Here’s an interesting take on being happy versus experiencing joy. I have found, through a million mistakes and various experiences, that I now truly experience joy every single day. It’s all around us, in so many ways.
Webster defines happiness this way:
happy
hap·py | \ ˈha-pē \
happier; happiest
Definition of happy
1: favored by luck or fortune : FORTUNATE a happy coincidence
2: notably fitting, effective, or well adapted : FELICITOUS a happy choice
3a: enjoying or characterized by well-being and contentment is the happiest person I know a happy childhood
b: expressing, reflecting, or suggestive of happiness a happy ending
d: having or marked by an atmosphere of good fellowship : FRIENDLY a happy office
4a: characterized by a dazed irresponsible state a punch-happy boxer
b: impulsively or obsessively quick to use or do something trigger-happy
c: enthusiastic about something to the point of obsession : OBSESSED education-conscious and statistic-happy— Helen Rowen
Webster defines joy this way:
joy
\ ˈjȯi \
Definition of joy
(Entry 1 of 2)
joy
joyed; joying; joys
Definition of joy (Entry 2 of 2)
: to experience great pleasure or delight : REJOICE
Then this speech from Matthew McConaughey puts some perspective on both words and then some. I enjoyed the speech a great deal and decided to share it here. I hope you benefit from this simple dive into a few words we are very familiar with, yet so many folks seem to fall short of living the definitions. (Please be aware that there is some inappropriate language in the background video at the beginning)