The Difference between Joy and Happiness

In a season where we say “Joy to the World” and “Happy Holidays”, is there a difference between joy and happiness?

If you read the definitions of each, on the surface, they seem to mean very similar things. I’m not really interested in the surface of things. I want to dig a little deeper and wax philosophically. After all, I chose to call it #25daysofjoy, not #25daysofhappiness.

At the heart of both terms is a feeling of pleasure or satisfaction. But how we come about those feelings are what differentiates the two terms.

Happiness is rooted in the external. I can feel happy because there was no traffic on the way to work or because someone gave me a thoughtful Christmas gift. In both of those examples, I can’t feel happiness without the outside influence.

Would I still be happy if my 10 minute commute took 2 hours? Probably not. If my gift gets lost or destroyed, will I still be happy?

Joy on the other hand is an internal manifestation. It exists inside you and it is something no one can take from you without permission. Joy is a choice we make in the face of daily stress.

What do I mean when I say you need to give someone permission to steal your joy?

Think of Christmas morning, gifts piled high under the tree. Think of your child, riding a two wheeled bike for the first time, how proud you were for them. Choose to smile the next time someone has 45 items in the 10 items or less line.

As you’re imagining those things, think, can someone steal that memory from a Christmas 10 years ago? Can they stop you from smiling? No, they can’t.

Joy manifests itself differently for each of us. And it is up to us to define what joy is to us.

Gifts can make us happy. Gifts can be lost, stolen, or destroyed. No one, however, can rob you of the feeling you had when you received it.