During the holidays, we are surrounded with messages about the power of joy. But why is joy looked at as only a seasonal thing? I think it should be lived year-round, and not just outside your professional life.

So where does joy fit in the business world?

“How we feel profoundly influences how well we perform at work and socially,” says my friend Randy Garn, managing partner at the High Performance Institute. “Research shows that joy is one of the best predictors of the good life we all strive to achieve.”

Popular opinion holds that joy is a result of being happy. I think that’s backward. Joy allows you to be happy. Happy feelings are temporary. Joy is much deeper than that. True joy is untouched by circumstance.

“Joy does not simply happen to us. We have to choose joy and keep choosing it every day,” said theologian Henri Nouwen.

Studies show joy can positively affect us physically and emotionally. The release of neurotransmitters dopamine and serotonin in our brains increases feelings of elation and joy.

Poet laureate Maya Angelou said, “We need joy as we need air.”

Brendon Burchard, another good friend and the best-selling author of “High Performance Habits,” uses notification triggers as a way to remind him throughout the day to “bring the joy.” When going through his work routine, his alarm reminds him to bring positivity to his day.

I couldn’t agree more. We cannot wait for circumstances to bring us joy. We must make our own joy.

“Right now, there is so much negativity in the world,” Brendon says. “People are angry and complaining. If you don’t have joy, you can generate it by the way that you think and act. We are responsible for our emotions. It’s up to you to generate positive emotions, and joy is one of them.”

To incorporate joy in your life, Brendon cites four things that I’ll expand on:

1. We have to trigger happiness. My take: Happiness is a state of mind. So are anger, sorrow, disappointment and loneliness. The mind is the most powerful tool in the universe, but you are the one who controls it. Happiness is a powerful, addictive narcotic.

2. Use humor. I believe life is too short to be serious all the time. How dull our existence would be without the potential to see the lighter side of situations. And how hopeless, too! Humor often represents hope, that the worst is behind us and better things are coming. It also demonstrates that we are able to handle what life throws our way. Life isn’t always funny, but a sense of humor always helps.

3. Be helpful. In my opinion, helping people not only makes them feel better, but it also makes YOU feel better. It lifts moods and gives you a high similar to the endorphins you experience when running and competing in sports. People who do volunteer work and help others on a regular basis have a healthier outlook on life. They are more inclined to be go-getters and consistently report to be happier in life.

4. Appreciate and honor people. Give a compliment or thank someone. We all love to receive praise. Compliments do wonders for our sense of hearing. Everyone likes a pat on the back and a hearty “Well done!” Develop an attitude of gratitude.

A friend shared a wonderful message from his parish priest that helped him understand three things that might be getting in the way of a joyful life: self-pity, worry and complaining. These detractors are universal problems, not confined to any particular religion. If you recognize those tendencies in yourself, you can take action to eliminate them and make room for joy instead.

You have a choice, and I hope you can find the joy in your life not just during this holiday season but all year long. I promise you will notice the difference almost immediately. And so will those around you.

One of my favorite authors, Norman Vincent Peale, offered this gem: “Joy increases as you give it, and diminishes as you try to keep it yourself. In giving it, you will accumulate a deposit of joy greater than you ever believed possible.”

Mackay’s Moral: Life doesn’t have to be perfect to be filled with joy.

There is an old Chinese story about a woman who lost her only son. She went to the holy man in her village and asked, “What mystic powers do you have that will lift the pain from my heart?”

“There is a wonderful thing you can do,” he said. “I want you to go get me a mustard seed from a home that has no problems. Such a mustard seed can ward off your own problems.”

So she traveled to a beautiful mansion. Nothing could possibly be wrong there, she thought. She knocked on the door and said, “I am looking for a mustard seed from a home where there are no problems. It is very important to me.”

“Oh," they said, “you have come to the wrong house.” They began listing all of their family problems, and the list went on and on.

The woman thought to herself, “Well, I certainly know something about problems, for I have my own. Maybe I can be of help to them.” And she was. She listened to and comforted them, and they all felt better.

Instead of giving gifts to others this holiday season, maybe this is a good year to give yourself. There are many charities that are hurting, especially during this pandemic and the hardships it has inflicted on so many.

Fortunately, the options are many, even when we’re locked down or limited in opportunities to connect in person.

Financial donations are always appreciated. And if you are good at raising money, offer your services. There’s always a huge need for help, and even if you can’t afford to donate cash, giving your time will be greatly appreciated.

You don’t have to look far to find a good place to start. Participating in -- or organizing -- a food drive serves an immediate local need. I’ve heard about several local companies, whose employees are currently working from home, that have opted to collect food and cash from employees as a holiday project. The employees from one have even decided to continue the practice monthly, due to the enthusiastic response from their co-workers. What a gift to folks who lack the basics.

