For those that practice mindfulness, where's your joy come from?

Hi. There's many different philosophies that focus on mindfulness, buddhism comes to mind. But I'm currently reading The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle, if anyone's heard of that.

Anyways, the core concept is not to identify with your thoughts and to live in the "Now". Once you are present in the stillness of the "Now", you will get a sense of peace and joy.

Now this has been very helpful for me, as I have strongly identified with my negative thoughts as being truly who I am in the past. I am learning to merely observe these thoughts without judging them one way or the other, and they often do lose their power over me... which is great!

But the problem is that when I am in the present stillness and awareness of the "Now", I don't feel much of anything. I don't feel a strong sense of joy or peace, I just feel nothingness. It eventually turns back to boredom and restlessness.

How has mindfulness been working out for you who practice it? Have you made progress in the problem that I'm having? What practices do you use, and who do you like to learn from?

I learned a long time ago that if I sought to understand and appreciate others that I suddenly had less time, and MUCH less need, to dwell on why I wasn't "peaceful" or "joyful".

I've found Stoicism, particularly the writings of Seneca, to be a great help in achieving peace of mind. I've been blessed in many ways in my life, and I make it a point to count my blessings regularly. I've had my share of family deaths and disappointments in love, but these are part of life and I don't dwell on them, but rather resign myself to their inevitability. I don't live in the past or the future because I recognize that only the present, the "Now" as you call it, is real. I've never been bored or restless, perhaps because I only do things that I enjoy, and find something to enjoy in everything I do.