Joy as a Practice: Six Ways to Cultivate Contentment

Last updated on: September 20, 2026 at 8:55 pm by Rob Giannamore

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Joy as a Practice: Six Ways to Cultivate Contentment 2026-09-20T20:55:17-04:00 Rob Giannamore

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Joy as the Elixir of Life

| Image courtesy of the author.

Introduction: Joy as a Practice of Contentment

In this second installment in my series on cultivating contentment, I want to visit the practice of cultivating joy. We can begin our practice of joy by starting with appreciation. In everything, we can in some way come back to gratitude. I just had a Twix mini candy bar. It was just one of those bite-sized deals, but eating a Twix bar always reminds me of my grandmother, who often gave me Twix bars as a small child. Taking time to notice the small things makes even the tedious moments of life more bearable.

In a more extreme example, there is an old tale from ancient times attributed to Socrates where some Socrates is sitting with his student by a stream. When the student asks the teacher how to gain wisdom, the Socrates grabs the student and plunges his head under the water from some time and then pulls him up. Gasping for air, the student asks why the teacher did this. The teacher responds that when the student longs for wisdom like he did for air when his head was under water, only then will he completely understand wisdom. We have to long for life in the same manner. Joy, as we will see is another act of intentionality.

Choosing Joy Intentionally

Choosing Joy is an intentional posture – Intentional joy is the practice of deliberately seeking out and embracing moments of happiness, fulfillment, and gratitude, even in the midst of challenges. It’s about recognizing that joy isn’t merely a reward at the end of a hard-fought battle, but something that can and should be cultivated throughout the process.

But life is hard sometimes. Like really hard, I see it all the time. When we choose joy in the midst of difficulties and disappointments, we are not ignoring pain or pretending everything is okay. Instead, we are making space for the beautiful things along our path. We are trying to connect ourselves to the threads of connection with all living things and the world around us. To choose joy means “intentionally cultivating and creating joyful moments, recognizing and celebrating small victories, being willing to feel hope and connection even when it feels vulnerable to do so.”

Looking for Small Opportunities for Joy

My life has largely been chaotic all my adult life. So chaotic, in fact, that I spent ten years as an ultra runner- someone who runs farther than a regular marathon just to deal with the stress. I needed something harder than I was dealing with at the time. For me, that meant heading to the woods for 6-10 hours most Saturdays and running around 30 ultras over that span. I can spend all day in the woods. I have gone to the same park to train for over forty years and have many, many good memories there. Every season I go there, I almost always see something I have never seen before.

The more closely we pay attention, the more these ordinary moments begin to feel like gifts. In all the chaos of life, joy will come to us in much smaller ways than we expect. Unfortunately, today, we never take the time to look around. I have been watching a weather story unfold out my office window today. Tomorrow, it will probably rain. Today though, I have watched big puffy clouds give way to wispy clouds to now as I write this, a dense cloud cover with glimmer of sun overall. I am looking forward to a run after work. To find these small opportunities for joy, all you have to do is look around.

Gratitude as the Gateway to Joy

As a practice, Joy comes out of the practice of gratitude. When we practice gratitude, we practice joy. Gratitude trains us to notice what is already present instead of waiting for life to become perfect. It turns our attention toward the people, memories, and ordinary moments that sustain us. The more often we name these gifts, the more available joy becomes—even in seasons when happiness feels far away.

To Close – Six Ways to Build More Joy

I want to close this post with ways we can build more joy and some questions to get us thinking. As with all the practices we will observe in this series, all are practices of becoming.

Build a self-care kit
Do things for others
Have fun, even when it takes effort
Practice mindfulness
Spend time with friends and family
Start a gratitude practice

Discussion Questions

How has your understanding of joy changed as you have learned to recognize it in everyday moments?
Why do you think gratitude can sometimes feel difficult, especially during challenging seasons of life?
Which of the six practices feels most meaningful to you right now, and what might make it difficult to put into action?
How can we distinguish between genuine joy and temporary happiness or distraction?
In what ways can caring for ourselves create more capacity to care for others?
Can joy be a communal practice rather than only an individual experience? What might that look like in your relationships or community?
What is one small step you could take this week to cultivate more gratitude and joy, and how might that choice influence the people around you?

Joy does not wait for life to become perfect; it begins the moment we choose to notice, give thanks, and fully live the life already before us.

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