Are you happy? What are you doing about it?

2010 is when I really started to consider that I am fully responsible and accountable for my happiness. I was introduced to The Secret and it completely changed how I viewed the world and my life. Suddenly I was the one in control. I decided how I was going to feel. It was exhilarating, and yet terrifying.

I want you think about this: What are the activities that truly make you feel happy? I don't mean what do you do because someone else wants you to do it and you want them to be happy. What are YOU doing to enhance YOUR happiness? Are you one of the millions of people who are so busy doing "things" that you don't have time for you? It's time to stop. it's time to include you in the list of people you need to take care of.

After reading this post I want you to do a visualizing exercise. Close your eyes and imagine you have 30 days of no bills, no cleaning, no cooking, no driving, and the kids are completely taken care of.What would you do with your time? Would you wake up and go work out? Would you meet up with friends for breakfast or lunch? Would you write a book? Would you work on creating that software program you've been thinking about for years? Would you you sign up for guitar lessons, learn a foreign language, or travel? What thoughts did you have that put a smile on your face? Now open your eyes and write down the following:

1- What was the activity (or activities)?

2- How did you feel while participating in the activity?

3- why did doing this make you feel this way? What about it put a smile on your face?

You now have a place to start. Whatever it is, it is possible, with some thought and planning.

If you're like most people, as soon as you wrote down what activities make you happy, your brain starting listing the reasons that you can't do them. Am I right? Not a problem. Now write down the reasons you "can't" do the activities that make you happy. For each one of those excuses, for that is exactly what they are, write down the following:

1- How can you prevent it? If there is something or someone who will potentially stop you, what can you do ahead of time to prevent that from happening?

2- What can you do to overcome it if it does happen, if the person or thing still tries to stop you?

For example, if you're like me, some of the activities that you enjoy, or want to enjoy, are out of your price range. For those activities, is there something you can do that is related? If you want to travel, can you start by taking foreign language classes or even attend a cultural festival or cooking classes? These activities will get you on the path to learning about the culture and you'll be introduced to others others who have the same interest. You can also look for tour companies or travel agents that will allow you to make payments. If you have kids but can't leave them behind, find a place that is family friendly and has a kids club where you can drop them off for a few hours. Another example, if you want to get into yoga but can't afford regular classes, find a school that lets you pay by the class. There is one close to me that has one day each week where all they ask for is a donation of a non-perishable food item. Use that time to learn the basics, then watch YouTube videos at home for free, or look for meet-ups in your area. There are ways to overcome your constraints, you just have to think through it a little more.

Okay so now that you've identified what makes you happy and how to overcome the objections, it's time to get started. In addition to the above questions, I've linked to a FREE "What makes me happy" worksheet. This worksheet will help you think of some of the little things that you love: https://bit.ly/2DJMls3

Once you complete this exercise, grab the goal setting worksheet from last week and make happiness one of your goals.