The Key to Joy: POWER

Not Love. Not Money. Not Peace of Mind.

POWER is the key.

We at the IOJ have been through hell trying to find an alternative, something that is more palatable, more 'feel good' for the general public. We have not. Joy always comes back to Power.

Six joyful people have been investigated. (Thousands of people were interviewed, yet we could not find more than six who possessed true Joy—including us, and we're damn near blissful.) We analyzed their personality characteristics, their traits, their social status. Only one characteristic fit our cross-reference criteria—Power.

We fought it. First we tried money, but the two blissfulest people were the poorest. We thought race. Again, the part Chinese, part Spanish, part Kenyan, part English, part Croatian scored second highest on our bliss test. So we thought religion, but our group consisted of one Hindu, one Christian, one atheist, one agnostic, one Muslim, and one who believed in all religions depending on the phase of the moon. We were forced to rule religion out.

Devotion. Prayer. Meditation. Lifestyle. Diet. Pets. Relationships. LOVE. Sodas. Addictions. Background. Looks. Weight. Hyperactivity. Marijuana usage. Health. Voice. Rhythm. Flatulence.

All hoped-for characteristics proved to vary, or be completely absent, in at least two of our Joyful subjects.

Only one proved common. POWER.

Each of our six joyful people had an extreme amount of power, both in their personal relationships, and over that part of their life that was deemed most important.

One subject loved women, and she dominated every woman she knew in every way she tried. Sexually, athletically. If she wanted money, she knew she how to get it. If she wanted a massage, she could wile her way to a full-body roseta stone Swedish massage.

One worshiped work, and he was the CEO of a large multi-national company that not only is the number one producer of artificial religious artifacts but also is feared for its success in acquisitions and divestitures.

A third desired attention. We cannot release his name, but he is one of the most recognized faces in the world. People flock to him, some in praise and worship, others with stones. But virtually all know who he is.

These six understood what it took. It was not necessarily conscious—they had not previously made the connection—but they knew in their soul what it took to be happy. Power.

It is all about Power.