Joy isn’t the prize you get for surviving the grind.

By the time Maria sat down for dinner, she’d already logged 10+ hours of work, answered dozens of emails, led meetings, solved problems, and shuttled her kids to their activities. On paper, she had achievement. She had meaning.

But joy? Nowhere on the calendar.

That stuck with me, because it was me for many years. Sadly, some good ones where I missed my son growing up.

HBR recently published research showing that joy is the missing pillar for many ambitious professionals. Even when we’re rich in accomplishment and purpose, our actual moments of happiness are rare and fleeting... often squeezed out by the sheer volume of things we’re “supposed” to get done.

What struck me most wasn’t just the time crunch (most professionals have ~3 discretionary hours a day). It was this: how we spend that time matters far more than how much of it we have.

The most joyful people in the study weren’t logging endless leisure. They were intentional. They spent more of their scarce free hours with others, because connection amplifies joy. On active pursuits, not just passive scrolling. Doing what they personally valued, not what others deemed “worthwhile.”

It’s a good reminder for all of us: if joy is missing, the whole system suffers. Without it, achievement turns hollow and meaning starts to crack. With it, we create a virtuous cycle—showing up better for our teams, our families, and ourselves.

Joy isn’t the prize you get for surviving the grind. It’s the reason any of it matters in the first place.

https://hbr.org/2025/07/how-the-busiest-people-find-joy