Giving More Than We Receive

Joy is not something we can buy or seek to obtain from others, “real joy” comes from doing something worthwhile. It is not the having of gifts and talents that matters, it is what we choose to do with them that makes our world and the world of others a better place to live.

Love and joy can be fleeting emotions if we only understand that they come from someone else. The people that I know who are truly loved and genuinely joyful are those who choose to be both of those things. They wake up and make the choice to give of themselves to make the world a better place and they choose to believe that love conquers all. It may sound naive or simple, yet truly happy, joyful and loved people choose to think, act and serve with happiness, love and joy in their hearts.

Everyday that we wake up – which is a gift within itself – we have the choice of how we are going to think and how we are going to act. What we do with our thoughts and our actions will determine the outcomes of our day. Sure bad things happen, unexpected horrors and unwanted events cloud and confuse what we wanted to accomplish. Those things are not the problems. The real problems rest within ourselves and how we choose to react. Lots of people live horrible lives and are joyful. Millions live in poverty and strife, and they choose to give back to their community and find joy in that giving.

None of us can control our circumstances. None of us can control what will or will not happen in our lives today. And none of us can control how others view us. What we can control are our actions and our attitude. What we do with the resources we have been given AND how we give back are the ways we fill our own cup with joy. To live joy, first give joy to others from your own inner gifts. Be it a colleague, a family member, or even a stranger, everyone needs someone to reach out and give. A life filled with real joy is found by giving more than we receive on a regular basis.