If a joyful attitude and happiness was so easy to manifest, all adults would be walking through life happy & fulfilled. Parents need to keep that harsh reality in mind when intentionally raising their child to be joyful. In our next Raising an Ace video, we explore this task of raising a joyful child:

• Joy Importance (00:35 sec) – Encourage Passionate Play (01:02) – Show Excitement (01:15) – Commit to Passions (01:50) – Write Down Joys (02:11) – Make Routines Fun (03:00) – Be Your Own Comedian (03:29) – Laugh Obstacles Off (04:10) – See Humor in Adversity (04:50) – Sleep on Humor (05:48) – Open-mindedness & Joy Connection (06:02) – Separate Short & Long-term Joy (06:52) – Strategically Restrict Joy (07:26) – Differentiate Pleasure from Joy (07:45) – Don’t Give in to Child (07:56) – Sacrifice Required for Long-term Joy (08:32) – Joys are Not 100% Fun (08:44) – Accept Inevitable Short-term Unhappiness (09:00) – Happiness is Brewed Within (09:32) – Don’t Follow “Things” (10:04) – Cleanse Yourself First (10:37) – Find Joy Through Service (10:51) – Follow Your Mothership (11:35) – Endure Suffering Victoriously (11:58) – Fear’s Demise Births Happiness (12:16) – Invest in Your Future Contentment (12:36) – Choose Fulfillment (13:05)

Joy can be broken down into short-term and long-term, and both encompass different strategies. Short-term joy emphasized ideally will not be through instant gratification, materialistic things, and unproductive pleasures but will instead come through making routine activities fun through creativity, filling life with one’s passions, and seeing humor in life’s moments. By actualizing those productive short-term joy experiences, a child is then set up to tackle long-term joy in life. For Ace, by the end of his days we want him to be content with his life. Deep stuff, and I think it’s important for parents to recognize that monumental goal, so that they keep in mind the steps to achieve that goal when raising a child. To be content in life, a person must stay committed to his or her authentic path through thick & thin. Overcoming challenges, and still maintaining one’s drive to make positive contributions to the world and be the best version of one’s self is a noble and lofty goal. Not many achieve permanent contentment, but parents have a duty to empower a child with the tools to be in position to do so. I challenge all parents and people to not give up on their long-term joy attainment.

Peace, Love, & Happiness!