It’s ok to be happy RIGHT NOW
Hi guys! Welcome to Episode 111 of the Wildly Successful Lifestyle podcast! If you enjoy this episode share it and don’t forget to subscribe and give a 5 star rating because it helps! So…..How’s it going with you? And I mean that in a way that I really want you to think about that. How are you feeling really? Are you struggling to feel happy? Are you having moments of despair…maybe you feel overwhelmed with all the things we have been dealing with? Well, I can safely say you are not alone! SO many of us are having those same feelings, but we are going to find some ways out of that today…I promise.
So, happiness. What is it? One definition has it as a state of well being and contentment.
It’s a state that I think we all strive for, regardless of what our position in life is, Happiness is the ultimate goal. And just like each of us has a different version of what a “Wildly Successful Lifestyle” looks like, we all have a different idea of what makes us happy. But there are some things that are universal. The first one being having a compelling future. Tony Robbins says he can tell if someone is happy or not by whether or not they have a compelling future. If you’re like me you have to ask So what is a compelling future? There are lots of fancy ways people say it, but I’m going to use language that I understand and can get excited about…It’s having a future that you can picture, that you can see, that you are excited about and that no matter what happens, no matter what setbacks you have, you keep working towards that future. That’s my definition. What does that look like for you? If you are thinking to yourself, Man I don’t really know, do I have a compelling future? This may be a first area to start. It doesn’t have to be a glorious financial career, it could be as easy as joining a club, being part of something, One of my favorites is joining a challenge of some kind where everyone is working towards the same thing so you have built in cheerleaders. Some people get it through church or volunteering. Is there a team you can be a part of? And I know COVID has strained this but guess what? We are all in the same boat and we are all responsible for our own happiness…and I feel we are on our way out of a lot of those restrictions from COVID anyway, so there’s light at the end of the tunnel. Keep in mind I’m forever an optimist… One other thing, let’s not forget the kids too, boy are they struggling right now. My Niece has a love and drive for cheer that amazes me. I asked her a few weeks ago how she was loving cheer and she said “I’m not loving it so much. They’ve taken all the fun out of it”. When I asked her how’s that…she said the competitions have all been canceled so it’s like there’s nothing to work for. It drove a knife in my heart to hear that. We have to remember they are struggling too and they have a need for a compelling future as well.
Often..people will tell you happiness is enjoying the journey. When you hear the phrase “Enjoy the Journey ”. Does that sound cheesy to you? It’s ok if it does, it did for me for a long time. I was like yeah ok but I have this goal and I’m working towards that and I will be sooo happy when I reach that goal. But I found that is a faulty way of looking at it. Why is that? Because what happens if you don’t make the goal? What if it takes you WAY longer than you thought it would? What if your goal changes? OR what happens When you DO reach the goal, now what? I started this podcast almost a year ago. Seems like forever but then it also seems like yesterday. When I started, I had thoughts of wanting 10,000 listeners every episode and I want to make 6 figures and I want to knock it out of the ballpark every single time. And guess what? I’m not there yet, but I figured out along the way that I was totally enjoying the journey and if I only had ONE listener each episode, and I made a difference in ONE life, I would love the creation of something. But it wasn’t always like that. At first, I would watch the numbers and be like Oh, people liked that one and the next time the number would go down and I would think “Nobody cares, nobody is listening”. I was embarrassed that I wasn’t further along. but I was doing so much self work along with creating each episode that I realized when those thoughts would arise, it was me comparing myself to people that had been podcasting for a long time. It was me tying my happiness to the end result instead of realizing how much enjoyment I get from creating. I started getting smaller, realistic goals that were attainable but just out of reach. I also took on the attitude that if I helped no-one else but my little sister, who was the only one listening besides my husband when I first started out, even if I just made a difference in her life, I was making the world a better place and making a difference. I also give myself small wins along the way. I have made sure that I don’t miss an episode which makes me happy and proud that I don’t let you guys down. I also listen to certain podcasts regularly…And that I really look forward to, Like I can’t wait for Thursday because Brooke’s weekly episode comes out that day and it’s ALWAYS there. And I want to give that to you guys too. If I wasn’t “enjoying the journey” I would have stopped at month 3. Is there something right now where you are tying your happiness to the end result and maybe it would help to just have fun getting there by making it more fun or rewarding yourself along the way? This really does apply to every area of your life. Life is meant to be enjoyed and you should be having fun!
A big part of me feels like I’m happiest when I am healthy and very fit. It has taken me a while to enjoy the fitness journey but I hate to tell you but that journey is never going to end… This is a lifelong journey of health and wellness. It doesn’t end once you reach a goal…Tying your happiness to a specific end result in this area is TOUGH. And if you’re like me once, when you reach a goal you move the goalposts. Or maybe COVID comes along and closes the gyms or worse, you get sick or break a leg? It’s so much easier to be consistent if you’re “enjoying the journey”. It’s important to make this fun and give yourself wins along the way. If I’m on a run…sometimes your mind wants to tell you you’re tired and to stop but you know your body could keep going…this is when I give myself little wins along the way. For instance, I say if you just keep running to that stop sign, and then if you want to walk you can, once I get to the stop sign, I’m like Awesome! And my body is nowhere near needing to stop so I’m going to run to that next light pole and then at that pole I know I can keep going so I do…you get the picture. Sometimes I have to do that 4 or 5 times during a run and sometimes I could run 5 miles without using that technique once. It’s all about what you find that works for YOU! AND please Don’t compare yourself to anyone else by the way, that’s the quickest way to lose your happiness. Having someone that inspires you is one thing but like Mark Twain said “Comparison is the death of Joy” and there’s lots of science to back that up…so stop it. I love you though…:)
Finally, Happiness is so much easier when you are OK with where you are currently. Being happy where you are IN SPITE OF your circumstances. Not the size you want to be? This is your starting point, it’s as simple as that. Not loving your job? Figure out what you’re really really naturally good at and figure out a way to do that! This is YOUR life and YOU only have one and you know what? There are no limits except for the ones you put on yourself…Every single day is a new day and you can recreate yourself whenever you decide you’re ready, no-one is going to do it for you but I will certainly cheer you on. So my challenge to you this week is to figure out a way to have a compelling future and not make it complicated, it could mean joining a group fitness or starting that book you have always thought about. Second, No matter what you are doing, tie your happiness to the process, not the end result because that’s a moving target. Give yourself small wins along the way and never look back. I love you guys and will talk to you in a few days.
