Category: Joy

How Can We Spread Goodwill From The Holidays To The Rest Of The Year?

Around the holidays, there is an increased interest in kindness, love, and generosity. Why should this be limited to just part of the year?

There are many examples of the spirit of the holidays being a positive one.

Thanksgiving itself exists as a holiday to be thankful for what you have. In many families, a tradition of taking turns talking about things you are grateful for exists. The number of people volunteering at soup kitchens skyrockets.

Immediately after Thanksgiving are the commercial-centric Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday, but that is followed up with Giving Tuesday, a day specifically designated for charitable giving.

And, of course, the Christmas holiday itself is centered around giving. Some people leave a little something for their postal carrier. Parents will give gift cards to their children’s teachers, tutors, or coaches. Hair stylists, house cleaners, neighbors, friends, family members might all be on the receiving end of gifts of one kind or another.

More cookies are baked in December than at any other time of year. And most of those are given away, or taken to parties.

This is all wonderful, of course. It is part of the reason why so many people find this time of year magical. However, wouldn’t it be nice if people behaved this way all year long?

All this gift giving is expensive, and most people can’t afford to maintain that for 12 months. In fact, some can’t even afford to do it for one month, and go into debt.

But the spirit of giving thanks, showing your affection, and communicating with loved ones could happen all year long. How can we make that happen in our own lives?

Related questions: Why do we give gifts? What does it mean to be thankful? How can we maintain wonder?

What Brought You The Most Enjoyment This Year?

As the year comes to a close, it is common to look back at the high points. What brought you the most enjoyment this year?

This last year (like any year) had some difficult moments. Ongoing wars, complete with atrocities, were hard to watch, yet equally difficult to look away from. The presidential election seemed to drag on forever. Natural disasters happened with alarming regularity. And so on.

When so many negative things happen, it can be tempting to focus solely on them. It was a bad year, you might say, because so many bad things happened.

However, that approach is short-sighted. While it is true that many bad things occurred, it is also true that many good things happened as well. Over the course of an entire year, it has to be the case that many things, good and bad, are bound to happen.

And remembering the good things is important! Even if — and maybe especially if — more bad things than good happen, it is necessary to remind yourself that there is good in the world.

Next year will be filled with both good and bad things, too. It very well may be the case that there will be more bad than good then, as well. In order to withstand an onslaught of bad news, a positive outlook, filled with hope, is essential. An excellent way to get a positive outlook is to think back on all the good things that happened.

With that in mind, what are your personal high points? What were our collective high points? What brought you the most enjoyment this year?

Related questions: Are you worried about the coming year? What news from the last year made you optimistic? Why don’t you know what makes you happy? Optimistic or pessimistic?

 

How Does Your Pet Bring You Joy?

Pets can bring great happiness to their companions — this is one of the great benefits of having a pet, in fact. If you have a pet, how does she or he bring you joy?

Share why if you wish.

What Brings You The Most Joy?

There are many things that can motivate you: fear, hope, anger, desire. One of the more overlooked emotions is joy. What brings you the most joy?

Negative emotions can be channeled into positive action. For example, if you are afraid of losing your job, you might try to impress the people you work for and with.

Listen to a podcast where Michael and Lee discuss the related question: ‘How can we maintain wonder?’ We also discuss a bonus question: ‘How do you think others see you?’

However, positive emotions are very valuable as well. Experiencing joy can be exhilarating, and the desire to recapture that feeling can be very powerful.

In order to have a repeat experience, however, it helps to know just what, exactly, brings you joy.

Can you think of times in your life when you have felt joyous? What did those moments have in common? And what might you do in order to feel that way again?

Related questions: How can we increase joy? How can you take joy from joyless tasks? What makes you the happiest?

How Can We Increase Joy?

Sometimes it feels like there is a decided lack of joy in the world today. Between an increasingly divided world and an ever-growing number of dangers, life can be sad.

And yet, there is joy to be had, even in the most dire of situations.

We need jubilation. It keeps us going when our emotional batteries are drained. It can remind us of the good things in life worth fighting for. Happiness makes learning easier, and it makes hard times more bearable.

Luckily, happiness is infectious. One person feeling joyfulness can share it with someone else, and it can bring a smile to both of their faces. A laugh shared is a laugh magnified. And sharing doesn’t in any way diminish the overall amount: joy is not zero-sum.

What is the best way to find delight, and then to share it with those around us? Can we make it ourselves? How can we increase joy?

Related questions: How can we maintain wonder? How can we appreciate life more? Is happiness the most important purpose of life? How can you take joy from joyless tasks?