Saturday, May 17, 2008

What are Your Rules for Happiness

I get to see such a cross section of people in my travels. Some people have seemingly miserable outlooks and attitudes when they appear to have everything in the world going for them. Yet, others seem to be down on their luck. When 90% of the people would be calling it "rock bottom"; they are happy and excited.

I have found that many people need a ton of excuses for success. One of the clients who I worked with on a personal coaching level said that they felt they were a failure because his company's stock didn't hit it's target earnings. It fell short by 2 cents. Never mind that this company realized fabulous growth over the last 2 years and this person was a millionaire many times over. His need to be happy was just too high. (After a bit of mental floss, he realized that everything was far beyond OK. He just needed a little "wake up call")

Don't base your happiness upon society's standards, make it yours. Visit a pediatric oncology ward. There you will find kids who are suffering from cancer and many won't make it until Christmas. Yet, they are cracking up laughing at the way the light shimmers off of the green Jello they are eating for lunch! What a great life lesson.

Here is my recommendation:
1. Lower your expectations to be happy. I'm not saying "Don't reach for the stars"; rather, I would encourage you to celebrate the journey of your life every step of the way.
2. Model others who have accomplished what you desire. This will cut your learning curve way down.
3. Attend one of my live programs. Visit www.theshef.com for my schedule. I don't even know where I will be at on a day to day basis; but all of the public events are highlighted with a link to purchase tickets.

Celebrate the day!
Shef

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