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The Pursuit of Happiness or Eudaimonia?

Is there an alternative to the endless pursuit of happiness?


Today we explored how we can live more genuinely joyful lives and discovered the concept of Eudaimonia.


One of the things that can steal our joy is the disappointment of unfulfilled expectations, although this video gives a hilarious window into the world of online shopping and how products can often leave us saying "It's not what I expected!"

Clare reflects on how expectations can weigh down on us. Looking back on previous messages, Clare shared the helpful acronym Mind the GAP to remind us that Gratitude, Awareness and Perspective can be powerful tools in our quest for Joy.

In our desire for happiness it can be easy to avoid anything uncomfortable or painful. This video from The School of Life presents a powerful alternative to happiness: Eudaimonia.

Laughter isn't just good for the soul, but also important for our physical wellbeing, as this video from The Mayo Clinic shows.

Ruth offers her thoughts on the power of laughter and how, when combined with the medicine of challenging our negative thought processes, it can help us live a more joyful life.

So...a good giggle at Ross's Spray Tan misadventure from Friends might just turn out to be good for our health!

The Hebrew name for God is made of the syllables that replicate the sound of our inspiration and expiration. The name of God is literally the sound of our breathing...and our laughing!

In this clip from Frozen 2, a dam that was presented as a gift of peace, needs to be dismantled before genuine breakthrough can be realised.

"Sometimes we need to invite the wrecking balls in our life to knock down what is no longer needed and allow things to break that are containing our historic narratives, and let the life flow."

Some of us will be familiar with this idea of a recipe for joy:


Jesus first

Others second

Yourself last.


But, for some of us, this may have been hugely unhelpful as it meant that we saw ourselves as separate, rather than part of the overflowing joy of the “My cup runs over” (Psalms 23) experience.


In another scene from Frozen 2 there's a moment when Anna sings about making the choice to simply do The Next Right Thing.

"You may have a melancholy that weighs very heavily on you, but if you will breathe into the fear, perhaps invite some wrecking balls to come and break down some of your walls, stay connected and embrace the truth, however uncomfortable, I believe with my whole heart that you will be found."

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