JOYFUL

DAYSHAPPEN

CHUKWUKERE EKEH

D A I L Y I N S P I R A T I O N

W R I T T E N B Y

Introduction

Ancient wisdom tells us that you can be transformed by therenewing of your mind. So right now, an incredible momentlies before you. I genuinely believe each day is anopportunity and its outcome is molded (for better or worse)by the hands it is placed in. I have chosen and will continueto choose to bring faith, joy, and optimism in my own lifeand I am hoping these short daily reads incite you to do thesame. These are best read starting in the morning andread repetitously throughout your day.

Sincerely, A Practitioner in Joy

Chukwukere Ekeh

Day 1

Where you were yesterday does not dictate where youmust go today. No matter the tough breaks, regrets, orfailures of the past, you have the ability to make a gift ofthe present. Hold your head high and walk bravely intotoday.

“It’s never too late to be what you might have been.”­ George Eliot

Day 2

Obstacles are merely doors. One must find the waythrough them to reach their true destination. Don’t bediscouraged by the challenge. Accept it and overcome it.

“In the depths of winter, I learned that there was within mean invincible summer.”­ Albert Camus

Day 3

If you ever hope to grasp true happiness you must bewilling to let go of the pains and jealously that your heart isclinging to. Forgiveness of yourself and others allows roomfor peace, joy, and fulfillment.

“To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that theprisoner was you.”­ Lewis B. Smedes

Day 4

When you learn to love as freely and often as you can, toas many people as you can, something remarkablehappens. The universe rewards you with all the love youhave given plus interest!

“Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle,and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happinessnever decreases by being shared.”­ Buddha

Day 5

Forge new roads, wander, try something new! Life was notmade for ease but for exploration. Don’t let today endwithout living a little.

“Life without endeavor is like entering a jewel mine andcoming out with empty hands.”­ Japanese Proverb

Day 6

Realize the value in every moment of today. Cherish thethings and people that make you feel wholly yourself. Don’toverlook the small joys that are taken for granted daily.

“It is not how much we have, but how much we enjoy, thatmakes happiness.”­ Charles Spurgeon

Day 7

Whatever you choose to do or undertake today fullycommit yourself to it. Pour yourself into what matters mostin your life without being indecisive.

“I don’t do things half­heartedly. Because I know if I do,then I can expect half­hearted results.”­ Michael Jordan

Day 8

Did you know that a jet expends more energy to get off theground than it does to stay in flight? Today is perfect day toget started. The key to accomplishment is to begin.

“The start is what stops most people.”­ Don Shula

Day 9

This present moment is the only time in which you haveany power or control. Neither the past nor future currentlyexist. All must face unpredictable circumstances but wehave the ability to respond and grow today. Carpe Diem(seize the day)!

“I don’t live in either my past or my future. I’m interestedonly in the present. If you can concentrate always on thepresent, you’ll be a happy person. Life will be a party foryou, a grand festival, because life is the moment we’reliving now.”­ Paulo Coelho

Day 10

As people we all have dreams and hopes we never pursuebecause we are too afraid. At a conference a gentlemanshared with me a statement he wrote in a journal, “yes, inadvance”, in order to urge himself throughout his future tosimply try. Say yes to yourself, your dreams, and yourfuture aspirations today.

“Exert your talents, and distinguish yourself, and don’t thinkof retiring from the world, until the world will be sorry thatyou retire.”­ Samuel Johnson

Day 11

Happiness is a choice made daily and the result of notmaking it will be that the decision will be made by othersfor you. Choose to focus on and pour yourself into thingsthat bring joy to your life while adding value to all thosewho surround you.

“The foolish man seeks happiness in the distance, the wiseman grows it under his feet.”­ James Oppenheim

Day 12

An optimist and pessimist may face the samecircumstances but the difference is what they choose tofocus on. An optimist seeks to find the good but apessimist lingers on the problems. Have you been focusingon and seeking the positives in your life? Shift yourattitude.

