Most people are taught to treat joy as a reward to be longed for. That approach works until it doesn’t. You chase joy until an unknown point in time, and once you arrive at the finish line, it always seems to move. Your accomplishments get whisked by as though it’s just another Tuesday afternoon, nothing special, and no recognition.
Joy predicts life satisfaction through resilience, not just “feeling good.” Research shows that people didn’t become more satisfied just because they felt happier. “Joy involves physical and cognitive freedom to ‘broaden and build,’ which involves exploring and creating new…schemas and…resources.”
Joy functions more like your foundation. It’s your starting point, not your finish line. Your joy is unique to you, but it’s also a practical tool that guides your decision-making. It’s all about being rooted in joy from the beginning.
Life is busy, so it’s easy to get caught up in your day-to-day to-do list without considering your future self. We’re going to reverse the process by starting in the future, then building actions that will make her proud.
Ensure your short-term goals align with your longterm vision by naming your long-term goals, then building your to-do list with actions that support them. This is how you transition into creating a strategy for your life that you can follow rather than a reactionary string of disconnected to-do lists. You’re working hard, so why not work hard toward your dream life?
My First Ten-Year Vision
My current ten-year vision is so big it scares me, but so did the last one. I took baby steps to get there and remained faithful that it could happen, while I ignored the doubts and doubters.
My initial vision was that I wanted to live in a more diverse city, I wanted an international airport, I wanted public transportation, I wanted to work at a Fortune 500, I wanted to own my own business, I wanted to travel the world with friends, I wanted financial stability, and I wanted to build a family.
And that’s it. The vision led me to research and learn what could make that vision, driven by joy, possible.
When I first developed my life strategy, I didn’t know the name of my company or the city I’d live in. Those weren’t the things I needed to know to make the decision. What I needed for myself was a vision. Something I believed in and could build toward over time.
This is what I wrote down in February of 2014 for my life at the age of twenty-nine:
I live an exciting life full of love and growth in a city I adore! I am continually learning about my own body while joyfully sharing my knowledge of health and nutrition with others. I regularly schedule excursions around the world with my husband, kiddos, and best girls (Lauren, Fallon, and mom).
I am the founder of Royal Barkery, a successful organic dog treat company that improves the life of man’s best friend through nutritious treats & philanthropy. My darling puppy love, Chanel, has aged gracefully yet still enjoys play dates and traveling with me. Chanel is a registered therapy dog with monthly visits bringing licks and love to hundreds of people each year.
I sit on boards with organizations that improve the quality of life for disadvantaged women. I am honored to facilitate the means for them to have everything from interview attire to access to higher education and more. I have my CYT 200 and use it while teaching therapeutic yoga classes at my local women’s shelter.
Some things changed along the way, but the essence remained the same.
You have to have grace with yourself and understand that your journey will most likely not be a linear path and that changes will arise. You are human after all, which means you are growing and learning more each day. This includes learning about yourself, which can lead to changes in your joy and, in turn, in the vision for your life.
It is important during this process to give yourself space to grow into it more deeply. I typically do a vision and goals session with myself at least once a year. It’s a great way to refresh myself to ensure alignment with my joy, vision, and goals as I evolve.
A life without growth would be boring! That’s why you must get comfortable with change as it is inevitable…within yourself as well as the world around you. I get that change can be scary and often uncomfortable, since you were used to the way things were and were familiar with how to keep things as they were. Change brings about several unknowns. Focus on the positive possibilities and outcomes of change rather than the negatives of losing what currently exists. We can honor and be grateful for our past selves, but not live as them in the present. For example, I love baby Bose. She was so naive in some ways and lived a different life than I do now. The difference is that she learned, grew, and evolved.
I actually prefer the word evolve to change. Evolving includes growth and gratitude for the person you once were. Evolving is much deeper than changing. Change feels like a light switch just going on and then off, but your journey will be deeper than that, deeper than simply flipping a switch, and you’re there at the finish line.
One change can put a kink in things, BUT everything changing at once is a whole different story.
What I realize is what my bestie, Lauren, has always said, “You’re the master of your destiny.”
She says it so plainly and simply, and she has since we were in college. I used to hear her say it and brush by, sometimes even wondering how? But now I realize it’s actually one of the most profound things that I go back to anytime I have a doubt or am feeling scared about something the world has brought my way. Being the master of my own destiny means that all the shifts are the result of my own decisions.
My decisions for peace have brought temporary chaos while I figure out my new norm, but there is always beauty in the process. Being the master of my own destiny means it is literally time for me to create my dream life, crafting it like a fine piece of art. And it’s time for you to create your dream life, too! Leaning into my joy as the torch lighting my pathway has led me to have a thriving career in Corporate Social Responsibility along with starting my own company where I empower others to build their dream life both personally and professionally. It’s also meant that I sit on non-profit boards where I get to make a community impact.
About the Author
Bose Akadiri is The Joy Amplifier. She’s a motivational keynote speaker, corporate trainer, author, and CEO of Goal and Grind LLC where she partners with high-achieving professionals and forward-thinking organizations to leverage joy as a strategic advantage for setting goals, building strong teams and creating meaningful results. Renowned for her dynamic corporate workshops where Bose empowers dreams, elevates teams, and transforms organizations. In addition to Goal and Grind, she has led a distinguished career in Corporate Social Responsibility at Boeing, Salesforce, and JPMorgan Chase.
Her new book, The Stay Joyful Method: Using Joy as a Tool to Rise, Lead, and Redefine Success releases April 28, 2026.
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