Joy is a choice

Joy is a short but powerful word – one of the greatest gifts of life. Without it, everything else in life feels dull. But what it means and how we experience it is different for everyone. It can be laughter. It can be a moment in your life. But it isn’t something that just happens to you. It isn’t something you can chase or find. It’s something that’s created. Joy is a choice, purposefully made.

Most people can think of plenty of reasons not to be joyful. We’re more committed to forcing our lives to be a certain way than we are to happiness. We think that when we get married or have a family or get our dream job, we’ll be happy. Our entire society is built around this way of thinking. But the truth is that we can give ourselves the gift of joy right now. As Sage Robbins says in this podcast, “Happiness is when we drop the expectation that life ‘should’ be different than what it’s offering us.”

How can we both embrace and create joy and happiness? How can you find your light? Realize that you don’t need a reason to be happy. You must make the decision to be joyful, happy, to find the good. Adopt an abundance mindset. Be present. In this episode, we share the stories of two women with different ways of creating and sharing joy who have both made a massive impact on others.

Muriel Klein was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease in 2016. The number one negative emotion people with Alzheimer’s struggle with is fear. Muriel was afraid. She was lonely. And she had no idea what the future held. But when her daughter Dani hired a comedian to work regularly with her, her quality of life improved dramatically. Now Dani and a team of comedians are bringing this experience to others with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.

You’ll hear Dani’s story of how laughter helps create joy for these patients – and the incredible effect that sharing the gift of joy has on the comedians themselves. Comedian Michael Piper-Younie says, “The level of joy that laughter brings … is beyond something you can even imagine.” It reignites their minds and hearts. It keeps them going. That’s the power of the gift of joy.

Whether through comedy or other arts, for many people around the world, joy is created through expression. As Tony says, “True joy comes from being and expressing who you really are.” The best form of expression is often through music. Roz Clark understands this.

Roz is an opera singer that is providing classical performance opportunities to children in underserved communities – and helping others heal, connect, and experience joy through music. She says, “What I really believe is that the arts heal. We can create hope and healing through the arts.”

You too can find your light and begin to live a life filled with joy and happiness.