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I had the opportunity last month to attend the I Can Do It conference sponsored by Hay House Publishing and attended a seminar led by Dr. Doug Weiss titled, “The Power of Pleasure.”  I got exactly what I wanted out of the seminar; I work so much I had forgotten how to identify those things that bring me pleasure so that I can enjoy my life more.

One of the sideline conversations that started after the course was the definitions of the words “pleasure,” and “joy.”

For me, what brings me joy is completely differently from what I consider to be pleasure, and if I tried to live solely on my pleasures, I’d need more and more to fulfill my life.  Let me explain.

Pleasure is something that you do for the fun of it.  Watching your favorite (uplifting) television show, playing tennis, going out for a nice, decadent, dinner, or going for a walk.

Joy is experienced when I do something that helps others on a deep level.  It’s a much longer lasting emotion and requires using my talents and acquired skills – and fulfilling my mission.

For a lot of people, their jobs bring them joy – actually, your job should bring you joy!  I’ve often used my husband as an example of someone who loves their work.  He loves being a Dentist – it brings him joy on a deep, satisfying level to help people the way he does.  He gets pleasure out of playing keyboards for a local community singing group or a church praise band.

After making this distinction for myself, I think a lot of people are labeled as “workaholics,” when they might just be pursuing their joy.  After all, it was my husband’s love for his work that inspired me to follow my passion for training and seminar leading.  It’s hard work, but I love it!  There’s a deep level of satisfaction that comes after a “hard day’s work” in this area – at least for me – and I could not get this level of happiness from an evening at Ruth’s Chris.

However, there is much to be said about reaching for pleasure, and that is the point that Dr. Weiss was making.  Pleasure is a much needed experience in our lives.  Without it, we can get burned out.  It’s all about balance.  We need those physical and spiritual pleasures throughout our day to give us a break from all the work – no matter how joyous it may be.  Without pleasure, we work too hard, and without joy, we are unfulfilled.

So start today by striking a balance between joy and pleasure; you’ll be glad you did!

Until next time,
Live joyfully, with lots of pleasure!

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