The Path to Joy

My grandfather used to like that old joke where a man on the street asks someone 'how do you get to Carnegie Hall?' And the reply is 'practice.'   Practice is the only way I know of to change how you think.    In today's episode, I had to really practice the question: what if it all worked out for me?   Thanks so much for listening! I love helping people change (and improve!) their perception of t...

Today's episode reflects on my first few days in Costa Rica -- the quiet, my friends, is just amazing. Between the quiet, the slow pace, and the humidity forcing me into sloth-mode, I could definitely get used to this!   Thanks so much for listening! I love helping people change (and improve!) their perception of their lives -- aka find more JOY.   All of the guides, emails, and information that m...

Despite 'vacation,' today, I am just mad. As my favorite children's book character, Fancy Nancy, would say: 'Furious. This is a more sophisticated word than angry or mad.'   And I'm going to accept it and just let it flow through me. Because sometimes we are just plain mad!   Thanks so much for listening! I love helping people change (and improve!) their perception of their lives -- aka find more...

We are on the precipice of a big trip and I'm ready! There's this moment -- when you've done all the work and everything is packed and ready -- but right before the trip truly begins. Oh, it's a good moment!   Thanks so much for listening! I love helping people change (and improve!) their perception of their lives -- aka find more JOY.   All of the guides, emails, and information that may help you...

Today, I share some musings about beliefs and how to shift the nature of your thoughts: what if we can't fully eradicate old, negative beliefs but we can make them a small percentage of the overall 'sea' of beliefs??    Thanks so much for listening! I love helping people change (and improve!) their perception of their lives -- aka find more JOY.   All of the guides, emails, and information that ma...

Today’s episode is about a feeling -- a sure feeling. Like you know something is eventually going to happen. I have to say, it’s a pretty great feeling!   Thanks so much for listening! I love helping people change (and improve!) their perception of their lives -- aka find more JOY.   All of the guides, emails, and information that may help you on your joy journey, can be found on my website: melis...

I was recently celebrating my uncle's 75th birthday (it would have been my dad's 75th too:) So, today, I share some stories about 'the twins' (my uncle and my dad). And reflect on the curious nature of grief -- it's never really what you might expect.    I know this episode sounds a bit depressing but I promise it's not. I loved writing these stories down and I think you'll enjoy them!   Thanks so...

Summer, at least for me, is filled with lots of travel and fun -- but also a complete lack of structure and routine. This summer, rather than fight the 'free for all,' I am working on leaning into it!   Thanks so much for listening! I love helping people change (and improve!) their perception of their lives -- aka find more JOY.   All of the guides, emails, and information that may help you on you...

Don't worry -- today's episode isn't really about my minivan -- I just had Chuck Berry's 'Driving Around in my Automobile' stuck in my head! This episode is really about some college touring I did recently (not for me, although I'd love to go back) and how magnetic the energy of 'the world is at my fingertips' truly is!   Thanks so much for listening! I love helping people change (and improve!) th...

This is the second episode inspired by the new movie ’Inside Out 2!’ I was so tickled by the brilliant concept of an actual ’stream’ of consciousness that I decided to embark on my own stream of consciousness experiment. So this is it friends! Today, I share with you one hour of my own random, ping-pong-ball-like thoughts!   Thanks so much for listening! I love helping people change (and improve!)...

I know we often say we just want things to be calmer but, for so many of us (myself included!), when things are calm, we get a bit antsy. It can feel uncomfortable. Let's talk about why it's so tough for us to enjoy 'peace and calm' and ways we can practice acclimating to it.   Thanks so much for listening! I love helping people change (and improve!) their perception of their lives -- aka find mor...

I've probably traveled this small stretch of real estate in my bedroom tens of thousands of times. So, I thought I'd share some 'bedside' stories (literally bedside) in another way of appreciating and marking the passage of time.     Thanks so much for listening! I love helping people change (and improve!) their perception of their lives -- aka find more JOY.   All of the guides, emails, and infor...

