Author: Akina Chargualaf / Source: Lifehack
What do you want most in life?
We’ve all been asked this particular question on multiple occasions. For many of us, the answer is simple – to live a happy life. We want to achieve happiness, and although the outlook of happiness is different for every one of us, that striking emotion still stays the same.
But why don’t we ever answer – to live a joyful life? Or to be joyful.
Although the terms happiness and joy are both very similar and may fall under the same category, they both spark different emotions for everyone. The words themselves weigh differently and bring an awareness to our consciousness depending on our situations.
Joy vs Happiness — What’s the Difference?
According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary definition of joy and happiness:[1]
Joy is the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune or by the prospect of possessing what one desires.
Happiness is a state of well-being and contentment; a pleasurable or satisfying experience.
Keep in mind, although this is the dictionary definition, we have the openness to determine what happiness and joy personally mean in our lives.
Joy is an emotion. It’s a simple and light-hearted spark that transcends through your body and leaves feeling good vibrations. It carries no burden or expectations.
Happiness – also an emotion – is usually accompanied with an attachment to an idea, a destination or experience. As a result, it tends to weigh profoundly heavier on our subconscious. Usually when we don’t meet these set expectations, it effects our happiness in the different areas of our lives.
There are many ways to look at happiness and joy and how we can achieve both in our lifetime. But first, let’s take it back by honing into our life’s work — also known as our purpose.
Anchoring our Purpose
We’re meant to have multiple purposes in our lives and not just one. We find our purpose through our passions and the things that make us feel alive.
As we continue to gain experience in our careers, relationships, partnerships, and living day-by-day, our purpose may begin to change. It may shift towards a completely different direction, but the anchor that keeps us in alignment with our values is the key to understanding what makes us happy.
With that said, here are the many ways to look at both happiness and joy, and how they both intertwine in our lives.
Ways of Looking at Happiness And Joy
1. Happiness Is a Destination; Joy Is an Attitude.
Take a moment and envision the life you desire.
That vision is a destination.
Are freedom and travel a considerable component of your vision? Or is it the stability and the comfort of being surrounded by your loved ones? Your vision may be of living in a cozy cottage surrounded by a luscious green yard in Europe or working for a Fortune 500 company in New York City.
Whatever your vision may be – don’t ignore it. Your vision is a destination, and the destination is the key to understanding your happy place and how to continue forward with that vision in mind.
One way to look at happiness vs. joy is visualizing happiness as the end-goal or destination whereas joy is the milestones that lead to the end-goal.
Joy, on the other hand, is light-hearted and simple. It comes and passes through without the heaviness of it being a “final destination” because joy is an attitude.
2. Happiness and Joy Go Hand in Hand.
Happiness is like rising bubbles — delightful…
The post Joy Vs Happiness: What’s the Difference and Can We Achieve Both? appeared first on FeedBox.