We all want to be happy. It’s something that is a constant disappointment when it doesn’t deliver. But is joy better than happiness? Is there a difference?
Merriam Webster dictionary defines joy as “the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune or by the prospect of possessing what one desires.” According to Merriam Webster happiness and joy are synonyms. Both tied to an outcome as a response to it. No wonder people are often disappointed and unhappy when results do not go their way. To me joy is much deeper than happiness and you can truly choose it. You can choose to live in joy daily regardless of your surrounding circumstances. Studies have shown that living with joy predicts lower heart rate and blood pressure. It combats stress, boosts your immune system, and protects you from aches and pains. Choosing joy doesn’t mean you ignore the bad things that happen, but you change the perspective on how you experience it.
Living with joy can sometimes be a challenge. When things appear to be going against our will, we tend to experience this as pain, suffering, or that we’re having a bad day. Recognizing that we are in control of our feelings, and that we have the choice to live in joy, or in fear is the first step to creating a life full of joy and positivity. One principle that we all need to acquire is the ability to see all situations, people, and events from a positive perspective. Instead of viewing bad things in life as a prompt to get upset and angry, try to view the “bad things” as lessons that are helping you grow, helping you to become as whole of an individual as possible. Too many times, we think that the outer world, the physical reality is creating our day, causing us to be sad or unhappy; however it is the opposite that is true. We create our day, we create the circumstances for joyous living. The most important lesson is that “beingness” precedes experience. In order to be joyful, we first need to “be joyful” inside, and this internal joy radiates outward through every cell of our bodies and creates the outer experience of a smile, or a laugh, or an intimate connection between two people. It is in this “beingness” that we have the ability to see and to choose our feelings, desires, goals, and dreams, which then enables us to manifest an outer reality based on our true selves. To me joy is much deeper than happiness. Is looking at the outside circumstances and not allowing them to take me to a gloom and doom place. Is knowing the current circumstances will be used for my good and growth regardless of them being hard or not.
We create the reality in which we experience joy, anger, love, and fear. Because we have the ability, the free will, to choose our reality, we can make that conscious choice to try to just be joyful, more grateful, and more sensitive. This happiness though will never come if you are looking outside of yourself first. Because, what we just learned is that in order to be joyful we have to have the internal feeling of joy to then create that joyfulness in our daily lives. Remember that your beliefs about reality create your experience of it. So, start changing your negatives into positives, gain clarity, and open your heart by looking inside yourself. When we start changing ourselves from inside out, people and situations will respond to us in ways in which we could never imagine. The ability to start reaching your goals and dreams is already inside of you. Take the leap to start living in joy today. How do you choose joy daily?