Joy, hope and opportunity

Joy, hope and opportunity. This may just be my new and last mantra, my simple way of both reminding myself as to what is most important in life and for communicating my most fundamental aspirations to others. Below are my definitions, probably not the one's you'd find in a standard dictionary and perhaps not the way you'd define each word. Even without a common definition for each term, the concept can maintain a real appeal. Why quibble when it is the bigger picture we seek?

Joy. Beyond happiness, satisfaction or contentment -- not that there is anything wrong with any of these three emotions -- joy is a feeling of connection with a higher order in life, in experiencing something rich, satisfying and sustainable. Professionally, I often studied, discussed or taught the concept of 'satisfaction,' be it with work, life, a particular job, rewards or opportunity, and usually satisfaction meant outcomes meeting expectations, and dissatisfaction as NOT meeting expectations, e.g., disappointment or unhappiness with an outcome. Yet joy goes beyond expectations and, to a certain degree, joy means freeing yourself from expectations, standards or benchmarks. Joy is not based on met expectations. Joy has more to do with seeing the best in many things, often the 'little things,' and joy can often produce gratitude and generosity and, in some cases, gratitude and generosity can lead to kore joy. For example, making significant charitable contribution can treat anxiety, doubt and even a sense of loss, especially if it means surrendering an important, limited resource. But generosity out of joy can produce more joy or, as one college development office consultant said, the donor is happier having given away a million dollars than in having it in his personal portfolio.

Hope. Hope means being able to look forward to a positive future with fervor. An absence of hope and opportunity might be the best way to define poverty. Money does not 'buy' happiness or joy, yet it can produce hope and opportunity. And neither does the absence of money define someone as poor; there are plenty of stories of 'poor' people who remain happy, despite the Hollywood stereotype that one would have to be foolish or crazy to be joyful or even to be happy without money. Hope is not the naive or pollyannish belief that "the sun will come out -- tomorrow." Rather it is embodies in things like the traditional concept of "the American Dream," or in the stereotype of an impoverished immigrant optimistically seeking opportunity and a better life in a new country. Hope is what allows people to continue a struggle even when prospects are low, energy has been exhausted, or threats seem insurmountable. At the same time, hope is not just dreaming, idyllic or focused or neither. Buying a lottery ticket may produce dreams of a fortune, a better life, but it is not hope.

Opportunity. Opportunity means believing that you will have multiple chance, routes, decisions or paths from which to choose, to lead you to greater joy. Opportunity often means a blend of resources and choices. Without choices, opportunity for personal joy is limited to one path, probably not the path you want. Without resources, it is usually impossible to pursue an opportunity, or at least to pursue it with something more than hope. For example, a college might admit a student who has the desire to achieve, given the opportunity. But admission to and presence in the classroom at college are not enough to constitute an opportunity. An unprepared or poorly educated student can quickly find that opportunity becomes an overwhelming challenge if the student lacks the key resource of a strong prior education, discipline and framework for learning.