Joy is an inside happening. Unlike pleasures, joy emanates from within. Thus, it takes only yourself to be joyful. Joy is a product of love; when you are with someone you love or doing something you love, you get joyful. Shouldn’t you love everyone and everything?
Anyone who has experienced true joy will probably choose joy over everything else because it comes from love. Joy should not be dependent on people or situations. Joy is always there if you want to focus on it. There are innumerable things and billions of people you can choose to love at any moment. Your task is to ensure that you do not let your mind distract you from the beauty of life.
I was supposed to travel to the United States on August 2, 2020, but I am still in Ghana due to the pandemic. I know I have no control over the situation at hand because it is totally exogenous. However, I know I have 100% control of what goes on inside me. In view of this, I chose not to focus on the disappointment of not getting to travel as expected but focus on the things I love instead.
Perspectives & Listening
Gratitude can largely contribute to your joy and overall wellbeing. Simply appreciating the fact that you are alive can make you joyful. I have made it a practice to be joyful at all times regardless of what is going on because I know each moment adds up to my past which is essentially my history. This means that if I make it a must to be joyful today, I will look back to this day tomorrow and it will be full of joy. It applies to weeks, months, years, and my whole lifetime.
Whatever you are seeking to achieve in this world, you want to do so because you believe it will bring you joy. Honestly, goals are endless. Thus, if you are waiting to achieve something before you become joyful, you are always going to go on a hiatus until you achieve the next goal. Meanwhile, you can always be joyful and be achieving your goals. Being joyful actually helps you achieve your goals faster because you are riding on a positive energy.
It takes nothing and no one but yourself to be joyful. Why then aren’t we joyful at all times? My next article would be about how you can gain some sort of control over your feelings. I do not think anyone will choose sadness, anger, agony, or depression over joy or love if they know they have that choice. The good news is that you do!