Living life with Joie de Vivre is being entirely comfortable to be your authentic self, to be really grateful and at your most happy in your life. It is the moments you can truly savor knowing that you listened and trusted the real love in your heart, all the love in your life. It's having full faith in yourself and to be the best that you can be. Knowing you can trust your heart to live well with solid relationship you have established with your authentic self and with others, knowing you have done your absolute best. It's living with no fear, with absolute joy, going after exactly what you want, fully enjoying the journey of your life and really living in the present, this very moment, because you know life is beautiful. Joie de Vivre is enjoying life to it's fullest and embracing what life offers.

Joie de Vivre

The formula to enjoyment of lifeBy Alain Rheault

AuthorHouse

Copyright © 2012 Alain Rheault
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4772-9232-7

Chapter One

Be kind

Don't just be kind for the sake of kindness or how it makes you look. Be kind because you want to, because it can make a difference in someone's day or life. Being kind is not only beneficial to others around you—the little elderly women who you held the door open for or the complete stranger you bought coffee for. It really does bounce back to you. It's amazing how good being kind to others can make you feel. Be courteous to others; help people in every way that you can. Smile at everyone you meet, say hi to others with a smile, and listen to what others have to say. Be sincere.

Go ahead, open doors for others, let others merge in front of you during rush-hour traffic and give that hard worker a generous tip. In the end, you're being kind to yourself—while helping others in the meantime.

When you do things, do them all with the best of intentions and to the best of your knowledge and abilities. Be proud of helping, especially if you help without expecting something in return.

The object is not to give things or money to others; it is the quality of the time you spend that counts. It is the feeling shared.

But when we think of being kind, we often forget to be kind to ourselves. I don't mean we should constantly splurge on ourselves and be self-absorbed or indulgent. What I mean is that we are sometimes quite hard on ourselves and don't always acknowledge our achievements—while we praise others for similar actions or accomplishments.

Remember to reward yourself for things you would reward others for. You got an A on your exam, you had a great job interview, or you finally got around to achieving a goal you had set for yourself. So go ahead and reward yourself—you deserve it!

Always be sincere about giving. Smile at yourself every morning in the mirror or when you glance at your reflection during the day. Be real; don't be afraid to be yourself. Don't pretend to be someone that you're not, because the only person who knows deep down who you are is you.

Live your life. Don't live it through someone else's eyes. When you have that feeling that you really know what you want, that is you, my friend. All you want to be is you.

You know you have dreams. Listen to you inner self; you know it's right when it feels right, because it feels good. It is all you when you take that time and listen to your self. Life feels good. Take good advice. It's for your own good to be able to help yourself and others. Allow yourself to truly be who you are.

Live your life the best way you can live. Be the best that you can at everything. Be true. Your true life is the energy in you. It's also in the things around you and the people around you. Feel that powerful energy!

Hurting others will likely hurt you just as much, if not more. Your conscience is powerful and doesn't let you off the hook easily. Do not underestimate it. So, in hurting others, you also hurt yourself. That sounds like self-abuse to me.

Remember, being kind to others is also being kind to yourself. Be kind; don't purposely hurt others. Remember, it's a small world. Who knows, maybe the person you were just obnoxiously rude to might be the one across the desk from you at your next interview.

So, this brings me to my next reminder, my next question to you on positive thinking and life reflection: How do you want to live your life?

Chapter Two

Live life and remember it all

Cherish the good and positive moments. Forget the bad and unpleasant moments. You want to feel good so keep the good. What do you want to do today? Make a list of things that you have to do and do them well. That is a big step toward your success, and you will feel great when you have accomplished what you had to do. How do you want to live today? That is the question you should ask yourself, because then you are choosing what makes you joyful.

You don't have to think long or hard about this, because you know what you want. You already know what you want today and already know what you want for tomorrow. You have to remember to enjoy life.

When I say this, I don't mean spend money or splurge on expensive items. To enjoy life, you don't have to spend money. All you need to do is observe simple things—like the sky. Look at each cloud. And take a few minutes to smell your surroundings. Smell the flowers. Bend down and put your nose in that fresh bloom and really enjoy it.

When I was little, I would watch my dad. I watched his every move. I thought, I will be just like him one day. Everything that he did, he did with the dignity of a real gentleman. My dad was really a perfect role model.

Almost everyone loves their dad. A good father always takes care of you. He has your back and you feel like everything is okay. My dad was a great carpenter. Everything he built was the best. He took pride in his work. He also took good care of his tools. He wrote his name on every one and painted the handles red, his favorite color. When he built anything, he made absolutely sure that the wood was straight and in good shape.

One day, as I was driving to work (I travel a lot and have long drives), I saw a very clean, shiny, well-kept red truck carrying a load of brand-new wood. This made me think of my dad, and I felt that, if he was to have a truck, that would be the one. So I waved to the driver. That, my friend, really made my day. It made me think of my dad. When it was time for me to buy a new truck, I bought a red one. Papa, I always want you to be proud of me, because I am proud of me.

It's not the objects or the material things that create a bond with someone. It is the time well spent; it is the interaction you have with another that counts. Take time for others and rejoice in every little thing. It is so worth it.

So smell that flower in front of you. Take the time to crouch down, touch the grass, and feel its texture. Touch the sand; feel it between your fingers and between your toes. Look at the moon and allow yourself to ask questions like, Who else is looking at the moon right now?

Really enjoy what you are seeing, hearing, feeling. Who are you sharing all of this with? And how do you feel?

Enjoy your surroundings. Describe them to yourself.

Listen to nature. Look at this amazing world we are all living in.

The answers you need are in your heart.

Take time to listen to your heart. Just take a moment right now and envision what you really want in life. Be really happy if you are living your dream. Can you see anyone smiling? Can you take time to share your smile? On your way to work, do you feel good? Better yet, on your way home, how do you feel? Is it a good feeling? Even though we all live pretty busy lives, can you stop for a moment and ask yourself, Why am I in a rush? Do you have time to give a hug or to pay a beautiful compliment to someone? We all want this but we easily forget the things that make others feel good, especially you.

Chapter Three

Your success

Now, this brings me to the question of Success. What is it truly? What does it truly mean?

Success in life is doing what you dream of doing—becoming who you love to be and living up to who you say you are. It is the goal that you choose to accomplish, the goal that you want to achieve. It is the love and time that you...