Clothing drives, toy collections, giving trees: There are so many activities around the holidays that can use all the help they can get. It doesn’t require a big commitment, but sharing with someone you don’t even know is the kind of gift that means so much to the recipient.

The pandemic has kept us apart, but it has also helped us find new ways to be together. A phone call to brighten a friend’s day, an errand for someone who can’t leave their home, a little surprise package left on a doorstep or at a homeless shelter -- all these are simple ways to share your gifts with others. Write a letter to a service member, a thank-you to emergency workers or to a school whose teachers have worked hard to keep in touch with their students.

In other words, it’s an opportunity to focus on someone else’s needs besides your own. Like the woman in the story above, we can all find ways to connect with people who could use a little encouragement or assistance. And as she learned, this is a gift you also give yourself.

Don’t limit these gifts to the holiday season. The need never goes away. As you will discover, there is always someone who needs something you have to offer.

It all boils down to one truth: We’re all in this together. Whatever we do to help a neighbor or stranger can change a life. The rewards are often so much greater than the gift itself.

A man was speaking with God about heaven and hell. “I will show you hell,” said God. They went into a room that had a delicious beef stew on the table, around which people sat chained to their benches, looking desperately famished. They held spoons with long handles that reached into the pot, but were too long to put the stew back into their mouths. Their suffering was terrible.

“Now I will show you heaven,” said God. They then went into an identical room with the savory stew on the table, where people sat with identical spoons with long handles, but they were well nourished and joyous.

The man was baffled until God said, “Quite simply, you see, these people have learned to feed each other.”

Mackay’s Moral: Make every season a season for giving.

An old ranch owner named John had a small spread in Montana. The state government claimed he was not paying proper wages to his workers, so it sent an agent to check things out.

"I need a list of your employees here, along with how much you pay them," said the agent.

"Well," replied old John, "there's my ranch hand Silas, who's been with me for three years. I pay him $600 a week plus free room and board. The cook, Ben, has been here for 18 months, and I pay him $500 a week plus free room and board. Then there's the half-wit who works about 18 hours every day and does about 90% of all the work around here. He makes about $10 per week, pays his own room and board, and I buy him a bottle of bourbon every Saturday night."

"That's the guy I want to talk to, the half-wit," said the agent.

"That would be me," replied John.

Hard work is the most important key to success. Without a willingness to work hard, business success is nearly impossible. No matter what industry you work in, hard work is most often the secret to success. Take it from Thomas Edison, who said success is "1% inspiration, 99% perspiration."

One of the keys to hard work is motivation. But how do you stay motivated to do the hard work necessary to be successful? For some, it's accomplishing small tasks in order to achieve big goals. For others, it's focus, consistency, dedication and perseverance.

For me, it's a three-pronged approach: I keep physically fit to accomplish what I need to; I start out each day with my most important task; and I reward myself often for working hard. I like to surround myself with positive, motivated people who encourage me.

The harder you work for something, the better you'll feel when you achieve it. Working hard becomes a habit, a serious kind of fun. You get self-satisfaction from pushing yourself to the limit, knowing that all the effort is going to pay off.

Sam Walton, founder of Walmart, said: "If you love your work, you'll be out there every day trying to do it the best you possibly can, and pretty soon, everybody around will catch the passion from you -- like a fever."

Work isn't work if you enjoy it. I'm so convinced of that notion that the subtitle of one of my books is, "Do What You Love, Love What You Do, and Deliver More Than You Promise."

Sam Ewing, former professional baseball player, said: "Hard work spotlights the character of people: Some turn up their sleeves, some turn up their noses, and some don't turn up at all."

To work hard you need to minimize distractions. Interruptions are a killer because you lose focus and productivity. That's why I set aside time at the end of the day for returning phone calls and emails.

Many people talk about multitasking, but I think it's detrimental to accomplishing your goals. It's hard to constantly start and stop what you are doing. Finishing the task at hand is tremendous motivation to move on to the next.

Author David Bly offers this assessment: "Striving for success without hard work is like trying to harvest where you haven't planted."

In a small village lived a hardworking farmer who owned a vast vineyard. Year after year the vineyard provided a rich harvest, and the farmer became very successful. He had three sons who were young and energetic but never bothered to work hard. As the farmer grew old, he began to worry about his sons' future.

Then he fell very ill and realized his death was fast approaching. He called the sons and told them: "Dear sons, I see my death nearing me, but before I bid goodbye to all of you, I want to share a secret. There is a treasure hidden under the fields. Dig the entire field after my death to find it."

The old farmer died. After the funeral, the sons began to dig for the treasure without leaving any part of the field untouched, but they found nothing. However, their digging of the field led to a healthy crop and resulted in huge earnings. This made the sons realize what their father meant: Hard work pays off.

Fruits of hard work are always sweet, whether or not they are in the form you expect.

Mackay's Moral: Pray for a good crop but don't forget to hoe.