Do you want to live a joyful life?
Of course you do! Who doesn’t?!
Now let me ask you this…Are you experiencing joy in your daily life? I don’t mean every once in a while, but consistently throughout your days and weeks.
If your response to this question is a subtle (or perhaps, not so subtle) eye roll, I’ll tell you, I too had a similar reaction the first time I considered this question. DAILY joy?! Nobody has that, right?
After all, life is made up of a series of moments. Up’s and down’s. Blessings and challenges. If you are anything like me, you have, at times, experienced the full spectrum of human emotion within about two hours.
Experiencing joy on a daily basis seemed far-fetched and unrealistic.
Until…
I made an important distinction that completely changed my mindset and attitude towards “joy.”
Here it is:
JOY is not the same as happiness.
So often we lump these two experiences into the same box, as though they are one in the same. However, joy and happiness have some distinct differences that make it possible for us to experience each in a totally unique way.
Let’s start with happiness. Happiness is an emotion. Like all emotions, it comes and goes. It is a reaction to external circumstances.
For example, walking outside to find a beautiful sunny day may fill you with feelings of happiness. Likewise, having the skies open up leaving you wet without an umbrella can zap those feelings of happiness almost as quickly as they came.
In both of these circumstances, the emotion of happiness came and went without much direction from you as the individual. It just happens. For this reason, it would be completely correct to say that no person feels “happy” 100% of the time.
Joy, on the other hand, is not an emotion. Joy is the fruit of intentional choices we make as individuals.
It is the choice to live a life of balance. It is the choice to look for the good in all situations. The choice to pursue healthy and supportive relationships. The choice to make time for your passions.
These are the things that make it possible to experience the fruit of joy in your daily life. Yes, even on the hard days.
Think of a small child.
Little children are naturally joyful beings. They experience all of the wonder and goodness that life has to offer. They are primed and ready to soak it all in, and this openness to experiencing good makes it possible for the littlest among us to remain joyful.
Sure, they may cry after they fall down or hide when they are scared, but these moments do not rob them of their enduring childlike joy. Their joy remains.
What makes small children so different from us adults?
Well for one, children typically live a well-balanced life by default. In most situations, a child is likely getting good sleep, adequate nutrition, and plenty of time for passion, exploration, and interaction with others.
These things don’t lose their importance as we get older. We simply become less adept at making time for them.
Children also have less exposure to the negative sides of this world. They don’t watch the news or scroll social media. And their to-do lists include very few real tasks.
While living a joyful life certainly comes easier to children than adults, it is possible to recapture the childlike joy you once had!
How?
Joy is the result of intentional choices.
If you are interested in pursuing deeper joy in your life, it’s time to evaluate the choices you are currently making and whether or not they are serving you. Here are a few questions for your consideration:
- Am I doing too much? Are there tasks or commitments I could let go of?
- Am I making time for important things like sleep, eating regular meals, etc.?
- Do I need to set boundaries for media consumption?
- Are there relationships in my life that are robbing me of joy?
We all have unconscious barriers that can get in the way of living a truly joyful life. To learn more about your unique personality and what might be holding you back, I invite you to take this free assessment!
Article was contributed by: Maria Lees, Team Writer with Sarah Boxx
