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Over the years I have spent a lot of time defining what happiness or fulfillment means to me. There are many things that make me happy: a great family, honesty, life long friends, a loving relationship, ambition, success, loving the work I do every day, strong beliefs.
I have been able to define true happiness for me as being true to who I am, to my ideals and my core values, and consistently being “me” at every moment of every day. Being true to me does not imply a need for external approval of “me.” Being true to me means requires resisting pressures to conform while being flexible enough to accept that the “me” of today will evolve over time and be shaped by the experiences that I encounter. Being happy with who I am allows me to experience all the things I love in an authentic way and remain positive about all the great things this earth has to offer.
I was recently introduced to Chris Guillebeau via Seth Godin’s Blog which I follow religiously. In discovering Chris’ blog I came across an article “The Decision to be Remarkable” and I was truly impressed. His article allowed me to realize that in addition to being happy by being true to “me” I should take it one step further and focus my energy on becoming a truly remarkable person through action.
Chris starts with a definition of remarkable: re•mark•able [adjective]: worthy of being noticed, especially as being uncommon or extraordinary. Remarkable is subjective and very different people can all be very remarkable at the same time.
He states that to become remarkable you must consciously decide to do so:
1-Stop Making Excuses; 2-Take Responsibility; 3-Start questioning rules and expectations; 4-Find work that you Love and do it Well; 5-Begin living your own life; 6-Take it up a level.
These are rules that I think everyone should live by whether or not they are seeking to be remarkable. They are not complex rules, not mysterious and not impossible but for those in pursuit of happiness.. they may be a good start.
I recommend reading the full article here.
As the number of companies facing the pressures of our current economic landscape continue to grow.. jobs are lost, functions streamlined and the question on most minds is when will we climb out of this damn recession. As an individual impacted by these times I say- embrace the opportunity. When do we give ourselves permission to step out of our routine and re-evaluate where we are and truly ask ourselves if this is where we want to be. Well what better time then now, when the economy decides for us. Isn’t it time to also realize how much more we should be doing.. more networking (had you done more of it, you’d definitely appreciate it now more then ever) but it is never too late to start. Whether it is to be more involved in the community, join a group, go back to school, take a vacation that is longer then two weeks- you can now because you have the time. Do all those things you wanted to do, that you should have done, but you never did.
A few things that I now remind myself every day..
#1 it is never too late to do what you keep telling yourself you wish you had done. Make a list and start doing them, then instead of wasting time thinking about the past you can re-invest it in living the present.
#2 trust your instincts, they are usually right. if you listen carefully, you’ll know what to do.
#3 you may not understand why things happen, but you always do in time. Don’t stress, breathe slowly and never regret.
Enough for tonight- a presto
Today is Canadian Thanksgiving. Growing up in an Italian family meant that Thanksgiving was less then “traditional” with lasagna and cannelloni instead of turkey and yams. Now, Thanksgiving is an opportunity to spend a long weekend in Montreal visiting my family.
Every time I visit, I am amazed at the changes: my 4 nephews are growing so quickly, they each have such great enthusiasm for all of the extra curricular activities scheduled for them by my sisters: skating, swimming, Italian school, karate. Their passion is amazing, never a complaint for having to wake up early on the weekends to attend. In addition, one of my sisters is expecting her second son and every time I see her I wonder if she is not due this month rather then February.
However some things don’t change even years later. I found something that was very familiar down in my parents’ basement. It is a poster that was hung next to one of my mom’s sewing machines and it used to be hung in my sister’s room at least 28-29 years ago. The words were so simple and yet so important. My Thanksgiving gift to the world is those words and they are especially dedicated to all the parents and teachers out there.
If a child lives with criticism, he learns to condemn.
If a child lives with hostility, he learns to fight.
If a child lives with ridicule, he learns to be shy.
If a child lives with shame, he learns to feel guilty.
If a child lives with tolerance, he learns to be patient.
If a child lives with encouragement, he learns confidence.
If a child lives with praise, he learns to appreciate.
If a child lives with fairness, he learns justice.
If a child lives with security, he learns to have faith.
If a child lives with approval, he learns to like himself.
If a child lives with acceptance and friendship he learns to love the world.
-Dorothy Law Nolte
Have you ever Stumbled? Maybe you heard of StumbleUpon but you’ve never actually tried it. StumbleUpon is a great social networking site that helps you find and recommend websites based on your personal preferences and the viewing patterns and recommendations of your friends and other Stumblers.
StumbleUpon recently launched a new version- so why not try it: http://www.stumbleupon.com/ and find out which of your friends is already Stumbling.