“It is better to light a candle than curse the darkness.”­ Chinese Proverb

Day 13

Is there a good enough excuse to live a mediocre life? Isthere a reason to not attempt to love those you care about?Are you so intent on being safe that you risk not becomingthe extraordinary person you are meant to be? Give up theexcuses and start experiencing life.

“Listen to the mustn’t, child. Listen to the dont’s. Listen tothe shouldn’ts, the impossibles, the wont’s. Listen to thenever haves, then listen close to me… Anything canhappen, child. Anything can be.”­ Shel Silverstein

Day 14

Don’t look at the costs, the difficulties, and the roadblocksassociated with becoming a better person and living yourdreams. Affix your eyes to your "why", the very reason youmust continue to grow and develop. Life has great cost toliving but it is left up to you to make the benefits of living bemore valuable than the price it asks you to pay.

“You measure the size of accomplishment by obstaclesyou had to overcome to reach your goals.”­ Booker T. Washington

Day 15

The only person you should compare yourself to is theperson in the mirror. You can only be all you can be. Soimprove yourself day by day and in a month or a year youwill be amazed how the progress adds up. Attempt tooutdo yourself daily.

“When I let go of what I am and I become what I might be.”­ Lao Tzu

Day 16

Seek to understand others as much as you hope to beunderstood. Living and working with so many unique andcomplex people calls for you to change perspectives.Though we’re all looking at the world, we tend to see andinterpret things differently. As the old saying goes, "walk amile in their shoes" before judging them.

“We don’t see things as they are, we see them as we are.”­ Anais Nin

Day 17

Wake up each morning with excitement and end every daywith gratitude. Tomorrow does not come with a guarantee.So may we learn to live with each moment as if it’s asuperb beginning and glorious end. Master this and you willnot have a lack of good days or positive thoughts.

“You’ve got to get up every morning with determination ifyou’re going to go to bed with satisfaction.”­ George Lorimer

Day 18

Dare to venture out! Sometimes we get so comfortable andstuck in our ways and habits that we miss out on all that lifehas to offer. It has been said that "known hells arepreferred to strange heavens". Do something that excitesyou, that is new and spontaneous. Life is a journey, don’tbe too afraid to take it.

“We must not cease from exploration and the end of ourexploring will be to arrive where we began and to know theplace for the first time.”­ T.S. Eliot

Day 19

To believe in yourself regardless of the odds is necessary,not only in terms of confidence but making the most ofyourself. Before you accomplish your dreams you mustconvince someone you deserve it, the person who must beconvinced is YOU. Once you are committed to ameaningful pursuit, others will follow.

“Believe you can and you’re halfway there.”­ Theodore Roosevelt

Day 20

There was a country club that had these beautifulexpensive trees. They watered them daily for upkeep. Yet,they had a problem. Whenever there a strong wind it wouldknock one of the trees to the ground. They called in aspecialist and his solution was to stop watering the trees.His reasoning was because the trees had never struggled,the roots were shallow and had a weak foundation. Thelesson being that without failure, pain, and struggle, wecan’t grow and learn to become the strongest version ofourselves.

“Rock bottom became the foundation upon which I rebuiltmy life.”­J.K. Rowling

Day 21

Stop waiting for opportunity, search for it. Then if it cannotbe found, create it! You might have heard the saying goodthings come to those who wait, they are mistaken. Goodthings come to those who work.

“If opportunity doesn’t knock, build a door.”­ Milton Berle

Day 22

The fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself!Worry is the leading cause of stress, anger, and negativity.We must learn to think in terms of possible vs. probable.Many things are possible but many times they areimprobable. Could a large meteor hit the planet? Sure. Is itlikely? Not so much. Worry is like a rocking chair, it givesyou something to do but gets you nowhere. Rid yourself ofthis disease.

“I’ve had a lot of worries in my life, most of which neverhappened.”­ Mark Twain

Day 23

The key to loving people is to be selfless and not selfish inyour actions. Keep others best interests at heart andencourage them to pursue happiness even if it may leadthem away from you.

