I was able to find joy through Joy!  Ironic, right?  I was able to take the principles of the Circle of Joy (declutter, engage, appreciate) and really see my life.  

Thank you Joy, for helping me find the joy in my life!