What is Joy?

What is it?? What is Joy? is it an emotion? a feeling? I think of joy as a feeling that you get when everything is working in synchronization with one another. It's a powerful place where the best of humanity is brought out. Maybe it's a point at the end of a long race. Maybe it's a wedding. Maybe it's doing what you love. Maybe it's a song that brings back good memories from a time past. (Snoop Dogg's "Beautiful" takes me back to my first real crush in middle school.) 


For many, joy is an idea that inspires one to reach and attain a goal. But if joy can be found simply through a song, what drives us to live? Why shouldn't we just put that song on repeat and float into a constant state of ecstasy?


Well, because joy isn't the end all be all. Unlike the movies, we don't just ride off into the sunset while the credits slowly scroll up the screen.  Joy is a moment, but there are so many other emotions and feelings we have that make joy, joy. It's the shadow that proves the sunshine. It's the struggle that sweetens the victory. It's the rain that leads the flower to bloom. 


So my friends, what am I getting at? Well, what I want you to see is that as much as we love the sweetness of  joy, we must also be thankful for those moments of progress, of tireless effort. Of working when you don't want to. Of mistakes and failure. Of trial and error. 


Because that's what makes Joy worth having.  


So my friends, I encourage you: focus on the end result. Focus on the joy you will feel. Focus on what will be when you're challenged with the tireless challenge of doing the small things every day. Because then you will fire the engines of your consistent persistence with the coals of joy; which will lead you to the great city of success.