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Are you Pursuing Happiness or Joy?
By Connie Ragen Green
I have been thinking quite a
bit about the idea of pursuing happiness instead of joy. As we celebrate
the independence of America this month on July 4th, I have reflected on
the words of the founding fathers as they wrote about this in the
Declaration of Independence. In this document, written during June of
1776, it is stated that every man is endowed by their Creator with
certain unalienable rights, among these life, liberty and the pursuit of
happiness.
As you live your life with passion are you pursuing happiness or joy?
These may seem like similar, or even identical, pursuits but on closer
inspection they are far apart in meaning and application.
Happiness can be described as a state of enjoyment and satisfaction. You
experience happiness when something from an outer source turns out in
such a way that you can have what you want. Happiness can be achieved
when you buy a new car, receive a gift you like, or when you have an
opportunity to do something you have been wanting to do. This feeling is
generally the result of actions outside of your control. For this
reason, happiness is fleeting and may not last longer than the time it
takes to receive the physical item.
On the other hand, joy can be described as a feeling of well-being. It
comes from a place deep inside of us that may be thought of as our
Source. Joy is based on the premise that you create your own life
experience and that all of us are responsible for the results we achieve
in our lives. Whereas happiness can be taken from us by other people,
situations, or circumstances, we own the joy that we feel and it can
never be taken from us unless we choose to give it away.
When you can truly feel joyous it will not matter what kind of car you
drive or how much money is in your bank account. However, when you are
able to finally experience and feel joy on this deeper level these
things will come to you much more easily than you ever thought they
would.
Imagine your life exactly as you would like it to be, with all of the
health, wealth, prosperity and people that you would choose to surround
yourself with. If you desired a new material thing, a change in your
environment, a healthier physical condition, or for the right new person
to show up in your life it would happen almost as quickly as you could
imagine it in your mind. That is the joy I am speaking of here and
hopefully you can see how much greater in dimension that is compared
with happiness.
As you go through your day ask yourself whether what you are doing will
bring you some temporary happiness or whether it will lead to joy in
your life. Joy will come from doing things that you are passionate about
and things that you look forward to experiencing. If you are waiting for
the weekend to do something you enjoy you are settling for happiness; if
you are eager and excited to live each moment of every day you are on
the road to joy. By continuing to have new thoughts and experiences you
are growing in the direction of joy.
Although the Declaration of Independence may give you permission to
pursue happiness, you do not need a document or anyone’s approval to
pursue a lifetime of joy. Create your own life experience, think about
what you are passionate about, and you will be surrounded with joy.
Connie Ragen Green ~
www.ReinventYourLifeWithPassion.com
www.SmallBusinessUnMarketing.com
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