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My Goal In Life Isn’t To Be Happy

Learning to Choose Joy

Daisy Pyle

Dec 03, 2017

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You read the title correct, my end goal of my life is not to be happy. “That’s crazy! Don’t you want to be happy?” you may ask. What if I told you I experience something better than happiness and that is joy. Happiness is a temporary emotion we all experience at certain times. Right now Christmas trees are making us happy as we look forward to Christmas this year. After Christmas, the Christmas tree goes away and that source of happiness is gone. Joy is different. We can experience joy everyday if we choose to. Joy is a choice and a gift.

Each day as we wake up we most likely think about what we have to do for the day and some days can be overwhelming. In these moments we need to calm down, count our blessings, and choose joy that morning. Not happiness, but joy. Tell yourself no matter what the day brings everything will be okay and remember the blessings in your life. In my own life I remind myself Jesus is in control of my life and is always with me. Jesus is my source of joy. A part of choosing joy is choosing to follow Him daily. Joy is given to us from Jesus. He is the source of all joy.

I like to think of joy as taking in each moment and pondering them. Just like Mary the mother of Jesus did. The Bible tells us she would ponder moments in her heart. She cherished them. Mary and Joseph were in a difficult situation as they were not married and she was pregnant. Joseph almost sent Mary away and didn’t marry her. That was a difficult and stressful time for both of them, especially Mary. Mary chose to be thankful and worship God during this time. She wasn’t happy every day, but she had joy. Mary chose joy in her difficult situation. Mary cherished each moment. That doesn’t mean she was running around shouting from rooftops every day, but she was experiencing joy in quiet moments.

Happiness is an emotion we experience for a short time. Joy is choice that can last for our life. Joy doesn’t mean happiness, but is the realization that Jesus is at the center of your life and that He is in control of all things. Life is not easy and happiness is not available in every moment, but Jesus, who brings us joy, is with us in every life circumstance.

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This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.

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My Goal In Life Isn’t To Be Happy

Learning to Choose Joy

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The Best Lines from the Fab Four

And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make

The sun is up, the sky is blue, it's beautiful and so are you

Love is old, love is new, love is all, love is you

There's nowhere you can be that isn't where you're meant to be

Life is very short, and there's no time for fussing and fighting, my friend

He say, "I know you, you know me", One thing I can tell you is you got to be free

Oh please, say to me, You'll let me be your man. And please say to me, You'll let me hold your hand

It was twenty years ago today, Sgt. Pepper taught the band to play. They've been going in and out of style, but they're guaranteed to raise a smile

Living is easy with eyes closed, misunderstanding all you see

Can you hear me? When it rains and shine, it's just a state of mind

Little darling, it's been long cold lonely winter. Little darling, it feels like years since it' s been here. Here comes the sun, Here comes the sun, and I say it's alright

We danced through the night and we held each other tight, and before too long I fell in love with her. Now, I'll never dance with another when I saw her standing there

I love you, I love you, I love you, that's all I want to say

You say you want a revolution. Well you know, we all want to change the world

All the lonely people, where do they all come from. All the lonely people, where do they all belong

Oh, I get by with a little help from my friends

Hey Jude, don't make it bad. Take a sad song and make it better

Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away. Now it looks as though they're here to stay. Oh, I believe in yesterday

And when the brokenhearted people, living in the world agree, there will be an answer, let it be.

And anytime you feel the pain, Hey Jude, refrain. Don't carry the world upon your shoulders

I'll give you all I got to give if you say you'll love me too. I may not have a lot to give but what I got I'll give to you. I don't care too much for money. Money can't buy me love

All you need is love, love is all you need

Whisper words of wisdom, let it be

Blackbird singing in the dead of night, Take these broken wings and learn to fly. All your life, You were only waiting for this moment to arise

Though I know I'll never lose affection, for people and things that went before. I know I'll often stop and think about them. In my life, I love you more

Obviously the best superpower.

There have been many lessons learned.

1. The importance of traditions.

2. How to be thankful for family and friends.

3. How to give back.

4. What the word "community" really means.

5. That it isn't about the destination, but the journey.

6. The consequences of making bad choices.

7. To trust people, until you have a reason not to.

8. To be welcoming and accepting of everyone.

9. How to be my own, individual person.

10. How to work for what I want.

11. How to be great at giving directions.

12. How to be humble.

13. To be well-rounded.

14. How to be great at conflict resolution.

15. The beauty of getting outside and exploring.

16. To be prepared for anything.

17. That you don't always have to do it alone.

18. How to be creative.

19. To brush off gossip.

I have never been so thankful to know you.

Dealing with the inevitable realities of college life.

Don't freak out

Email the professor

Attend the first class

Keep attending class

Have a backup plan

Remember that everything works out at the end

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