Warm and fuzzy… calm and collected… exuberant and passionate – these are all feelings that are important for a fulfilling life but can sometimes escape us when we’re going non-stop at a million miles an hour and the world is speeding by.
Being an ambitious sort, I admit, I have been unimpressed with the ‘speed bumps’ on the way to some important goals for myself – such as illness and major priority clashes – but know that I’m incredibly lucky to be able to be in a position to get past disappointment at missing self imposed deadlines, shake off any negative self talk (seriously… that shizzle helps no one!). shift some deadlines, take a step back and re-evaluate / re-plan and essentially have another go at what I was looking to achieve in the first place.
Looking at the shifting goalposts of the last few months has inspired me to write today’s post.
No… it’s not about tightening up your goal setting abilities.
Not about getting focused.
Not even about not being so hard on yourself
(… all of which are very valid topics that I have… or will write about)…
Instead, I’m cutting to the chase and am encouraging you to pause, catch your breath (yes… breeeathe) – and sharpen your ability to find your happy place – right now.
What is this happy place? Well… as the beginning of the post suggested – it’s a place (can be physical, mental or anything in between) where you feel warm and fuzzy, grateful, exuberant and at peace – and alive. I place where you truly feel joy.
*Sigh*… sounds awesome right? Exactly – which is why today is the day for you to reflect in your happy place(s) – so you can have an instant ‘win’ when feeling overwhelmed and getting into that realm where you start to be hard on yourself and / or lose perspective.
Because ‘happy places’ are so personal – I don’t have a formula for you beyond encouraging you to think about how and when you really do feel happy and fulfilled. What I would say though is that it’s handy to have a combination of ‘dream’ / ‘once in awhile’ happy places AND places / moods you can create exactly where you are (for little or no money).
For inspiration… here are a few of mine, in no order of any kind (do share yours in the comments on this post!)
#1: A beach. More or less any sandy beach and blue sky combo. (The one pictured here is in Barbados)…
#2: Spending time with my gorgeous hubby – whenever and wherever we are together it feels like ‘home’ – uber happy…
#3: Soca Music – I love music generally, but soca music (from the Caribbean) never fails to make me smile. No exaggeration. Never. Ever. It’s like magic. (Click on the link below for a track from Trinidad Carnival 2014 called Happiest Man Alive by Machel Montano – a fab soca artiste from Trinidad)
Maaaan… I love thinking about this as the list goes on and includes dancing, participating in carnivals, spending time with my parents (in person always best but even via Skype is great), catching up with my girlfriends, completing my daily Shaun T T25 workout (notice I say completing… being in the midst is intense and not necessarily happiness inducing!), working with my coaching clients, watching old episodes of Desmond’s or The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, lying on my living room sofa (comfortable beyond comfortable) – and so much more.
So – a few of my happy places are above. What about yours? Do make sure you take the time to think about and list (write down… not just in your head) some of them – and make a commitment to treating yourself a regular journey there. After all… deadlines and pressures in relations to your goals and dreams need to be balanced out with these daily joys (that’s what life’s all about… right?)
Do share here…
Gina Visram is a career coach, speaker, mentor and author who works with career driven people in relationships and couples who are ready to work hard at being successful in their careers and personal lives – on their own terms. She has recently published
Happily Ever After for Grown Ups: A Post-Wedding, Blues-Busting Guide for Newlyweds” and is committed to helping people get over overwhelm and achieve the career success/life balance they seek. For more information and to sign up to her free newsletter visit www.limitlesscoaching.com.
