The ultimate source of JOY is within us. Not money, not power, not status. Sadly, many of the things that undermine our JOY we create ourselves. It simply depends on the attitudes, the perspectives and the reactions we bring to the situation. We have to have a greater concern for others through kindness or COMPASSION.

Pain is inevitable; suffering is optional. There are frustrations in life. The question is not; how do I escape? It is; how can I use this as something positive? Too much self-centered or self-importance thinking is the source of suffering. Our ability to cultivate JOY as a skill depends on where we put our attention; on our own suffering or that of others.

Today’s materialistic life has people being dependent on external stimuli which produces pleasure not JOY. We are hardwired to be COMPASSIONATE, yet we tend to be blind to our connection to others. A person is a person through other persons. One individual, no matter how powerful, how clever, cannot survive without other human beings. Help others for JOY.

Whether our pain is physical or mental, it seems to consume all of our focus and leave very little attention for others. We cannot bring peace if we do not have inner peace.

Courage is not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. Stress and anxiety comes from too much expectation and too much ambition. This is self-centered. We can change that with our perspective. Stress should be looked at as a challenge, not as something where we are not special enough or too special. Have COMPASSION for yourself when stress occurs, it is an opportunity. We should embrace all of our emotions. When you are too focused on yourself, you become disconnected from others.

There are eight pillars of JOY; Four are qualities of the mind; PERSPECTIVE, HUMILITY, HUMOR, and ACCEPTANCE. Four are qualities of the heart; FORGIVENESS, GRATITUDE, COMPASSION and GENEROSITY. By taking a wider PERSPECTIVE, your sense of worry reduces. Self-centeredness is  a default perspective. HUMILITY brings us back down to earth. It recognizes that your gifts are from the Creator. HUMOR brings us together, by getting into the hearts of people. ACCEPTANCE is; Why be unhappy about something if it can be remedied? And why be unhappy if it cannot be remedied?  FORGIVENESS is where we release the desire for a different past. We do not forget the harm, we release being tethered to the person who caused the harm. GRATITUDE is embracing reality, every moment is a gift. Be grateful for our enemies for they teach us. COMPASSION is as mentioned above. GENEROSITY is simply that in giving we receive.

EMBRACE THE EIGHT PILLARS OF JOY AND LIVE A SUCCESSFUL LIFE.

Categories: Article Review Book Summary Philosophical Perspective

ron winnegrad

Ron Winnegrad has been a Perfumer and teacher for 46 years. As a perfumer, Ron has been able to express the world he sees through a rainbow of olfactive and emotive visions. As a teacher, Ron has helped others to see fragrance through his own multi sensorial lens.