I went down to San Diego for the Hay House conference a couple of weekends ago. Robert Holden, a successful writer/speaker in the Hay House stable, captivated his audience of more than a thousand. He has studied the nature of happiness and has written several books on the topic but he got everyone’s attention when he said that instead of chasing our happiness, we should, rather, follow our joy.

Simple yet profound, and it really got me thinking. What is the difference between the two?

When we ‘chase’ happiness we only go where it is comfortable and safe. There is no real surrender to the process or the journey. All our focus is on the destination. We want to be happy; we have some idea of what that happiness looks like and where it is to be found.

But because of our preconceived notions of the sparkling enticements of happiness we usually only allow ourselves to follow her tantalising promises down certain avenues and limit our search to the known and predictable. Our focus is so squarely centred on our goal we sometimes fail to keep our mind open to all the possibilities.

In contrast, however, the following of joy involves a level of surrender both to process and outcome. Joy leads and we follow wherever it may lead. We are not in control of the process, and we certainly have no idea where the road will eventually end because with every step a whole new range of possibilities is revealed.

Our imagination is the only limit on the joys we can attain and experience, and we have to follow joy some way to realise that our imagination is, initially at least, way too small for the possibilities that are out there. It is only once we get our first glimpses of true joy that we gain some inkling of its enormous potential. We also need to become familiar with the feelings that become our guide and the key to inner peace, contentment, bliss and ecstasy.

Chasing happiness is all about the outward circumstances of our lives; the ability to feel joy has absolutely nothing to do with externals.

Happiness is that elusive experience that is only possible when the stars align and we feel we have to grab hold and never let go. Joy is our spiritual birthright and it is always possible. It is just waiting for us to silence our fears, ignore all the reasons ‘why not,’ and become ready to venture into territory that is, at first, unknown, unexplored and out of sight.

Chasing happiness is a fruitless pursuit with rewards that are few and fleeting. But joy is an inherent part of our spiritual heritage, written into our spiritual DNA. We always have whatever we need to be joyful. It is our true nature, a constant and persistent whisper from our soul. If we listen and follow, the possibilities are endless.

Eileen McBride
Eileen McBride is the author of Love Equals Power 2, a spiritual seeker and teacher. This article was published on May 26, 2010.