Being Human

What is joy?

/ EtreAnne / Leave a comment

(n) : the emotion of great delight or happiness caused by something exceptionally good or satisfying;

: keen pleasure, elation;

: a source of keen pleasure or delight;

: something, or someone, greatly appreciated or valued …

With a definition of ‘happiness’ comes pleasure, contentment and joy. So pleasure, contentment and joy  are subsumed by the umbrella of happiness.

There is an element of the ‘extra’ in joy.

‘Joy’ is reliant, I think, on the unexpected element.

How does one ‘find’ an emotion that comes only from the existence of something that was not imagined?

Is it even possible to investigate what brings joy?

It starts with a goal.

/ EtreAnne / Leave a comment

We all know that yes?

Every article offering “Top Ten Tips” / “Daily Rituals to Be Your Best You” / “Weekly Habits of Successful People” / “Life Hacks” tell me that first, I need to set a goal.

So – why am I writing:

To discover what brings me joy.

It is simple. It is also a little selfish. It is a goal that I am not sure anyone else will be interested in.

A goal that may not even need to be written about.

So … why write it down? Why not just experiment and find out what fits?

Because I want to capture the journey. I want to remember learnings.

I also want to write.

And I want to share. Because, maybe, there are some people like me, who want more joy in their lives … and want ideas on how to invite it in.

And why ‘joy’?

Well, happiness has been done.

… laughing …

And, after reading the books and doing the exercises and dabbling in the neuroscience and chemistry, there is a possibility that the ‘happiness’ goal is not something that I will ever realise.  Or, even if I do – may take a while.

And I would like a little respite on the journey. The life equivalent of a sugar-fuelled high.

I would like more moments of ‘joy’; I would like us to become better friends.

This blog will serve as a map to how I worked it out.