”Joy” is a deeper and very different word than “happiness.” Joy, as we like to say, is the purpose of life and a choice we make. Joy is an attitude. Joy is a paradigm. Joy is a way of life. We can’t always choose the paths our life will take, but we can always control how we respond to those paths and what we try to learn and feel from them.

The third book the Eyres ever wrote was called The Discovery of Joy and it set the tone and the theme for much of their subsequent writing. The thesis of the book is that there are four levels of true joy: 1. The Physical Joy of Body and Earth, 2. The Social and Emotional Joy of Relationships and Achievements, 3. The Mental Joy of understanding the long range purpose of our thoughts and deeds, and 4. The Spiritual Joy of feeling Divine approval of what we are doing and who we are becoming.

But the real story of this book began long. before it was written and continues long after. The concept of the superiority of Joy over Happiness and the notion that Joy can become the theme and the pursuit of family life and move us toward lasting marriages and successful kids is something Richard and Linda had pursued for years and that eventually led to the founding of Joy Schools, a preschool curriculum that is now worldwide and that has been participated in by more than 300,000 families. (several years after writing The Discovery of Joy, the Eyres wrote Teaching Children Joy which became the actual prototype and catalyst and essential curriculum for Joy Schools.) The belief is that small children should not be pushed into early academics but should, instead, experience a real and joyful childhood. Joy School is a do-it-yourself preschool where moms form a group and rotate as teacher using lesson plans that have been developed over 30 years.

Interestingly, the new year of Joy School is currently on sale here on ValuesParenting, and the Eyres’ mother, Ruth S. Eyre who developed the full 12 unit curriculum from Richard and Linda’s books is honored this week (her birthday week–she would be 97).

But it all started with this book, and you can learn more about it via a podcast that the Eyres did 2 days ago, and you can get the whole book for free at EyresFreeBooks.com.

Podcast Free e-Book Joy School on Sale

No one, on their deathbed, says “Oh gee, I wish I had spent more time at the office.” What ends up mattering most in life is not the things we accomplish or the accolades we win; what matters most is the strength of our relationships with those we love most.

This week the Eyres continue their series on the core message of each of their 50 published books on family, parenting, marriage, and life balance. This is the second week in the series, and the focus is on their second book, titled Relationships, With Self, With Family, and With God (co-authored with Paul H. Dunn).

The prime message of the book is that relationships are more important than achievements and deserve an equal or greater amount of time and mental energy. While achievement goals are often set with numbers and percentages and quantitative measurement, relationship goals are set with descriptive paragraphs about what you want a particular relationship (with a spouse, or a child, or with God) to be like in five years.

Those who deliberately change their priorities from achievements to relationships will find ways to improve the one thing that, late in life, everyone wishes they had spent more time and effort on–the key relationships of their life.

For more on this book and to read it for free:

Podcast Free e-Book

This week’s post begins a series by the Eyres on the main concepts from their 50 published books, all of which take aim at strengthening families. The books covered in this series are free at EyresFreeBooks.com. Each week, Richard and Linda will summarize the main thrust of one of their publications, summarizing the points it makes about parenting, marriage and life-balance.

50 is a big number for the Eyres this year, as a new grandson became the 50th member of their family and as they celebrate their 50th anniversary this month.

The first of Linda and Richard Eyre’s 50 books was published in 1972 while Richard was a graduate student at Harvard, and was co-authored with Paul H. Dunn. It went through dozens of printings and sold in the hundreds of thousands. It has two front covers, one titled I Challenge You and the other titled I Promise You. A reader can start from the Challenge side and read one of the 21 challenges, and then flip the book over to read the corresponding Promise that follows the Challenge. Sample Challenges: To write your diary in advance, To be gentle with yourself, To forge a Joyful Family.

From the Promise side, one can read the promise desired, and then flip the book over to read the challenge that leads to that promise. Sample promises: That you will have a secret smiling of the heart, That you will learn to like yourself, That you will see more clearly the right forks in your life’s road.

For more on this first book of fifty and to read the book for free:

Podcast Free e-Book

Richard has been working on this book for three decades, and it is finally being released on New Year’s day. It is a book with two front covers. The Happiness Paradox explores the problem that is created when we look for happiness in the wrong places and with the wrong attitudes. The paradox is that most of us pursue Control, Ownership, and Independence in the belief that the more of them we have, the happier we will be. But in fact, these are the three things that pull us away from true happiness. The first “side” of the book presents the problem, and when the book is flipped over to The Happiness Paradigm, the alternative attitudes of Serendipity, Stewardship, and Synergicity are suggested as the opposite approaches that can “turn our lives right-side up.”

Richard’s research for this book took he and Linda to the ancient manuscripts in the British Museum and the emerald jungles of Sri Lanka and changed the way they live their life and the way they raised their family. “Essentially,” Richard says, “This book chronicles my 30-year search for the true antecedents of lasting happiness, and what I found is that we have to get rid of the attitudes that bring unhappiness before we can discover the true paths to real joy.”

The book is released on New Year’s day because it forms the basic framework for what could be the most thorough and life-changing New Year’s resolution that you will ever make. For a limited time, you can buy the book for 30% off.

For additional information on The Happiness Paradox:

TV Appearance Podcast

Happy New Year!

We have worked with our publisher and sponsors to extend three special offers for baby boomers through the month of January. If you received this email and are not (yet) in your 50s or 60s, please forward this to your parents or others who you feel could benefit from some great chances to create a positive strategy for their senior years.

As you may know, much of our writing and speaking of late has been to grandparents like ourselves! And out of it has come a whole new philosophy that we call Life in Full which is aimed at making “the autumn of life” richer, happier and more fulfilling. Out if it has come three specific ways to participate:

1. A free copy of our book Life in Full, where we try to create a vivid vision of how good life can be at this stage—with the emphasis on grandchildren, relationships, and adventure; including some insights on how to preserve the health and the wealth that can make it all possible. To get a free copy, just go to lifeinfullonq.com.

2. A Life in Full cruise, where we will spend 6 sea days discussing the various possibilities and challenges that come with this empty-nester autumn season of life; and have some great times in London before the transatlantic trip, and in NYC at the end of the trip. If you or someone you love might like to come along, go to lifeinfullcruise.com.

3. Interactive discussions and brainstorming at a Life in Full retreat in the beautiful Heber Valley of Utah where we will combine recreation with re-creation and lay out some dynamic new approaches for maximizing both our longevity and our legacy. Get more information and get signed up here.

If you are a baby boomer or a grandparent, we hope you will join us in one or more of these opportunities. If you are not quite that old yet, please forward this along to any seniors in your family or among your acquaintances who might be interested in these opportunities.

Happy New Year,
Richard and Linda Eyre