Jumping Toward Joy Versus Hoping for Happiness

Joy and happiness. Happiness and joy.

Which is better? What’s the difference?

In our fast-paced cultural and business landscape, we often chase after happiness like it's a golden ticket. 

But what if there’s something better? Something like…

JOY.

I can feel the burning question rising from within you. Isn’t that basically the same thing as happiness?  

The truth? Joy is delightfully different. Let’s look at that difference and how you—or anyone, really—can bring more joy into your work. 

Happiness vs. Joy
Happiness. Who would turn it down? It's that buzz we get when things go our way—landing a big client, watching our team nail a project—you name it. 

But much like good weather; happiness comes and goes based on what's happening around us.

Joy, though? It’s deep and it’s satisfying. It's not about the day-to-day wins, as sweet as they are. Instead, it's about feeling fulfilled and true to yourself, no matter what's going on externally. 

Journalist and columnist, David Brooks beautifully illustrates the difference: “Happiness usually involves a victory for the self. Joy tends to involve the transcendence of self…Joy is the present that life gives you as you give away your gifts.” 

Whereas happiness is a fluctuating state of being, JOY comes from within—it’s a soul condition, more tied to our understanding of ourselves and our relationships with others.

Shouldn’t joy be an “after-hours” thing?

We tend to experience deep, transcendent joy more readily in our personal lives—as we discover, toil, and grow through the true depths of persevering friendships, relationships, and life milestones—mostly tied to the landscape of who we are when we’re NOT at work.

However, the tide is shifting around that mindset. 

As the pandemic era demonstrated, it’s almost essential to intermingle our joy both at work and at home—especially if we live and work in the same place. Companies can contribute with cultural shifts that give space for joy at work, wherever that work is located. 

However, the following factors are within our personal span of control and can generate deep, pervasive joy in our work.

Purpose: Your Joy Compass

Finding joy starts with figuring out what really matters to you. What drives you, not just in making money but in making a difference? When your work lines up with your deepest values, that's when the magic happens. 

My dear friend, Jim Huling, author of the #1 Worldwide Bestseller The 4 Disciplines of Execution, calls purpose the cornerstone of your life and work. He says, “The things that move you, excite you, or bring you joy are not random. They are glimpses of who you were born to be.” 

Designing a career fueled by purpose also doesn’t require weeks and months of exploration. Jim offers a beautiful and profound purpose-finding exercise that begins with this simple question: In what specific moments of your life and work have you felt most purposeful?

Answering this question begins your pathway toward purpose. 

Applying Your Purpose 

Applying your purpose in every aspect of your life, both personal and professional, is essential for cultivating joy. This alignment leads to a sense of wholeness and integrity. Your work becomes an extension of who you are, and in this congruence, joy naturally flows.

It's about more than just making your business or job role reflect your purpose (though that's definitely important). It's about living that purpose, in and out of the office. That way, your work isn't just a job—it's an extension of who you are. And that's where joy lives.

How to Begin Generating Joy

So how do we condense this into a few steps to consider and apply? It's not just about hitting targets and growing the bottom line (though those are nice). It's about intentional action—steps you, personally can take—to shift and shape your life and leadership in the direction of pure joy. 

Here is a 3-Step "Joy To-Do List" as a starting point:

1. Take a Deep Dive into Your Purpose: Spend some quality time considering your purpose. Examine your current role and reflect—is it a fit for fulfilling that purpose? If it’s not a perfect fit, are there parts of it that would provide enough joy to balance the other parts? How might you adjust your role or team to make joy more available for yourself—and others? Is it time for a change?
   
   
2. Align Your Business or Position with Your Heart: Where you can make changes, take the leap. Where you’re unsure, lean on the wisdom and support of a trusted colleague, mentor, coach, or friend. Whatever the case, take steps toward joy where it’s within your control. And often, there is more within our control than we allow ourselves to believe.
   
   
3. Provide the Space for Joy to Grow: Make your business or team environment a natural joy-nurturer. Build it into the culture—by starting with building into your being. Give space for the purpose question. Place employees in roles that help them live their purpose and geniuses. Foster a team mentality with clarity of strategy, goals, roles, and wins. Then celebrate those wins and the tapestry of skills and gifts that made them possible. You’ll find deep joy in the process and help your team find their joy, too.

So, what's the takeaway? Cultivating joy versus chasing happiness can totally transform your approach to business, work, and leadership. Joy brings deeper, more meaningful satisfaction that happiness just can’t deliver. When you lead and work with joy, it's contagious—it spreads to your team, boosts your business and productivity, and makes the whole journey a lot more fun. 

Ready to jump on the joy train? Let's do this!

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About Lindsay Harris and Leader Haven

A Positive Intelligence Coach(TM) and Certified Working Genius Facilitator, Lindsay established Leader Haven to help leaders rediscover joy and dismantle dysfunction. An acclaimed speaker and coach, Lindsay finds her joy and energy sharing tools and expertise that increase productivity, give teams renewed trust and collaboration, and empower leaders with confidence, hope, and fulfillment.