The Ministry of Happiness

Often people attempt to live their lives backwards; they try to have more things, or more money, in order to do more of what they want, so they will be happier.  The way it actually works is the reverse.  You must first be who you really are, then do what you need to do, in order to have what you want.  ~Margaret Young

As the season’s turn it is always a good time to take stock, New Year’s Eve with its drunken proclamations and all to often broken resolutions is not nearly frequent enough.  That’s why I like taking stock on the solstice of each season.  Three months is enough time to see progress to your plans and determine if you are on the right path.  So as Friday was the start of Autumn it’s time to look back.

I made some bold decisions a couple of months back, turning down an overseas opportunity and deciding to stay put where I am.  This decision included a commitment on my part to making my current plan come true.  That plan of course included personal and professional goals including working toward a career change and some health goals. 

So, in taking stock let’s look at my health first, I decided for health reasons and a little bit for vanity as well that I needed to drop thirty pounds by the first of the year.  Now about 16 weeks later I’ve lost 17 pounds and am on track to meet my goal.  It hasn’t been easy, the really hard part, cutting back on my eating.  That coupled with an hour of exercise at least five days a week and walking with a buddy every morning, well almost every morning, has kept me on track.

Professionally, I am planning on transitioning out of the 9 to 5 world, moving toward writing, speaking and consulting full-time.  A scary proposition and being someone who has never been fully financially secure, hard to imagine doing without some small anchor position to keep me secure.  I’ve made progress, gaining some additional training this past July and recently doing two speaking engagements with two more scheduled.

On both paths I’m moving forward and on my way, not that there haven’t been set backs and re-adjustments to the plan but forward feels good and it is making me happy to make this progress.

So what are your plans my friends, and how are your plans coming?  I know, many of you have been so busy you have not had time to ask those questions much less come up with the answers.  Today is the day, find some time, 10-15 minutes, reflect on the last three months and plan for the next, I’ll check back in December.  Don’t forget to plan not just for work, health and gain, but for happiness as well.  Have a happy day my friends.

There are two things to aim at in life:  first, to get what you want; and after that, to enjoy it.  Only the wisest of mankind achieve the second.  ~Logan Pearsall Smith, Afterthoughts, 1931