Pursuing Happiness: 4 Steps to a More Joyful Life

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If you asked anyone if they wanted more happiness in their life, they would almost certainly say "Yes!" It's a fair thing to want. However, many of us are missing that sweet emotion in our lives COMPLETELY.

A recent survey stated:
*  "45% of people say they haven’t felt happy in over TWO YEARS!"

Wow. That's almost HALF of everyone on this Earth! Maybe you're in that boat right now... or maybe you feel happy, but something's missing....

What if there's a better, longer-lasting emotion we should be chasing instead?

Our latest conversation dives into why happiness might just be the wrong goal, with a staggering number of people missing out on true joy for years on end. We'll discuss intimate stories and insights on how shifting our focus from happiness to JOY—a deeper, more intrinsic state—can transform our lives. We'll dissect the concept of joy, that inner sparkle that doesn't wane with the ups and downs of daily life, and discuss how embracing it can lead us to a more serene and purposeful existence.

Witness the transformative power of a smile and the profound impact of gratitude in this heartwarming exploration. Throughout the episode, I take you on a journey through the simple, yet potent acts of smiling and expressing gratitude, and how they can release a cascade of positive emotions within us.

We'll also confront the common culprits of fear and worry, learning how to cast them aside to make room for a joy-filled life. By the end of our time together, you'll be equipped with the tools to not only find joy in the ordinary, but also to spread it to those you encounter day by day.

Thanks for tuning in.

May God bless you,
Eric


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*Survey: 

Global Report: 45% of People Have Not Felt True Happiness for More Than Two Years

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/global-report-45-of-people-have-not-felt-true-happiness-for-more-than-two-years-301568258.html

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
This is the Dream Chasers show.
Welcome back to the show,everybody.
My name is Eric and you're herewith the Dream Chasers, where
our mission is to inspire andimprove the lives of those who
are daring to chase their dreams.
Now I came across this surveythat I want to share with you

(00:22):
guys real quickly and because Ithought the results were pretty
shocking.
Did you know that 45% of peoplestate they haven't felt true
happiness in more than two years?
45%, that's almost half.
So when you look around yourjob or your friend circle,
almost half haven't felt truehappiness in more than two years

(00:43):
.
25% state they don't even knowor forgotten what it's like to
be happy.
One quarter of people.
That's a big deal.
And maybe that's you, maybeyou're in that boat right now,
or maybe you do feel happy, butyou feel like something's
missing.
Today I want to talk to youabout a different emotion

(01:05):
instead of happiness, a betterone that I think you should be
chasing over happiness, andthat's joy.
Now, I know they sound verysimilar, but stay with me here,
because there is a big, bigdifference between joy and
happiness.
So let's talk about happiness.

(01:27):
Happiness comes and goes.
It's fleeting.
For instance, have you everwanted one thing that you want
it so bad because you know itwill make you happy.
We've all been there.
This is usually where thatphrase money can't buy you
happiness comes in, which is acute phrase and it's great to
say, but honestly I think wejust say that to ourselves

(01:49):
because it makes us feel betterabout not having any.
And here's kind of what I'venoticed Money can buy you
happiness to a degree, wheneveryou get that one thing that you
wanted so bad.
When you finally finally get it,how do you feel?
Fellas, you've been there.
It's that new truck or that newcar that you finally got Damn,

(02:14):
you're looking good in thatthing.
That new watch, that new outfit, new hunting gear and, ladies,
how about those new shoes?
You finally bought that dressthat you look so great in the
purse you've been saving up forAll of those things.
When we finally get those things, we are happier for a little

(02:35):
while.
If we're just being honest,money can buy you happiness to
some extent.
But the thing about happinessis that it's very temporary and
it's very conditional.
It's conditional.
We tell ourselves when I getthis thing, I'll be happy.
When I get that promotion atwork, I'll be happy Once I

(02:58):
finally have this much money inmy bank account, I will be happy
.
But what happens after wefinally get those things?
We're happy for a moment, for awhile, but eventually it wears
off and sometimes that thingthat used to make us happy is
now making us miserable.
For those of you that own ahouse, you know what I'm talking

(03:21):
about.
Things break down and all of asudden this house that we wanted
so bad becomes a huge nightmare.
Or maybe you got that videogame console that you thought
would make you happy and it didFor a while, but now it's making
you miserable because you can'tpeel yourself away from it.
I mean, the list goes on and on.

