Sympathetic joy, or mudita, means being able to feel happiness in the circumstances, accomplishments, gifts, and good qualities of others….. Sympathetic joy is the antidote to feelings of inadequacy and, importantly, to emotions that block your ability to feel compassion, such as jealousy, envy, resentment, hatred, and boredom.
–Janetti Marotta in 50 Mindful Steps to Self-Esteem
Now
What is the meaning of now?
A beginning or end?
A place or state of mind?
A time long awaited or dreaded?
This word can lie
In the quagmire of confusion and denial,
And never find its way out.
Unless, there is a moment,
To capture its meaning.
And a reason,
To know this moment.
-Janetti Marotta
Mindful Noting Practice: Sympathetic Joy
When you cultivate the qualities for mindful self-esteem, you plant the seed of sympathetic joy. Start by recognizing when you feel envy or jealousy in reaction to others’ success, good fortune, happiness, or abilities or when you take pleasure in others’ misfortune.
Send happiness for this person’s success and good fortune through the practice of sympathetic joy. Visualize the person you wish to send happiness to by repeating and affirming:
May ________never be separated from bliss.
Alternatively, use any phrase or series of phrases that wishes this person joy. Allow the wish to radiate from you to this person, going ever more deeply. If you find excess difficulty in sending happiness to this person, choose other categories of people, such as a benefactor, dear friend, or neutral person.
“May you accept life as a gift
And live life as a way of giving thanks.”