TLC Application VOCABULARY Find ‘Enjoyment’ in Your Life

The words we use do not just describe our experience — they shape it. The vocabulary you choose is, in a very real sense, the filter through which you process and create your inner life. Two words that most people use interchangeably carry entirely different energies and outcomes: pleasure and enjoyment. Understanding the distinction between them is one of the most practical steps you can take toward a life that genuinely satisfies rather than one that constantly chases and never arrives.

The Vocabulary That Changed Everything

Take the words “fear” or “afraid.” Once you understand what these words actually do to you, you stop authorizing them. Instead of saying “I am afraid of that,” you say “I have a concern about that” or “I am concerned.” Just that simple vocabulary change means you never have to feel fear again by your own hand. The freedom that comes with that is remarkable.

The same principle applies to pleasure and enjoyment. All through life, most of us thought the goal was to feel pleasure. But when you look at what pleasure actually is, you may want to reconsider what you really want.

Pleasure vs. Enjoyment

Pleasure belongs to the body and the senses. It is a feeling produced by something outside of you — food, sensation, a substance, entertainment. It is real, but it is passive and can be manipulated by the mind and by selfish behavior. It is also temporary and can become destructive when the mind latches onto it — what started as pleasurable can become a habit, a compulsion, a dependency.

Enjoyment is different. To enjoy something, there has to be a sense of accomplishment. You can enjoy great company after a shared event, not before. You can feel the anticipation of pleasure before meeting someone special, but you cannot know that you genuinely enjoyed them until after the planned goal of spending quality time together has been achieved. You give all you have to the experience, and when the goal is being accomplished, you feel enjoyment — because it is coming from within, not from outside.

Make a list of the things you enjoy — find out what they are and look at them. You will find the common denominator to be a planned event with a goal of doing well that requires thought energy, then action energy to do well.

Why Enjoyment Outlasts Pleasure

Then make a list of the things you find pleasure in — and you will know it is far more rewarding to seek enjoyment rather than pleasure all the time. Because it is up to you to feel enjoyment about your goals, and that feeling comes from within. Pleasure always happens from something outside of you. And happiness that comes from without is always temporary, always dependent on external conditions staying favorable.

Remember: happiness comes from within, not without. Always seek to do the things you enjoy. Not the things that merely please you in the moment — but the things that engage your full effort, challenge your creativity, require your presence, and leave you feeling like something real was accomplished. That is enjoyment. And it is available in far more moments than most of us realize.