JOY IS MY ARMOUR: When we think of strengths, the usual things come to mind like personal assertiveness, courage, being able to speak fluently in another language, having super qualifications, being a great builder or child minder or being a great cook. There are numerous examples. However, rarely do we think of joy as being a strength. Yet it is probably one of the most important strengths of all. Why? Because it protects our emotional state from the extreme lows and helps us weather the storms. For instance, have you ever been so happy that nothing was able to steal your joy? When you first fell in love you were most likely on cloud nine with your partner and did not even notice his or her flaws. As far as you were concerned they were perfect! Then after a while somehow the marriage or partnership became stale and you started seeing things that you did not like after all. What changed? The answer is that your level of joy dissipated. ......
