Quotes About Joy

That when we surrender our own joy to make those in pain feel less alone or to make ourselves feel less guilty or seem more committed, we deplete ourselves of what it takes to feel fully alive and fueled by purpose.

What is the one thing that people who can fully lean into joy have in common? Gratitude. They practice gratitude. It's not an "attitude of gratitude"—it's an actual practice. They keep a journal, or make a note of what they're grateful for on their phones, or share it with family members.

Ordinarily, when we reach out and share ourselves--our fears, hopes, struggles, and joy--we create small sparks of connection. Our shared vulnerability creates light in normally dark places.

Vulnerability is the birthplace of love, belonging, joy, courage, empathy, and creativity. It is the source of hope, empathy, accountability, and authenticity.

To let ourselves sink into the joyful moments of our lives even though we know that they are fleeting, even though the world tells us not to be too happy lest we invite disaster—that's an intense form of vulnerability.

In the case of "schadenfreude," it simply means pleasure or joy derived from someone else's suffering or misfortune.

Why do we insist on dress-rehearsing tragedy in moments of deep joy? Because joy is the most vulnerable emotion we feel. And that's saying something, given that I study fear and shame.

especially when the joy is so intense that we're afraid to let ourselves feel it.

vulnerability—the willingness to show up and be seen with no guarantee of outcome—is the only path to more love, belonging, and joy.

The research has taught me that happiness and joy are different experiences.

Both experiences come and go. Happiness is attached to external situations and events and seems to ebb and flow as those circumstances come and go. Joy seems to be constantly tethered to our hearts by spirit and gratitude. But our actual experiences of joy—these intense feelings of deep spiritual connection and pleasure—seize us in a very vulnerable way.

Authenticity demands wholehearted living and loving—even when it's hard, even when we're wrestling with the shame and fear of not being good enough, and especially when the joy is so intense that we're afraid to let ourselves feel it.

Numbing or taking the edge off doesn't have the same consequences as addiction, but they are nonetheless severe and life-altering for one reason: We cannot selectively numb emotion. If we numb the dark, we numb the light. If we take the edge off pain and discomfort, we are, by default, taking the edge off joy, love, belonging, and the other emotions that give meaning to our lives.

When someone else is suffering and we feel joy, there is decreased activity in the area of the brain that processes empathy and increased activity in the reward centers.

As Stuart Brown says, "The opposite of play is not work—the opposite of play is depression.

Playing down the exciting stuff doesn't take the pain away when it doesn't happen. It does, however, minimize the joy when it does happen.

But here's the dilemma: Why is "how-to" so alluring when, truthfully, we already know "how to" yet we're still standing in the same place longing for more joy, connection, and meaning?

Without exception, every person I interviewed who described living a joyful life or who described themselves as joyful actively practiced gratitude and attributed their joyfulness to their gratitude practice.

When we compared our dream list to our "joy and meaning" list, we realized that by merely letting go of the list of things we want to accomplish and acquire, we would be actually living our dream—not striving to make it happen in the future, but living it right now. The things we were working toward did nothing in terms of making our life fuller.

Anne Lamott, whom I once heard say, "Laughter is a bubbly, effervescent form of holiness." Amen!

I learned about the inextricable connection between joy and gratitude, and how things that I take for granted, like rest and play, are as vital to our health as nutrition and exercise.

the willingness to show up and be seen with no guarantee of outcome—is the only path to more love, belonging, and joy. He

I measure the spiritual health of our family by how much dancing is happening in the kitchen.

in the midst of all of these struggles, they have developed practices that enable them to hold on to the belief that they are worthy of love, belonging, and even joy.