(03:43):
Another thing we all need tounderstand is that we're not
supposed to always be happy.
We're not.
We have an entire array ofemotions.
We're supposed to experienceother emotions, not just
happiness.
You know that saying you can'tenjoy the sunshine without the
rain.
It's so true, right?

(04:04):
You can't really appreciate agood car until you've had a
crappy one.
It's really hard to understandthe full beauty of having love
or friendship until you've had abad relationship and somebody
stabbed you in the back, ormaybe you've lost a loved one.
Your wins and your successesare always sweeter and always

(04:27):
more fulfilling after you'vefailed and lost, sometimes many
times.
Life is designed this way onpurpose, and I know this is
easier said than to just do andtake it.
We're supposed to experiencethe bad with the good.
Having all these other feelingsare what make us human.

(04:49):
Those negative feelings ofsadness, of sorrow, anxiety,
worry, doubt, fear, anger.
Those are very, very real andthey suck when you're going
through them.
Now, remember this too shallpass, and when the rain finally

(05:12):
stops falling and the sun comesout on your life, then those
good moments of love, romance,faith, excitement, joy, bliss,
peace we should and willexperience all of those as well.
So let's talk about somethingthat can literally change your

(05:36):
life right now if you grasp itfully.
Instead of chasing happiness.
I challenge you to chase andpursue joy.
Instead of chasing happiness,because we know it's fleeting.
Chase joy.
Now again, I know joy andhappiness might sound similar,

(05:57):
but they're entirely different.
Joy is internal and it'seternal.
It's internal and it's eternal.
Joy is part of our character,it's engraved into our
personality, it's who you are.
We all know that one guy or galin our life that makes us feel
so good whenever we're aroundthem.

(06:17):
Right, I can almost guaranteethere's someone at either your
work or a friend that you have.
Maybe it's a parent, maybe it'syour kids, I'm not sure who it
is, but someone in your life.
When you're around them, theymake you feel so good.
And what's one quality thatthey all have in common, those

(06:38):
people they're joyous, theysmile, they brighten up our day
when we're around them, theyalways know what to say to make
us laugh or smile, and thatperson can usually always find
the positive in any situation.
You ever notice that Thingscould happen to them, but
they're just positive and upbeatabout it.

(06:59):
We all know somebody like that.
You see, the joy I'm talkingabout is not dictated by the
external circumstances of ourlives.
No, joy is a state of mind.
In fact, joy is so powerfulthat it expresses itself
physically.
You can see it on people'sfaces.

(07:21):
I want to tell you a littlesomething that I do, and it
might sound creepy, so hold thejudgment.
Whenever I go to a store, I goto Walmart.
Sometimes I'll go shopping orwhatever, but whenever I go to a
store, a lot of times I'll sitin the parking lot for a few
minutes and watch as people walkby, people watching.

(07:41):
I'm just sitting in my carchilling, probably a little
creepy Maybe you've seen me dothis.
I like to look at and watchpeople as they walk by, and one
thing I've been noticing morerecently, as I've been kind of
processing joy and happiness andall these emotions when I'm
watching people, I look at theseexpressions on their faces, I

(08:03):
look at how they're walking, Ilook at how they carry
themselves.
Are they going fast,non-emission, or are they
aimless and slow-moving?
How's their posture?
And I'm saddened to report this, but you know what I see the
most of?
I see a lot of hanging heads,people hunching over, slouching.

