I had a coaching session this morning with an over 40 man looking for a job in the HR field or human services field.
Tying this in with a few other experiences yesterday, I began to notice a pattern.
I speak in general terms here, however, you may see yourself in what I'm about to discuss.
Many people spend more time in having the right tools for a successful job than they do having the right tools for a successful life.
For instance…
A ditch digger will spend extra finding the shovel that holds the biggest manageable pile of dirt with the least effort.
The same goes for someone who shovels snow occasionally. They want to buy and use the shovel that lifts the largest batch of snow with the least effort on their back.
If someone spends a good amount of time on a computer, usually they want a comfortable keyboard, a mouse that works well, and a monitor that doesn't hurt their eyes.
Yet, What do we think of our personal life?
When we have a hobby, such as miniature trains, we buy and play with the best we can afford.
If we love boating, we save to buy a boat and when we have it, we use it.
If we want a house, we save up for it, buy it, and spend year maintaining it.
Yet, what happens to our happiness. Is it just about having tangible toys or tools? Where's the investment in ourself that's nontangible? What type of tools do we need to be happy every day?
If you were sitting in a Starbucks as I was this morning, you would have seen a long line of people who defined that as a special beverage, usually coffee is a tool for their success.
In my meeting this morning, he didn't have a clue about setting up a daily routine of activities that sets him up for happiness.
Allow me to use myself as an example. I've defined my happiness to include writing daily. From this definition, I've created space every morning to write and this time changes according to other responsibilities. I've defined my success to require 7 hours of sleep nightly. This means I need shift my bedtime to accommodate both things.
How will knowing what tools you need for a successful day…
I've found the measurement to be...when you've taken care of your needs first, whatever occurs afterward doesn't stress you out.
By taking care of my need to write I feel fulfilled when it comes time to sit down and other people's work.
When I get the right amount of sleep for me, I feel better and interact differently throughout the day. My head's clearer.
Here's the take-away...ask yourself, "What makes me happy?" If you respond, "Taking care of everyone else," I caution you to rethink happiness or to define it...maybe for the first time in your life. Then ask, "What tools do I need to fuel my happiness?"
If you've asked this before, maybe it's time to ask again or to take this to a new level.
Here's my working hour clock – and I'm never stressed. Break is for returning phone calls, taking a walk, restroom, e-mail or several of these combined, just never the same thing.
I recommend, if you aren't happy with your life, change it. First define what makes you happy and then incorporate it into your life. If you're waiting for someone else to do it for you, you'll be greatly disappointed.
If you have excuses, look again. When there's a will, there's usually a way. Maybe you just haven't looked close enough.
