Live A Full Life, Or Why I Created Joy Discovered

They say the third time’s the charm.

Joy Discovered is my third blog and finally, I have gotten it right. My first blog HappyLifeYoga was created in 2010 to share what I was learning about myself and the world through the practice and study of yoga. Then I built SaraMuellerNow in 2011 to market my yoga teaching and writing. When I went back to work full-time in the conference production industry in 2013, I turned SaraMuellerNow off.

In 2016 my world began to shift.

Women’s Strength Blows Me Away

First of all, my second son, Kyen, was born in May. When he was exactly one month old (I know this because I have notes marked in my cell phone to this date), I was up all night nursing him thinking, damn, this mother thing is hard. And damn, women are awesome! We carry and birth and love with our whole being these amazing babies. We somehow find more room in our hearts and space in our lives to love just as fully a second, third, sometimes even fourth or more babies, along with our partners, pets, parents, siblings, friends, careers, and the world… and usually, on only six hours of sleep and lots of coffee. Women are literally awe-inspiring with their strength.

I realized that strong women create strong families who create strong societies (this is a direct quote from the notes in my iPhone that one very early morning in June). I’m not talking about strong as in physical strength to push our way through the world. I am talking about having the strength to be who we are, do what we love, and cause a ripple effect of joy that can impact the entire planet.

Life’s Hard. We Don’t Have To Go It Alone

But it’s hard. It’s so freaking hard sometimes just to make it through to bed time. So I thought, there are millions of women that are rocking this mom/career work/life/balance thing. They must have some tips, tricks, and philosophies they follow to achieve success (a word used in the definition of joy). Given that I’m a market researcher who interviews people everyday to make a living, I couldn’t wait to start talking to the women I knew to find out how they were being so effective at living full lives, and to figure out how I could share these insights with other women like me when we needed inspiration. Real Women Real Strength, a key component to Joy Discovered was birthed!

Shortly after this revelation, Trump got elected president. Without getting too political here, I realized I could no longer quiet my voice in order to keep the peace. I needed to express myself and say what I believed in my heart. So I turned SaraMuellerNow back on and started writing again. I wanted to chronicle my experiences and share openly in hopes of shifting others’ perspectives. I had to do something, and writing was the answer that came to me.

The Trip That Catapulted Joy Discovered Forward

Then, in 2017, I found myself in Hyderabad and Mumbai, India, helping my friend lay the foundation for her nonprofit organization that serves underprivileged children. That trip rocked my world (read about it here and here); I will never be the same. It made me extremely grateful for all that God has given me in my life, and blatantly aware that some things in our world are terribly wrong. I could not spend another day on this Earth without giving back and making it a better place.

My way of giving back is to share authentically on Joy Discovered the lessons I’ve learned in my life to live in joy. To share the stories of women who inspire me to live my best life. To create a community of bold, empowered women who will make this world a better place and have fun while doing it.

Won’t you come along with me?!?

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