Joy vs. Happiness
The Pursuit Of Joy.
The new year brings many of us to a time of reflection. While processing the past year of my life, living in this present moment and planning my personal long term goals, I was recently shown the difference between Joy and Happiness; Knowing and Believing and Love and Pleasure.
I am often guilty of Believing the completion of a goal, conquering a fear or obtaining something “bigger and better” will bring Happiness and Pleasure. When the definition of Believing, Happiness and Pleasure are really assessed it becomes apparent that they are thoughts, not feelings. Thoughts are controlled by circumstance and influenced by other people. Therefore, while waiting for that moment to experience our definition of Happiness we create less opportunity to feel Joy.
The literal definition of Joy as defined by Webster s Dictionary is “the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune or by the prospect of possessing what one desires”. Yes, Joy does include thoughts of happiness and pleasure. However, those thoughts alone do not become a true feeling without achieving Joy. A feeling is something we own, it comes from with-in and it is our personal truth. Joy is maintained no matter what is happening around you. Joy is the inner smile that fills a room with confidence and confidence comes from Knowing who you are. When we really know something we no longer have to just believe in what we can see. Knowing is not necessarily palpable.
When Love resides in your heart and is not just defined be the way somebody else interacts, reacts or responds to you it no longer becomes a measurement of how much love to give. Measuring will undoubtedly attract others who have a comparable measure of love for you. Looking outside of your heart or seeking external Pleasure is controlled by other people and events causing short spouts of Pleasure and Happiness that will inevitably change.
As I strive to be the best person I can be and try to understand how to successfully execute my life “in this world” not “of this world” I believe the path to the preverbal ”Happiness” so many of us desire is to pursue and achieve Joy, Knowing and Love. Feelings that honor unconditional acceptance, trust in our current reality and true understanding of not only ourselves but everybody we interact with.
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