Living a Joyful Life
Unlike happiness, delight, awe, and other positive emotions, joy requires us to define a set of morals and values that orient us toward respect and responsibility to others.
Experts in the study of joy believe that joy results from a life well-lived—that is, a life full of meaningful accomplishments, personal growth, excellence, and virtue. A 2014 study of the opinions of leading psychologists concluded that a commonality in their research was that joy is the fulfillment of a desire critical to one’s thriving.
Joy Motivates and Directs Our Behavior
From an evolutionary perspective, emotions like joy were developed to help our early ancestors survive, i.e., living in close social settings vs. living alone. However, today, joy orients us toward thriving. The action-preparedness aspect of joy can align and direct us toward what matters. For example, joy prompts the urge to play, push limits, be creative, and seek contact with others. These tendencies reinforce learning, self-regulation, social engagement, and meaning making, which are necessary to direct us toward purposeful pursuits and thriving. Joy comes from thinking, feeling, and doing what matters most and is ultimately correct.
Joy and Goal Attainment
Studies point out that many people experience joy through goal attainment. This is because joy propels us toward attainment. After all, it gives us energy, pushes us beyond our perceived limits, and opens us up to new experiences. In this way, joy rewards us for our actions. Joy signals what is significant and motivates us toward life-affirming relationships and activities. In this way, joy guides us toward what matters by providing positive feelings that prepare us to act.
In summary, joy motivates and guides us in our career choices. It provides a visceral experience that activates and enables us to make life-giving and transformative decisions. Joy increases our capacity for creativity, imagination, and connection. It helps us be less anxious and more tolerant. When we reflect on and act in ways that enable joy, we can identify sources of joy in our lives and then intentionally pursue joy.
As we approach a new year, it is time to make changes to maximize our opportunities for personal growth for the greater good.
