Happiness vs Joy

Happiness and joy are often used interchangeably. But note that Happiness does not mean Joy. Happiness is a feeling, while joy is a state of being. Happiness is caused by externalities: Environment, time, and body. While Joy is the internal state, that makes you feel closer to a higher self, that source of light in spite of the externalities. A radiance you can emit regardless of the people or situation around you.

There's also a significant difference between feeling and mood. A Feeling is fleeting, visiting your friend can make you feel happy- that is a feeling. Mood is your continuous state of mind- the baseline that you'd return to, once the fleeting feeling fades. So, aim to maintain a mood at a high frequency emotion: Gratitude, love, Joy, courage etc. This way, regardless of the variables of your life: Environment, Time, and Body, you'd always have a stable state of mind.

Joy is usually born out of Gratitude, and that's such a wonderful mood to have. Have a gratitude log that you fill out every night: Just write in 10 words, the list of things or events you are grateful for. That state of being- Joyfulness makes you special, that makes you stand out amongst people who carry their emotional baggage in their eyes, brain, and heart, that makes you radiate a charisma that no makeup and clothes could give you!

Reference reading:

1. The Gifts of Imperfection by Brene Brown

2. Happy for no Reason by Marci Shimoff