Commit To The Joy Principle

Part of me simply cannot take politics seriously.

Part of me is fascinated by the drama of it all.

As the political machinery at home swings into gear, here’s a comment I hear on a current affairs program:

Donald Trump seems to be enjoying himself.

Yes, he seems to, doesn’t he?

Bernie Sanders seems to be enjoying himself, as well.

It helps when you’re surging in the polls. Then again, you’re unlikely to surge if you don’t convey a smidgen of joy.

We witness the wanna-be-leader who is dour, passionless, robotically scripted, fake-happy – and who, yes, does NOT seem to be enjoying the ride.

And you want to be elected?

I will not debate political positions with you. But this is the simple joy principle that applies to all of us, in every moment of our everyday leadership.

If you want people to follow you, you gotta enjoy the ride.

The nuisances. The challenges. The successes. The failures. The grand gestures. The tiny ones. The sweeping ideas. The minutiae.

The moment-by-moment unfolding of life. All of it.

This sense of enjoyment cannot be a private thought that you tuck away in the far recesses of your brain. No, it needs to be fully owned by you. Kinesthetically sensed. Embodied.

It begins with a decision. This decision is larger than a strategy you’re executing, larger than a mood you’re in, larger than your feelings about a particular individual.

Just for now, for this moment, I enjoy the ride.

Joy is an energy that accelerates action.

Joy is an energy that attracts others to this action.

Recommit to the joy principle, second by second, moment by moment, again and again, as the day unfolds. As the pressures mount. As you lose focus. As your buttons get pushed.

Just for now, for this moment, I enjoy the ride.

That’s how you gets things done.

Second-guessing life won’t get you there. Neither will staying dour, staying passionless, acting fake-happy, sticking to a script.

The choice is clear.