Why Joy Matters To Your Success

If you’ve been paying attention, there’s been a lot of buzz around the word joy over the past couple of weeks. It has even come up in my work with clients.

But why is this and what does it even mean?

Let’s face it; many people feel devoid of joy these days, like we’ve been robbed of something.

Joy is missing. We sense it, even if we can’t quite point to exactly why.

There’s a difference between what we think of as happiness and what we view as joy. It’s all along the same spectrum, sure, but one clearly outshines the other.

When you’re happy, you’re content. All things considered, life is good. You’re feeling pretty positive about what’s going on in your world.

Joy, on the other hand, is exuberant. A delight! You’re so full of pleasure in that moment that it’s overflowing.

Think about how you enJOY an experience or enJOY a meal. It’s a real treat! In fact you’re ‘IN’ joy in that moment.

However, many of us find joyful moments hard to come by lately.

We can point to a laundry list of reasons and scapegoats — the uncertainty, the economy, the lack of unity, politics, loneliness, comparison (the thief of joy)...

But the reality is that joy is an inside job. Certain conditions make enjoyment easier, of course — not denying that! But don’t forget: some people, even in the most miserable of conditions, exude joy.

So, I challenge you to consider the following:

You are very likely robbing yourself of joy…

You may worry about things you can’t ultimately control.

You may be allowing someone else to overlook you or put you down.

You may let yourself get roped into drama that’s little more than a distraction.

You may be so intent on creating joy for others that you neglect your own needs.

But I want to remind you that you have the power and resources to bring joy back into your life.

Maybe you don’t like your job. You can find moments of joy in what you do — by looking around, shifting your perspective, practicing gratitude, or focusing on a bigger why.

Perhaps things are tough in your business right now. You can experience moments of joy — no matter how fleeting, in creation and connection and deciding your next steps.

You can enjoy the moment. You can be IN joy.

To your success,

Laura