Regardless of the situation, I’ve always aspired to be a happy, glass-is-half-full, sort of person. Well, truthfully, I have aspired to that with a side order of cynicism creating something I have named the “optimistic realist.” While I suppose others truly get to decide if that self-imposed moniker is accurate or not, it’s how I’ve viewed myself for years: see the positive in everything while maintaining a sense of rational pragmatism. For the most part, it’s a worldview that has served me well.
I say, “for the most part” because I believe I’ve fallen victim to a very common ailment in our society: I’ve been so focused on chasing happiness that I’ve ignored joy in that pursuit. As I write this, I can’t think of anything more foolish.
If you don’t think there’s a difference between joy and happiness, you’d be mistaken. Happiness depends on external factors to exist – like driving off the lot in a brand-new car. We might seek it, long for it, and, in my case, chase it, but the feeling of happiness is based on experiences or other peripheral causes that tend to disappear when the situation changes. If, for example, a few hours after the new car purchase that same vehicle is involved in an accident, the happiness generated by the gratifying event of driving off the lot will disappear because of the negative experience caused by the accident. Happiness is conditional, temporary, and fleeting.
On the other hand, joy is an internal attitude of the heart and a choice that is purposefully made. It’s a deliberate and determined decision to create a state of contentment. In other words, joy is a state of being – a mindset – instead of a feeling. Joy is something that can be embraced regardless of the feeling being experienced. Whereas happiness can’t share space with other emotions such as sadness, shame, frustration, irritation, or even anger, joy can.
Over the past year, I’ve truly struggled with finding happiness professionally. To be clear, there have been VERY happy experiences: PromoCorner having the largest revenue month in the history of the organization, redefining the work that we do to ensure we exceed the expectations of our partners, and landing some phenomenal clients. Therein lies the conundrum: PromoCorner is experiencing unparalleled growth and I find myself burning far too many calories chasing happiness. It’s something I need to address immediately and this blog will start that process.
To stop myself from chasing happiness, I thought it would be good to document areas where I find joy professionally – and do so continuously:
- Team – I am blessed to work with an amazingly talented group of people who care. Honestly, is there anything better than associates who truly care about creating work that matters? If you’re keeping score at home, the answer is no.
- Partnership – I get to work for – and with – the Moore family. Both individually and as a collective, they have allowed me to create and execute my vision for PromoCorner. They offer support, guidance, and (when necessary) the occasional kick in the pants. A lot of companies talk about being a family; I have the honor of being part of one.
- Failure – I am allowed to fail. This frees me to experiment with things that haven’t been done before and push the organization forward. While I don’t like to fail, I do confront it when it happens, learn from it, and move forward.
- Creating Content – Through the vehicle of this blog and the podcasts I do, I get to express myself in candid, honest, and sometimes raw ways. After years of only being a version of me, these grant the freedom to be unabashedly me and that’s an exquisitely wonderful thing.
- Industry – Like most, I found my way to the promotional products industry by accident. I’ve worked in several industries including temporary staffing, telecommunications, and office products. As anyone who has worked outside promotional products commerce will attest, this is a special industry made up of special people – people I get to call friends.
Then there are the little things like the album wall in my office, the beer I get to share with PromoCorner owner Joel Moore every Friday via video chat, and my five-minute commute. The bottom line is that the joy was always there – I’ve just been ignoring it in favor of chasing happiness.
When happiness is present, it can be all-encompassing like a drug; nothing seems better or even worthy of our attention. However, happiness is also fickle because it can be present for days or even weeks on end then gone in a flash. Joy, however, is constant. Joy is an internal attitude of the heart and a choice that’s purposefully made. It’s possible to feel joy in difficult times as joy doesn’t require a smile to exist (even if it feels better with one). Joy is an amazing choice because it can share space with other emotions – sadness, shame, frustration, or even anger. Happiness can’t.
As of this moment (12:38 PM on August 15, 2019, to be exact) I choose to stop chasing happiness and, instead, choose joy. Joy is far less transitory and it’s not tied to external circumstances – circumstances that are, many times, outside of my control. I truly believe this conscious effort to embrace joy and allow happiness to naturally occur instead of doggedly hunting for it will result in better work for the company and less stress for me.
Moving forward, I choose joy over happiness.
Bill is president of PromoCorner, a digital marketing, media, and advertising agency, and has over 19 years working in executive leadership positions at leading promotional products distributorships. A featured speaker at numerous industry events, a serial creator of content marketing, president of the Regional Association Council (RAC) board, and PromoKitchen chef, Bill has extensive experience coaching sales teams, creating successful marketing campaigns, and developing branding that resonates with a target audience. He can be reached at bill@PromoCorner.com.