Most people are taught to treat happiness as a reward they crave. This approach works until it doesn’t. You pursue happiness for an unknown amount of time, and once you reach the finish line, it always seems to go further. Your accomplishments are exaggerated as if it were just another Tuesday afternoon, nothing special, and no recognition.
Joy predicts life satisfaction through resilience, not just “feeling good.” research shows People didn’t become more satisfied just because they felt happier. “Happiness involves the physical and cognitive freedom to ‘expand and create’, including discovering and creating new…schemes and…resources.”
Joy acts more like your foundation. This is your starting point, not your finish line. Your happiness is unique to you, but it is also a practical tool to guide your decision making. It’s all about being rooted in joy from the beginning.
Life is busy, so it’s easy to get caught up in your daily to-do list without considering your future. We’re going to reverse this process by starting in the future, then taking actions that will make him proud.
Make sure your short-term goals align with your long-term vision by naming them, then create your to-do list with the tasks that support them. This is how you make a change in creating a strategy for your life that you can follow rather than a reactionary series of disconnected to-do lists. You’ve been working hard, so why not work harder for your dream life?
my first ten year vision
My current ten-year vision is so big it scares me, but so was the last one. I took small steps to get there and continued to believe that it was possible, while ignoring the doubters and naysayers.
My initial vision was that I wanted to live in a more diverse city, I wanted an international airport, I wanted public transportation, I wanted to work in the Fortune 500, I wanted to have my own business, I wanted to travel the world with friends, I wanted financial stability, and I wanted to have a family.
And that’s all. This vision inspired me to research and find out what could make that joy-driven vision possible.
When I first developed my life strategy, I didn’t know the name of my company or the name of the city I would live in. These were not things I needed to know to make a decision. I needed a vision for myself. Something I believed in and could develop over time.
This is what I wrote for my life in February 2014 at the age of twenty-nine:
I live an exciting life full of love and growth in a city I love! I’m constantly learning about my body while happily sharing my knowledge about health and nutrition with others. I regularly schedule trips around the world with my husband, kids, and best girls (Lauren, Fallon, and Mom).
I am the founder of Royal Barkery, a successful organic dog treats company that improves the lives of humansBest friends through nurturing behavior and philanthropy. My beloved puppy, Chanel, is quite old, yet she still enjoys playing and traveling with me. Chanel is a registered therapy dog who provides love and affection to hundreds of people every month, monthly.
I sit on the boards of organizations that improve the quality of life for disadvantaged women. I feel honored to provide them with all the facilities ranging from interview attire to access to higher education and more. I have the CYT 200 and use it when teaching therapeutic yoga classes to my local womenShelter of.
Some things changed along the way, but the essence remained the same.
You have to be kind to yourself and understand that your journey will likely not be a linear path and changes will arise. You are human after all, which means you’re growing and learning more every day. This involves learning about yourself, which can lead to changes in your happiness and, in turn, your perspective on life.
It is important during this process that you give yourself space to grow more deeply into this. I usually have a vision and goals session with myself at least once a year. As I grow, it’s a great way to refresh myself to ensure alignment with my happiness, vision, and goals.
Life would be dull without development! So you must be comfortable with change as it is inevitable… within yourself as well as in the world around you. I think change can be scary and often uncomfortable, because you’re used to things being the way they are and you’re familiar with how to keep things the way they are. Change brings many unknowns. Focus on the positive possibilities and consequences of change rather than the negatives of losing what currently exists. We can respect and be grateful to our past, but cannot live like them in the present. For example, I love Baby Boss. She was very naive in some ways and lived a different life than I do now. The difference is that she learned, grew and evolved.
i really like this word evolve To Change. Growth involves growth and gratitude for the person you once were. Growing is deeper than changing. Change feels like a light switch being turned on and then off, but your journey will be much deeper than that, deeper than just flipping a switch, and you will be at the finish line.
One change can shake things up, but changing everything at once is an entirely different story.
I realized that my best friend Lauren has always said, “You are the master of your destiny.”
She says it very clearly and simply, and she has said it since we were in college. I used to hear him say this and avoid it, sometimes even wondering how? But now I realize that it’s actually one of the most profound things that I go back to whenever I have any doubt or feel scared about whatever the world has thrown my way. Being the master of my own destiny means that all changes are the result of my own decisions.
My decisions for peace have brought temporary chaos while I figure out my new normal, but there is always beauty in the process. Being the master of my own destiny means that it is truly my time to create the life of my dreams, crafting it like a masterpiece. And now it’s time for you too to create the life of your dreams! Leaning into my joy of lighting the torch in my path led me to start my own company as well as build a thriving career in Corporate Social Responsibility, where I empower others to create the life of their dreams both personally and professionally. It also means I sit on nonprofit boards where I get a chance to make a community impact.
About the author
The Bose Akadiri is the Joy Amplifier™. She is a motivational keynote speaker, corporate trainer, author and CEO Goal & Grind LLC Where she partners with high-achieving professionals and visionary organizations to leverage happiness as a strategic advantage to set goals, build stronger teams, and create meaningful results. Renowned for her dynamic corporate workshops where Bose empowers dreams, elevates teams and transforms organizations. Apart from Goal & Grind, he has led a distinguished career in Corporate Social Responsibility at Boeing, Salesforce and JPMorgan Chase.
his new book, The Joyful Way to Live: Using Joy as a Tool to Emerge, Lead, and Redefine Success Releasing on April 28, 2026.
