Happiness is an ego based feeling of fulfillment driven by external forces. Joy is love soaked in gratitude that emanates from the soul.
So many of us long to be happy in our lives. And most of us chase this goal through the lens of our ego which can never be satisfied. This quest can be like diving into a black hole. We are driven to pursue things that will make us happy: if we can just get to this point in our life financially, if we can just have this kind of house or car or job or relationship, then everything will be OK and I will be happy. The list is endless, and our society does a great job of creating all kinds of ways for us to be "happy". Most of these things are distractions designed to keep us in our juvenile ego mind. But ultimately, if we are not happy inside, no amount of external abundance will create true happiness or genuine joy.
Awakening the greater Self within and seeking to live out the original agreement of the soul is our deepest responsibility as well as the essential longing behind all the quests of life. Either we follow the dream or we take up residence in the village where people keep forgetting what life is all about. Denial of the longings of the soul and the natural nobility of the inner life generates the hidden poisons that endanger the essential joy and exuberance of life. An un-lived life becomes a greater and greater inner shadow that eventually blocks one’s basic vitality.
When I think of the times in my life when I felt truly joyful the feelings that arise are a surrendering in my core and a sense of inner tranquility and peace that has very little to do with the outside world. So how do we cultivate this inner tranquility that is true joy? It is a lifelong practice of intention and awareness -- a kind of ripening -- paying attention to our body and how we feel. One way of doing this is through meditation. When we are quiet and still, this invites something beyond our ego mind. Our inner wisdom has room to come forth!
If we can find a place of tender stillness within ourselves, joy naturally emerges. But letting go of our thoughts is not easy. It takes practice and perseverance. What stories do you need to let go of that keep you from experiencing joy? What would you have to give up in order to make room for joy in your life? Are you willing to disappoint others in order to honor yourself?