Do we know the difference between joy and happiness?  Happiness is a feeling or condition of pleasure, but being happy depends on our surroundings, so many feel that happiness is fleeting.  I believe joy is a state of mind, an attitude towards how we live our lives.  Joy is being contented with life despite the circumstances because joy comes from Spirit. 

We all say we just want to be happy and many work hard to accomplish this.  But maybe we shouldn’t focus our energies on being happy.  Instead of self-satisfaction, think about committing to a different state of mind.  A joyful state of being is the alignment of the heart with Spirit. 

Joy is a short word but contains many things.  It’s hopeful, peaceful, kind, good, faithful, gentle, truthful, patient, and self-controlled.  The Bible says these are the fruit of the Spirit.  The results others see from us living a conscious life.  Joy is an enduring emotion of contentment seeped in overall well-being and hope.

Once we remember who we are, a spiritual being of light, we know that it always connects us to Source.  This understanding gives us confidence in our future. Despite any negative thoughts, the egoic mind uses to hold us back or the situations we find ourselves. 

Joy, the kind of happiness that doesn’t depend on what happens. ~ David Steindl-Rast

Why Aren’t We Joyful?

Suppose we don’t remember that we are spiritual beings of light, always connected to Spirit. In that case, we won’t be aware that joyfulness should be our natural state of mind.  This ignorance, this forgetfulness, is caused by the egoic mind. Our awakening to our authentic selves can overcome this lack of knowledge. 

False expectations based on flawed thinking can keep us joyless.  Whether it’s the beliefs of others that we need to unlearn or old defense mechanisms that are no longer working for us, we can correct faulty thinking allowing joyfulness to return to our lives. 

Being stuck in the egoic monkey mind will keep us sorrowful.  Worrying about the future or being depressed about the past, steals joy which can only be felt in the present moment.  The egoic mind cannot make us joyful, so we must be our authentic selves if we want joy in our daily lives. 

Find joy in everything you choose to do. Every job, relationship, home… It’s your responsibility to love it or change it. ~ Chuck Palahniuk

Is Joy Always with Us?

When we feel discouraged, we don’t have to lose our joy because it’s not dependent on our circumstances.  Joy is a spiritual quality we have within us because we are always connected to Spirit.  We can’t lose our connection; therefore, joy is always with us. 

When we become aware that we aren’t our thoughts and learn to reframe the negative stories we tell ourselves, we enable joy to arise from our connection to Spirit.

Our connectedness to Source allows the joy to transform and regenerate us.  It’s energy, a vibrational frequency that changes us.  We become more loving and harmonious beings, which others can see as we are shining our light. 

It’s through joy that we gain strength and power.  It’s sensed by others and gives testimony to our connection to Source and helps draw out the light in one another. 

Joy is the infallible sign of the presence of God. ~ Pierre de Chardin

Why Do We Feel Disconnected from Joy?

The primary way we disconnect from joy is when we close off to our authentic selves.  We allow the egoic mind to control our lives through fear.  We can see it disconnects us from our authenticity when we react from a place of anger or pridefulness instead of responding with love. 

Self-pity closes us up from our authentic selves.  I did this for years.  Because self-pity is all-consuming, it leaves no space in our lives for thankfulness, appreciation, or gratitude.  When we wallow, we cannot see positive things in our lives.  When we are in pain, we forget who we really are.  Being able to see the blessings all around us allows joy to be a part of our day to day living. 

Allowing negativity into our lives through social media and the entertainment industry inflates the egoic fears.  Remember, the ego cannot tell the difference between an actual event and an imagined one on television.  So, please pay attention to what we feed the egoic mind. 

Giving our power away to others is also a means of us losing our joy.  I allowed this to happen when I permitted others to affect my emotions and upset me.  Remember, we are responsible for how we feel.  If we allow someone to disturb our well-being, we have given them power over our emotional state.  Set personal boundaries and take back the power. 

When the mind is pure, joy follows like a shadow that never leaves.  ~ Buddha

What Are Some Ways to Increase Joyfulness?

Reflection and meditation are simple ways to increase joy in our lives.  Journaling about our enjoyment helps us to remember, appreciate, and acknowledge all the blessings we have.

Prayer is a pivotal way to increase our joyfulness.  It’s a conscious force that changes the current reality through its repetition.  The vibrational frequency of our prayer reaches Spirit.  And Spirt always responds at a higher frequency; thus, our vibrational frequency rises, increasing our enjoyment.

We experience joy when we are generous to the point of self-sacrifice or when we put another’s well-being above our own.  This type of giving of ourselves causes more than a happy feeling because the cost to us was worth the other person’s delight.  Through our service to others, we find pleasure.      

Spend time with Mother Nature enjoying creation.  Seeing natural wonders gives us pause as we acknowledge the intricacies that the Universe gives its care and concern.  Take a moment each day to look at the beauty that is around us. 

Joy blooms where minds and hearts are open. ~ Jonathan Lockwood Huie

What are the Benefits of Joy?

Our joyfulness allows us to be the light of inspiration for others.  It gives us wisdom because of our direct link with the wisdom of the Universe. As our light gives others wisdom, we can help one another grow and expand our souls. 

Joy has healing powers.  It has the ability to consume the pain from our lives completely.  And it does it from the inside out through our awareness and gratitude. This curative ability is how people who have a joyful state of being allow others’ hurts to roll away without causing harm. They see the other’s pain and recognize that the other is unaware and, therefore, can forgive easily.  

With joy comes internal peace from the knowledge that it connects us to Source. Therefore, the Universe is on our side and is conspiring for our good.  Therefore, all our experiences, those the egoic mind defines as good or bad, are meant for our growth.

When you do things from your soul, you feel a river moving in you, a joy. ~ Rumi

Moving Forward as Joyful Beings

Our authentic selves recognize its eternal connection to Spirit.  It knows that when we act from our hearts, our soulful beings, we can easily maintain a joyful state of mind. This joyfulness is our natural state.  If we aren’t joyful, then we need to determine why we’ve disconnected from our authentic selves.  Once we are realigned with our authenticity, our joy returns.

Joy gives us wings! In times of joy, our strength is more vital, our intellect keener, and our understanding less clouded. We seem better able to cope with the world and to find our sphere of usefulness. ~ Abdul-Bahá

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Do you need support to help you live your life with a joyful state of mind?  Do you want a strategy to help you overcome the ego’s limiting beliefs and live a successful life? If so, please contact me, and we can put together an action plan for you to create the life you desire.

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Summary

Article Name

The Source of All Joy is Spirit

Description

Joy differs from happiness. Joy comes from Spirit; therefore, it's not related to the circumstances in which we find ourselves.

Author

Terri Kozlowski

Publisher Name

Kozmic Soul Solutions LLC

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