(08:28):
I see them kind of.
They just kind of look defeated.
Rarely, ever do I see somebodywalking around with their
shoulders back and a smile ontheir face, and I'd barely ever,
ever, ever see someone sayinghi to another person who passes
by.
I see a lot of the hangingheads.
Some people are angry, some areirritated or in a hurry, and

(08:53):
the saddest of all the ones thatI see are the ones who look
hollow and defeated.
I see these things all the timeand whenever I see it, I just
want to go up to them and say,hey, pick your head up, walk
taller.
You're worthy, you're capable.
Stop worrying so much, stopworrying about the future, stop

(09:17):
worrying what other people thinkabout you, stop doubting
yourself.
I just want to put a smile backon their face, mainly because
I've been there.
I know what it's like and I'vealso experienced joy and all
these other great emotions thatI've talked to you about.
But I want to bring them backup because I think sometimes we

(09:41):
get permanently stuck in thatemotion, right In that darkness
that we're surrounded by.
Sometimes in life we getpermanently stuck and people can
see it on our faces.
I just want to put a smile backon their face.
In fact, I want you to dosomething with me right now.
Yes, you person that'slistening to this do this with

(10:04):
me.
Take a deep breath and smile.
Do it right now.
Take a deep breath and smile,smile big and wide.
If there's people around youright now, make sure that you're
not staring them in the face,because I don't want you to look
like some sort of psychopathsmiling at everybody.
But if you're driving in yourcar or you're out on a walk,

(10:28):
just take a deep breath andsmile.
Don't you feel better already?
Just that simple act of smiling?
You see, studies have proventhat smiling immediately
releases endorphins, serotoninand other chemicals in the brain
that instantly instantly helpus feel more joy and relax more.

(10:56):
One way to increase your joytoday, right now, is by smiling
more.
Just smiling more.
It's so simple.
My hope is that you're alreadyfeeling better from doing that.
I know I do.
Whenever I do something I'vebeen trying to make a habit of
mine is smiling more.
I challenge you to do that.

(11:18):
Make smiling a habit, just likeany habit.
It's going to take some timeand some conscious effort on
your part.
You're going to have to repeatit every day and eventually make
it a habit.
It might be hard because maybeyou haven't smiled in so long.
Maybe it even feels fake.
You're like yeah, okay, yeah,I'll smile more.

(11:39):
Oh, yeah, okay.
Maybe it just doesn't feelright, but it will come with
time.
The physical act of smiling isgoing to bring so much more joy
in your life.
Remind yourself to smile atother people when you're walking
by them.
Smile in the car.
Smile when you look at themirror and you see yourself,

(12:00):
instead of looking at the mirrorand seeing all this person you
don't like, or this personyou've become, or this person
carrying weight that you don'tlike, or the bags in your eye.
Whatever it is that you'reseeing in the mirror that you
don't like about yourself,remember, when you're looking in
the mirror, into your eyes,smile at yourself.
Love yourself.
When you walk in the door atwork or at home, smile.

(12:24):
Smile with your eyes too, notjust with your mouth.
Show the world the light thatyou have inside of you.
Smile.
Another way to get more joy intoour lives is to feel gratitude,
being grateful.
Be grateful for the things thatyou already have.

(12:46):
You know, far too often wethink about the things that we
don't have, that we want.
Right, it's a happiness.
Again, I'll be happy when.
But you'll get more joy in yourlife when you begin to feel
grateful for the things that youalready have A bed to sleep in.
Maybe it's just that you havefood in the fridge, you got

(13:07):
healthy kids, a running vehicle.
Even if it's just that you'regrateful you've got air in your
lungs and the fact that God gaveyou another day on this earth,
look for things to be gratefulfor and watch how many more
things that will come into yourlife that you can be grateful
for.
I do this and I'm alwaysastounded.

