Find out what fuels you then do lots of that

​I'm getting ready to go run. It will be my first run of the new year. It will end - I believe - the longest runless days streak I've had since I took running up in 2014.

And - it will bring some much welcome fuel to my joy.

I've written lately about the difference between happiness and joy. Happiness is something that happens externally that makes us feel good - but usually only briefly. Joy - joy happens internally. It's usually something we choose, and it brings us a sense of wellness and contentment that long outlasts happiness.

I watched the last episode of season 4 of Yellowstone last week. It was entertaining while I watched it. I felt happy. But that happiness didn't last much beyond the final credits. It didn't fuel my sense of wellness much beyond the show.

Don't get me wrong. I think there's a place - a need - for those brief shots of happiness in our lives. Some days we need the ability to plop on the couch, escape our worlds, and enter the world of Yellowstone. (Even if you risk an unfriendly encounter with Beth 😮).

But what we need most in our lives, I think, are the places WE create that are are more refuge than escape. Places that might not always leave us feeling happy, but always leave us feeling well.

And safe.

It's 20 degrees out there right now. Oh, I'll always choose that over 80. But trust me, the plop on the couch does sound more inviting at the moment.

But I know the couch won't fuel me. The couch will make me briefly happy while I'm on it, but it won't fuel the joy I need when I inevitably rise from it and tackle my day.

My run will do that. Whether it makes me happy or not. Whether it feels fun in the moment or not. It will fuel my joy.

I have found that out about running, so I do more of it.

What fuels your joy? If you know, do more of that thing. If you don't know, I'd likely try abandoning some of the things that make you happy, and experiment with some things that might fuel your joy.

Once you discover the things that bring you joy - you can choose to do them. You no longer have to wait around on season 5 of Yellowstone. You no longer have to wait around on happiness.