What's all this about Joy? Part One
This is the first part of an exploration about the theme of Joy in Angela’s work.
It seems like Joy has been a theme in your work recently?
Yes, since about the beginning of 2008, the readings have been raising the concept of Joy more and more. Firstly, to extend an invitation to us to commit to our Joy and secondly, to provide some insight and practical suggestions about what that means and how to do it. And that order is important! Normally, we want to completely understand something before we commit to it, but I’ve learnt that permission for something needs to come before any real kind of understanding and experience of it.
Let’s explore those in order then – what does it mean to ‘commit to my Joy’?
It’s a choice to make the purpose of your existence about Joy, as
opposed to making it about success, obligation, relationships, service
or even growth.
It’s a radical invitation because it profoundly affects how you navigate
your way through the big and small choices of your life. Committing to
your joy means taking the risk to live only for your joy, and knowing
that only you are responsible for the realization of that.
‘Living only for my Joy’ sounds at best frivolous and at worst utterly selfish.
I recognize and respect that the notion brings up huge resistance in many people – from those two perspectives and from others. That’s why I dare to call the invitation radical. If you’ll bear with me, allow me to respond to the two concerns you raise. Though I have no need to convince you of anything nor to ‘convert’ you to this way of being. It has never been spoken of as something obligatory (there is no such directive ever from divinity) and I urge you only to consider this if it rings true…and of course if it contributes to your joy!
Imagine a world where every human being took full responsibility for their own joy, never expecting that any other person or system or religion or government would do so for them. Imagine that you were taught to respect and identify your Joy and supported in your quest to bring your joy into being. Do you think there would be more creativity, production, wellness, harmony in that kind of world, or less? Is that frivolous? Do you think the ‘takers’ in our world - the ones who grab, steal and hurt - are full of Joy or empty of it? My realization has been that if you are not committing to your joy then inevitably you will have an expectation – consciously or not – that someone or something must provide you with that, whether it’s your spouse or your children or your leaders or ‘more privileged’ people - and that is selfish.
Do you think it was selfish of Van Gogh to commit so passionately to creating what brought him joy, even if that wasn’t welcomed or understood at the time? Was Mozart selfish? Tiger Woods? The reason we afford these people the permission to live solely for their joy is because we can recognize their genius. If we recognized our own genius would we give ourselves the same permission?
I can get my mind around that, but what about helping others, being of service?
Service is not a replacement for Joy, it is a natural and inevitable by-product of Joy.
It is impossible for you not to deeply affect the lives of other
people when you are living your deepest Joy. It spills over! Firstly,
because you will be bringing into the world a creation or a product or a
service or a self that is high vibrational (anything created from joy or
love is high vibrational) and secondly because you will be radiating
energy, wellbeing, passion and playfulness, which quietly invites all
whom you touch to choose the same.
That is service! We do not serve others by doing for them what they can
do for themselves or by trying to take care of their joy – we serve
others by inviting them into their fullest selves purely because we make
it seem like so much fun.
I used to have a deep intention to serve the world, and as a result spent years working in NGOs and development-oriented organizations where I wasn’t having all that much fun nor being well taken care of nor using all the academic and other talents I have. Of course, it didn’t work and I got continually sick and found many other ways, too, to duck and dive out of full commitment. Not because those organizations are ‘wrong’, but because it wasn’t really, authentically, my Joy. I eventually gave up my (second) Masters degree, as well as my career in social service (of various kinds) and started to involve myself with what I really love. Now I am serving far more people than before, and I am very well rewarded for it, in all ways. That’s the kind of service that really works and is sustainable.
What are the implications of committing to my joy?
The implications are huge! Essentially, you will be navigating through your life using Joy as your compass – not service or habit or success or spiritual growth or approval or social norms. It’s not that these things are not allowed – it’s just that they should follow joy and not eclipse it. When you navigate with Joy, you will naturally be growing, naturally be of service and naturally be living a purposeful life.
Not that committing to your Joy means taking the easy road – it doesn’t! Your desires are programmed in such a way as to require you to step up (your courage, your risk-taking, your surrender etc) in order to follow them. It would be worth talking about what Joy is and isn’t in another question.
To be continued...
To find out what your top 8 Joys are, and how you can start to live towards them, book on Angela's JoyMap workshop.
For more updated articles written by Angela please visit her blog here.
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