(13:29):
The more I'm grateful, the moreI find things to be grateful
for, and it will work for youtoo.
It will absolutely work for you.
And before I leave and let yougo, the last thing I want to
talk to you about is what Ibelieve is the number one joy
stealer in our lives.
This thing steals our joy morethan anything else Anything Fear

(13:56):
and worries.
Fear and worries about thefuture or the past you wish you
could change.
Maybe you're not really surewhere your next meal is going to
come from, or how are you goingto pay the bills.
Maybe you're just scared aboutsomething that's coming up in
the future that you don't wantto deal with.

(14:17):
When we have fear and worries,it's impossible to have joy in
our heart.
It's impossible.
Joy can't be around whenthere's fear and worry and doubt
.
The thing is, we're notsupposed to know what's going to
happen tomorrow.
We're not supposed to be ableto change the past.

(14:40):
We're not supposed to knowwhat's going to happen even five
minutes from now.
We're not supposed to knowwhat's going to happen tomorrow,
the next month or a year fromnow.
Only God knows that, and hewants us to live with faith.
I think of it like this whenyou're going on a road trip do
you see the entire road ahead ofyou?

(15:01):
Do you see all the curves, thebumps, the detours, the potholes
, the traffic jams, theexpensive gas, the stormy
weather Right there in front ofyou?
Can you see all of that beforeyou drive from one state to
another to go visit your familyor go on a vacation?
No, of course not.
You can only see what's rightahead of you.

(15:25):
What's right ahead of you, whatdo you do?
You keep driving and the nextcurve in the road reveals itself
right out in front of you.
You see a hill.
You keep driving.
You crest the hill and moreroad reveals itself in the
horizon.
Right.
You keep driving, one hill, oneturn at a time.

(15:47):
Our life is a lot like that.
We can't see tomorrow.
We also can't see our past.
We have memories of the past,of course, but you know what One
thing about memories is?
They're always flawed because ofour emotions about the past.
This happens to me all the time, where I think I've got this

(16:12):
memory or this story in my headand when I tell it, my wife
looks at me and is like that'snot how it happened.
Oh really, how did it happen.
Then she'll tell me how ithappens and I'm like no, that's
not how it happened.
You know, our memories areflawed because of how we feel.
They're based on emotion andthe only thing that we can see

(16:34):
is what's here and now in frontof us today, today.
Look today in the face andembrace it.
Handle the objects andobstacles in front of you right
now and don't worry about what'snext week, next month or next
year.
Now, I'm not saying you can'tplan ahead.

(16:56):
You should plan, you shouldhave a plan, but you shouldn't
sit here and worry about it andhave anxieties about it.
Handle the objects and theobstacles and the things going
on in front of you right now,today, and don't let the worries
of the future take away yourjoy.
You're blessed with this day tolive and if you're blessed

(17:21):
enough to have another day onthis earth, be grateful and make
the most of it.
Keep driving and the next curvein the road will reveal itself.
Now I know we talked about alot, so I'm going to summarize
this before we wrap it up.
Number one pursue joy.
Pursue joy.

(17:43):
Not happiness, but joy.
Remember there is a difference.
Number two smile more.
Show the world that light thatyou've gotten inside of.
You Know when you're at home,when you're at work, when you
see other people, even if youdon't know them.
Just don't smile like apsychopath, right?
Nobody wants that.
That's weird.
Smile at yourself in the mirror.

(18:05):
Make smiling a habit.
Number three be grateful.
Have gratitude for the thingsthat you already have, the
people already in your life, andwatch as more things and more
people will show up for you tobe grateful for.
Number four stop worrying.
You cannot change the past.

(18:27):
I can't change my past, and thefuture isn't guaranteed for any
of us.
Hey guys, thanks so much fortuning in.
I really appreciate yoursupport.
Do me a favor, if you wouldn'tmind.
If this message helped you atall, please send it over to a

(18:47):
friend or a loved one.
May God bless you and we'll seeyou next time.