Today's episode is about those dot-to-dot books where you can create a koala, a sloth, a kangaroo, etc. Well, not really.  What if you could name all of your 'dots' and then not force the connections: if you could get out of the 'how.' There are so many ways to connect all of your 'dots' -- never one path. The fun is watching the connections happen -- the unfolding!   Thanks so much for listening!...

Today's episode is about cats -- sort of. I've been focusing on a 'stray cat' lately and I have to stop! You may have some strays too. Let's talk about these cats and how to move our gaze away from the strays.   Thanks so much for listening! I love helping people change (and improve!) their perception of their lives -- aka find more JOY.   All of the guides, emails, and information that may help y...

Today’s episode is about how our words and intentions get garbled in translation. A good reminder that we may not always translate someone’s meaning correctly and vice versa. Sometimes words need to sit for a moment in an ’anteroom’ before we should allow them in!   Thanks so much for listening! I love helping people change (and improve!) their perception of their lives -- aka find more JOY.   All...

Today’s episode is about how we process nerves, accomplishment, and the like. Processing is hard and sometimes you may just end of crying in the car!   Thanks so much for listening! I love helping people change (and improve!) their perception of their lives -- aka find more JOY.   All of the guides, emails, and information that may help you on your joy journey, can be found on my website: melissab...

Today’s episode is about butterflies. Well, kind of. It’s really about using the process of metamorphosis as an allegory to understand our own life transitions. But, I’d listen just for the butterfly facts!!   Thanks so much for listening! I love helping people change (and improve!) their perception of their lives -- aka find more JOY.   All of the guides, emails, and information that may help you...

Today’s episode is about anger. Anger isn’t always bad -- it can fuel you and provide a sense of purpose and clarity. But, its flames can get so big, it can burn your house down. So let’s talk about anger!   Thanks so much for listening! I love helping people change (and improve!) their perception of their lives -- aka find more JOY.   All of the guides, emails, and information that may help you o...

Sometimes you just need to call it. It’s OK to have as Alexander described it: ’a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.’ Or even a not-so-terrible day where you just need to go back to bed. We all can use a reset!   Thanks so much for listening! I love helping people change (and improve!) their perception of their lives -- aka find more JOY.   All of the guides, emails, and information that m...

Today’s episode reflects on one of my favorite questions of late: do we all feel lost?? My magic eight-ball says, ’Yes!’   Thanks so much for listening! I love helping people change (and improve!) their perception of their lives -- aka find more JOY.   All of the guides, emails, and information that may help you on your joy journey, can be found on my website: melissabloom.life.   Here are links t...

Today’s episode is for all my friends who need to make sure everyone is OK before you can relax and enjoy yourselves (AND, yes, I am a reformed ‘appeaser’ – still working on it!).   Thanks so much for listening! I love helping people change (and improve!) their perception of their lives -- aka find more JOY.   All of the guides, emails, and information that may help you on your joy journey, can be...

Today’s episode is about loving BIG and how hard it can be to let go. Yes, we are so proud and excited for our kids as they move into adulthood but, oh, it’s not easy!   Thanks so much for listening! I love helping people change (and improve!) their perception of their lives -- aka find more JOY.   All of the guides, emails, and information that may help you on your joy journey, can be found on my...

Today’s episode is about a fridge re-org and the notion of ’earning one’s keep.’ Well, sort of. It’s really about the facet of grace that is so hard for us to accept: undeserved favor.   Thanks so much for listening! I love helping people change (and improve!) their perception of their lives -- aka find more JOY.   All of the guides, emails, and information that may help you on your joy journey, c...

Today’s episode is inspired by a visit to the Penn Relays and a record-breaking race. Belief is incredibly powerful -- that old adage isn’t too far off: ’Believing is half the battle.’   Thanks so much for listening! I love helping people change (and improve!) their perception of their lives -- aka find more JOY.   All of the guides, emails, and information that may help you on your joy journey, c...

Well, we may be moving out of spring and into sticky, hot summer in a lot of places but that’s OK! Today’s episode is really more about a metaphorical spring: a time when all the seeds we’ve planted begin to sprout and bloom!   Thanks so much for listening! I love helping people change (and improve!) their perception of their lives -- aka find more JOY.   All of the guides, emails, and information...