Happiness vs. joy

The Daily Drip

"I'm not sure that my goal is to be happy. I think my goal is to be useful to the planet."

Yes. I actually said this to someone this past week.

"But won't achieving that goal make you feel happy?"

Yes, maybe. But that happiness is closed to one moment, not spread out across a lifetime.

There's a kind of happiness that peaks in the moment. Let's call it joy.

There's another kind of happiness that sits in the background of your mind and gut, and you look back on it when you pick your head up from your work. It can unlock clarity and purpose. It helps you reflect and manage your mood.

Let's just call that happiness to keep this simple. Do you have it?

For me, if I find myself losing my grip on happiness, I use a tool called gratitude to reactivate it.

Are you happy?

How might you change your perspective, framing, or attitude to alter your state or motivate yourself to change your environment?