Forget happiness–gimme JOY!

You are in for a treat today!  Amanda Fall of Persistent Green is here to offer us her take on Joy, on her Birthday no less!! So please do take the time to stop by her place to wish her a most marvelous day, that is after you read her excellent post here!

Move over happiness, JOY has come to town!

Being happy is great.

Nobody will argue with that, right? Who doesn’t love to have a big ol’ cheesy grin on her face and a skip in her step? Happiness is awesome!

But here’s the catch: happiness goes away. It’s happenstance. Circumstance. Chance. Something great happened; you’re happy. Something awful? Not so much.

Joy is a state of mind

Who wants to leave her emotions up to the whims of life? Don’t you want to choose them instead? Me too. That’s why I’m such a sucker for joy. Ahhh . . . joy, not happiness. Joy is a state of mind—of heart and soul and all those warm-fuzzy feel-goods—not of circumstances. Joy is determined. Joy hangs in there. Joy sticks around even when you lose your car keys and spill coffee on your favorite shirt and fail like nobody’s ever failed before.

‘Cause joy? Joy finds the good in everything. Unfailingly. Joy realizes that maybe losing your keys encouraged you to tie on some sneakers and walk instead, soaking up sunshine and fresh air. Joy remembers that even your favorite shirt is just a shirt, just threads and stitches, and at least you’re healthy and alive and blessed enough to have another shirt to put on. Joy takes a deep breath after failing and sees that at least you tried—and you’re one step closer to success.

See the difference? I’m not talking about being Pollyanna. Or naïve. Or annoyingly perky (well, maybe). Nope, just this: consciously choosing to find the good. In everything.

So you wanna choose joy—but how?

Okay, great, so you’re on board. Fabulous. But HOW? How do we choose joy, when life often feels like it’s always-coming-at-us-and-there-isn’t-even-time-to-breathe? How, when endless to-do lists call our names? How, when something else always gets first priority?

Well, friends, there’s the key: Priority. WE have to choose. WE have to decide what gets top priority in our lives.

I know. It’s tough. If you’ve got a kid crying or dinner’s burning or Boss is yelling at you RIGHT NOW, it’s awfully hard to find time for joy. Or to even care. What difference would joy make?

Every difference. Every difference in the world. Joy is the key to everything—finding peace, feeling fulfilled, being able to bounce back from anything life throws your way. If we can be joyful, can’t we do anything?

All day, every day

The trick, then, is preventative joy. Fill up on your joy quotient BEFORE those dire circumstances hit. Don’t let joy slip so far out of your grasp that you become strangers. We need to constantly check in with joy, make friends with it, say hello, spend time together.

All day. Every day.

How? Little moments. Little choices. Little things. Five minutes sitting outside. Two minutes every few hours, jotting down blessings in a gratitude journal. One minute, sending a loving text to a friend. Thirty seconds taking a deep breath.

Will these “littles” really bring joy? You bet. Will they add up to something big? You bet! You know how, when you’re having a bad day, one little irritant can send you over the edge? Well, guess what—one little joy can keep you sane.

Are you with me? Today, let’s choose joy. Keep it small—manageable—frequent. Need help remembering? Check out my colorful free e-book, “Today I Will: a joy checklist,” which tells our everyday to-do lists to move over and make room for joy.

Remember, happiness is great . . . but it’s fleeting. Joy, when cultivated as a daily bliss habit, can and will transform our lives.

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Thank you Amanda!

When she is not celebrating her birthday by writing guest posts for other blogs,  Amanda Fall of Persistent Green is a woman on a mission to find beauty, wonder and gratitude in the mundane.

Move over, to-do lists; it’s time to make room for joy. Her new eBook, “Today I Will: a joy checklist” is free when you sign up for the Persistent Green mailing list (no e-reader required).

Persistent Green art challenges you to find beauty and meaning in the minutiae of everyday life. Browse her Etsy shop or visit her blog (including three weekly features to inspire and uplift). Come color your life with Persistent Green!