Our definition of joy

We see joy as an iceberg - the largest part of the iceberg is the foundation on which joy is built - the tip is what you see!  

Joy is bigger than happiness, which is just a small part of the iceberg - most of us think we will be happy WHEN we have something that we don't have now - which means we are hardly ever happy!  

But we are born with the capacity to be joyful - we don't need anything else or anyone's permission.  We can be joyful all the time - it's a choice!  And it takes work!

The bulk of the iceberg consists of the 12 pillars of joy;

Gratitude Compassion/grace Hope Reverence Generosity Forgiveness

Energy and vitality Listening laughter Love Cheerful enthusiasm Equanimity

And as we work our way through those we find joy is present without waiting for something else to happen or without us chasing it.

For example: A kitten was running around and around in circles.  A wise old cat who was watching this, asked the kitten what it was doing and the kitten answered: "Someone told me that joy is in my tail and if I can catch it, I will be happy!"  The wise old cat smiled and said, "Funny, I have always found that if I go about my life and live with love, compassion and gratitude, joy follows me".

So we have created The Gospel of Joy textbook and Joy U Online learning program to guide you through those 12 pillars of joy.  With simple daily activities, you can build all those qualities into your everyday life and find 'suddenly' that you are joyful most of the time!