What Does JOY Mean to You?

With Valentine's Day coming up, I thought I'd ask, "What does joy mean to you?"

To help you get started, here's how two people you might know answered (and thank you to Cheryl and Tommy for taking some time to share your thoughts!):

“To me, joy is a state of mind, that is completely controlled internally. I feel joy when I wake up, as I realize how blessed I am to be healthy and strong. I feel joy around my family, especially when my daughters run and jump into my arms, yelling ‘daddy’. I feel joy knowing that I always follow my dreams, and achieve success despite setbacks. And I feel joy knowing that I’m giving back and that I do make a difference in improving people’s outlook and confidence. My wish is that you too feel joy, not just today, but every day!”

- Tommy Europe, Fitness Expert, BC Sports Hall of Fame Honoured Member. Follow Tommy on Twitter or Instagram and check out www.trainwithtommy.com for great online fitness classes!

“That I do the things that make me lose track of time. Walking my dog Hugo, spending time with my husband, reading a great book or just spending time in great conversation with good friends. That I try to find things that make me smile. It might be sunshine, dogs, laughter, passion, music, and connecting with other humans. I often think about what I would do if I didn’t have to pay any bills. Where can I volunteer? Who can I help, or how can I give back to society? How can I make a difference? And finally, the way I seek joy is to think about what will matter most when I am old. We all get caught up chasing things, people, rewards, and achievements. But we always need to ask ourselves, how deeply will those achievements touch people in 30 or 50 years? What do you want to be remembered for? An Olympic medal or that you were a warm, loving, heartfelt person who is full of enthusiasm and optimism?”

- Cheryl Bernard, Olympian, CEO of The Canadian Sports Hall of Fame. Follow Cheryl on Twitter or Instagram and visit www.sportshall.ca.

To me, joy is a sense of peace and satisfaction. I get immense joy from work, hearing from happy customers, and seeing and encouraging the success of my colleagues. I also derive joy from seeing our business grow and continuing to reach more people. I experience joy exploring nature with my wife and when spending time with our now-adult boys. Joy also comes to me from personal accomplishment, like running over 160 km (100 miles) last December, playing sports that I enjoy (okay, I admit - mostly when I'm playing well and not so much when I'm not!), and enjoying scenes of beauty, whether they are in nature or places such as the Catholic Cathedral in downtown Los Angeles.

We'd welcome hearing from you on our social media channels and sharing with us how you experience joy! Given the long haul of COVID protocols and restrictions, your sharing of joy could brighten someone's day, so I hope you will do that. The days are getting longer and we’re starting to climb out of the winter darkness, so let’s share with one another what brings us the most joy!

However it comes to you, may this Valentine's Day be one of joy with the people, activities and foods you love most or the memory of those that have brought you much joy in the past. Blessings to all and may joy fill your hearts.

P.S. - I was sad to hear of the passing of Mary Wilson just a couple of days ago.

Mary was one of the founding members of the Supremes, headlined by Diana Ross. I had the good fortune to meet Mary at a conference in September 2009, where Carol Simontacchi, a nutritionist who had written about SierraSil, suggested to Mary that SierraSil would help sore joints, and shared a bottle of Joint Formula14 with her right then. The next evening (2 doses of SierraSil later), Mary was performing on stage for all attendees, beginning to belt out many popular tunes loved by so many of us. As Mary started to dance, she paused, lifted her skirt to reveal her knees and said, “yesterday, I couldn’t do this! But thanks to SierraSil, my knees are already a little better. Would the SierraSil man please join me on stage!” So from the back of the hall, I worked my way through the crowded conference room and joined Mary on stage! Highly embarrassing for this guy who is musically illiterate, but does love Motown music. Later, we were honoured that Mary tweeted at us on November 23, 2009, “@SierraSil Hey I need more of those great Joint formula 14. I feel sooo good. Mary”

Mary, I have no doubt that you have joined the choirs of heaven, and your music still makes us “feel sooo good”!