Ladder to the Top of Joy

As I climbed that ladder, I found that I had lost my true sense of self, who I really was at my core. I also realized that the money, power and prestige didn’t make me happy, didn’t bring me joy.

I’m reminded of that Jack Nicholson quote in the movie “As Good As It Gets” when he asks, “What if this is it? What if this is as good as it gets?”

At that point, I began my own personal “journey to joy”. It’s been a wonderful journey and I’ll be sharing some of what I’ve learned, and continue to learn, from many of the world’s best teachers. I hope that you will find these ideas of value. Much of what I’ll be sharing, I cover in my beach retreats for women
(https://katherinebock.com/), and, if anything resonates with you, I invite you to join me for a transformational weekend with like-minded women.

Let’s start with a parable, borrowed from The Power of Now. A beggar had been sitting by the side of the road for over thirty years. One day a stranger walked by. “Spare some change?” mumbled the beggar, mechanically holding out his old baseball cap. “I have nothing to give you,” said the stranger.

Then he asked: “What’s that you’re sitting on?” “Nothing,” replied the beggar. “Just an old box. I have been sitting on it for as long as I can remember.” “Ever look inside?” asked the stranger. “No,” said the beggar. “What’s the point? There’s nothing in there.” “Have a look inside,” insisted the stranger. The beggar managed to pry open the lid. With astonishment, disbelief, and elation, he saw that the box was filled with gold.

I am that stranger who has nothing to give you and who is telling you to look inside. Not inside any box, as in the parable, but somewhere ever closer: inside yourself. I’ll be sharing some ideas and tools to help you make that journey within, to rediscover your inner beauty, your inner self, the essence of who you really are.

Let’s start that journey by accepting the notion that we have the power of choice. It’s not what happens, but how we respond to what happens that determines the quality of our lives.

People may say, “My life is horrible.” I go back to Viktor Frankl. When he was in Auschwitz, his pregnant wife was killed, as were his parents. He writes about seeing a wildflower growing just beyond the horrific compound, “The Nazis can take everything from me, including my life. But they can’t take my attitude.”

As with Victor Frankl, and so many others, we get to choose how we see and respond to the world. Let’s make the courageous choices that support us in our own personal “journey to joy”. I hope you will journey with me!

“Joy is the most infallible sign of the presence of God.” –Teilhard de Chardin