“Love does not dishonor others, it is not self­seeking, it isnot easily angered, it keeps no records of wrongs.”­ 1 Corinthians 13:5

Day 24

Be at peace. As this world becomes more busy and socluttered we tend to overwhelm ourselves. To learn to bestill and quiet amongst the chaos will allow you topersistently stay joyful, focused, and at peace. The masterin the art of living knows that balance isn’t just nice to have,it is a necessity.

“You should feel beautiful and you should feel safe. Whatyou surround yourself with should bring you peace of mindand peace of spirit.”­ Stacy London

Day 25

Your reputation is who people think you are but yourcharacter is who you actually are. Discover and find yourcore values such as honesty, kindness, generosity,patience, etc. and align with them. When you know whoyou are and what you stand for it makes standing firm inlife a little easier.

“Your beliefs become your thoughts, your thoughts becomeyour words, your words become your actions, your actionsbecome your habits, your habits become your values, yourvalues become your destiny.”­ Mahatma Gandhi

Day 26

Success is what we all hope to have attained by the end ofour lives but it is determined by today. Success is bestdefined as a daily pursuit of your passions with the peopleyou love, free of insecurity and fear and fear in the present.This is simple but not easy, live your life in such a way thatyou will fulfill that definition.

“Either write something worth reading or do somethingworth writing.”­ Benjamin Franklin

Day 27

Giving up is the easy way out. Quitting is the addiction ofthe mediocre. Ease is forgotten but effort is admired. Don’task if it’s hard work, but ask will the work bring worth. If youlearn to always give 100% it leaves no room for regret. Theonly way a person truly fails in life is to stop trying.

“You don’t drown by falling in the water; you drown bystaying there.”­ Edwin Louis Cole

Day 28

Let go of your past or it may ruin your present. If you don’tvalue the present you will ruin your future. Time is the mostvaluable and most wasted resource known to man. Cherishthe moment while you have it because once time is lost itwon’t be found again.

“The best thing about the future is that is comes one day ata time.”­ Abraham Lincoln

Day 29

Always keep hope. It’s the only thing more powerful thanfear. Those who fill their very being with hope directlyconnect themselves with more peace, happiness, andpositivity.

“We must accept finite disappointment, but never loseinfinite hope.”­ Martin Luther King Jr.

Day 30

Your life reflects a calendar year in the way it goes by inseasons. The Spring where you sow and things begin togrow, Summer where you work and nurture, Autumn whereyou gather and reap what you’ve sown, and a Winter youmust endure. Learn the cycles of life and since you can’tchange the seasons learn to adapt and take action.

“Action may not always bring happiness; but there is nohappiness without action.”­ Benjamin Disraeli

Day 31

Reflect. Every so often we must take a step back and lookat our lives. You’ll see moments of joy and pain, triumphand defeat, love and loss. Yet though they didn’t makesense at the time, you begin to see how they haveimpacted you and molded you into the person you’rebecoming. So look but don’t linger, this reflection is merelypreparation for moving forward.

“Life is a mirror and will reflect back to the thinker what hethinks into it.”­ Ernest Holmes

A Posse Ad Esse

The latin phrase titling the conclusion is translated "frompossibility to actuality". It's time for you to stop thinking andstart living joyfully. Your journey doesn’t cease on day 31.It begins again every morning! So take control of yourthoughts and thereby grabbing the reins of life andbecoming all you ever dreamed of!

Now share this with a friend who needs more joy.

About the AuthorChukwukere Ekeh is a practitioner of joy who's

mission is to leverage his ability of

encouragement and creativity to empower

people to change the world. His only hope is to

reveal the true hope which he found in his

savior Jesus Christ. His other passions include

speaking, marketing, singing too often, and

traveling.

Contact: chuwkukere_ekeh@yahoo.com

Instagram/Twitter QualityEkeh