It is getting harder and harder to find joy! There is a distinct difference…as I am sure you are aware…between happiness and joy! Happiness is the fleeting feeling that comes with the endorphin rush. You buy a new purse, you get a high mark on a test you studied for, you see a movie that leaves you with a positive feeling afterward. Joy runs deeper. It is in your bones. Joy lasts even when happiness has subsided. Joy is what we search for on a daily basis and often times confuse with happiness. There is reason the character in Disney’s “Inside Out” is named “Joy” and not “Happiness.” It was intentional.

When you search the difference between happiness and joy, the Google AI returns this: Happiness is a positive emotion often tied to external events and circumstances, making it temporary and situational. (Look back at the examples above. They are all fleeting moments) Joy is a deeper, more enduring internal states of contentment and deep satisfaction that is less dependent on outward conditions and can persist even during difficult times.

How do you find joy? Do you actively look for it in your everyday life? Or are you confusing those fleeting moments of happiness as joy? It is difficult to discern the two. It is even more difficult to intentionally find the joy in the everyday mundane aspects of life, but believe me they are there. A leaf falling from a tree as it glides slowly to the ground. A sunset bursting with colors that radiate through the sky. The first laugh of a newborn baby. The smell of that first cup of coffee in the morning. All these are examples of things myself and people dear to me find joy in. These experiences hit in a place that it deep seated, almost visceral. There is not always an endorphin rush or synapse firing in the brain. It is just contentment. A peaceful, internal feeling that can be hard to describe to someone who has not found their joy.

For me, I find the most joy in bringing others joy. I am an empath, sometimes I feel I have too much empathy, if there is such a thing. It hurts me physically to see others people in pain, emotional or otherwise. Even if it has nothing to do with me, or if they are a complete stranger. I have a guttural reaction when I see someone that does not have joy in their life, or are suffering in any way. Everyone deserves joy! I cannot stand seeing fake smiles. You know the ones. Where the cheeks aren’t fully puffed up and the corners of the mouth do not quite reach the eyes. If you do not have crows feet and laugh lines when you get old, you did not have enough joy in your life. #sorrynotsorry

My family and I just relocated to Florida in June (See my last blog post from June 27) and it is a transition!!! I work to find the joy in each day, and help my family do the same. However, each day it gets harder. I feel like I have to push harder to help some of them find their joy, while at the same sacrificing my joy.

I have decided to start a YouTube Podcast and TikTok that focuses on finding joy in the every day moments in life. The small things that are right in front of you that may not always see. My hope is that as I help others find their joy, I will find mine again.