Happiness vs Joy: What Is The Difference & Why Does It Matter?
What exactly is the difference between joy and happiness?
Here are their actual definitions:
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.
Joy is an emotion. Joy comes from deep inside. It is not conditional on anyone or anything. Joy comes when you make peace with who you are and begin living your truth. Joy is a choice.
Happiness is also an emotion but it stems from things that are external. It is based on situations, people, places, things, events, and thoughts. Happiness happens to us, it is not a choice we make.
When happiness is present in our lives it is amazing and all encompassing. However, happiness is fleeting, temporary. It can be present for long periods of time and then it just disappears. It often leaves us saying things like, “If I just have x (name anything you think will make you happy), then I will be happy.
Why does it matter that we know the difference between the two?
When we are going through difficult times we often focus on the fact that we don’t feel happy. It can get overwhelming and actually make us feel worse. It is often difficulty to feel happiness during difficult times like we are currently experiencing. It is easier to feel joy. Joy can be a constant if you choose it.
We can find more joy in our lives if we start by appreciating the little things in our lives. This is known as practicing gratitude. It can start with little things like, I am grateful that I woke up this morning, I am grateful that I have running water, my health, my dog, my car. It doesn’t matter what you are grateful for, you just have to acknowledge it. As you continue to find things to be grateful for, it will be easier to see the joy in your everyday life. As Russell M. Nelson says, “The joy we feel has little to do with the circumstances of our lives and everything to do with the focus of our lives.”
Let me know in the comments how you are going to cultivate joy in your life.