Go Your Own Way to Find Happiness. After all, it's your Life. Your Choice. And, for the record - You. Are. Enough.

We never realize it, or possibly we forget it. Maybe that's why we have each other… To remind each other that - We. Are. Enough.

As Human Beings, there's One Overarching Universal Truth of Life: If we're not Growing, we're Dying. Just take a look at that Hydrangea on the back porch you've neglected to water.

The Prescribed Way to Find Happiness.

All Life consists of physical Growth. We grow from infancy to adolescence to maturity. Nurtured - or not - by family, friends, and caregivers, we grow into adults.

And guided by these well-meaning grown-ups, most of us are escorted (or dragged) the way to adulthood. And once we get there, Congratulations! You're on your own. Good luck, Kid! Get out of my basement...

We form relationships, start careers, have families, and collect possessions - things. And we begin to make decisions based on what we think we're expected to achieve. What we're told we should want. This is how Life works. This is how you're supposed to Live.

This is what will lead you to Happiness.

We're taught this in school. Friends, parents, and even Barney the Purple Dinosaur tells us this. Life. It's stuu-uu-uu-pendous!

Go to school. Get a job. Buy a house. Make money. Have some kids. Make more money. Try not to die. Post the pictures on Facebook... Meta. Whatever, Zuck.

These moments are incredible. And they're likely part of the Answer that leads us to Happiness. But I don't think they are the entire Answer.

Because, for many of us, things change at some point along the way. And the black, empty chasm between Us and True Happiness is painfully revealed.

Perhaps it's The Universe that intervenes.

Hi, it's your Career calling. Don't bother coming back to work tomorrow. Or, ever. - Thanks, Boss.

Hi, it's your Retirement Account. I've changed my name to Zero. - Thanks, Mr. Madoff.

Hi, it's your Significant Other. I'm not happy. I'm moving out. - Thanks, babe.

Hi, it's Cancer. I'm moving in. - Thanks, Every Known Man-Made Food Additive Ever.

If you'd like our Premium Disaster Package, you can choose two or even three of the above scenarios for just $1 more.

Feasting on Famine.

This is when our path to Happiness becomes far less clear. This is when we begin to reexamine all of our previous choices like we might inspect a dirty fork in a run-down diner.

But, let's eat here anyway.

Let's begin with the ever-popular Why Me? as an appetizer. And how about you try the Mistrusting our Abilities and Second-Guessing our Career Choices Charcuterie combo plate? That's super popular.

Let's check out their Specials... They've got Questioning our Relationships paired with a vintage Cast Blame on our Childhood that's just fabulous! Or, if you like it spicy, try the Midlife Crisis with a Toxic Attitude Soup that's served with the latest Covid-19 variant. And finally... Dessert: Self-Doubt covered with a Self-Esteem Reduction.

Bon Appetite!

How do we find Happiness when Life is dishing out crap?

Everything that was supposed to make us Happy... Now we find it's gone missing or taken from us. Or, perhaps it was never honestly there, to begin with.

Or, perhaps we create our own intervention. You know, when we just have to shake things up a bit.

We've sailed along with minimal resistance. We appear to float through Life with relative ease. Careers progress. We wed a hot spouse. We keep a hotter side-person. Have perfect kids. Buy a house. Get a dog. Take Dream vacations. Cram our 401(k) with coin. And yet? We slowly unravel like a John le Carré spy novel, even with all these really cool things.

Malaise sets in. Boredom. Drift.

We begin to whisper the most unexpected words to ourselves or to others. I'm not happy. I'm not sure what's wrong with me... Or, something is missing... And, indeed, something is.

We look backward with regret. We look forward with a growing indifference. Or worse: Angst.

Or perhaps, even Depression...

We seemingly have it all. And yet we feel like we possess nothing worth having. It's not what I want. But what DO I want? What do I need?

Hint: It's not another Tesla.

The End Result.

Forward Progress is lost whether you've hit a brick wall or simply cruised off into nowhere. Unhappiness prevails. It seems every choice we've made in this Life has led to disappointment, discouragement, or disaster.

Either way, here we are. Out of gas in the breakdown lane of Life. And no matter if you're sitting in a beater or a Benz, you're just as stranded. And there's no Triple-A For the Soul to call for a tow.

It's all the same, really. Whether you're comfortable but depressed or awash in pain and swirling in chaos. The end result is precisely the same. Both scenarios represent a downward spiral into Self-Doubt, turmoil, and despair.

And then, instead of enjoying Life as a fantastic, precious gift? We participate in it as if a burden. A chore.

I just need to get through Today...

Each morning seems to require Everything we've got just to get through another day. We need to summon the physical and emotional strength to crawl to the finish. We see every task required of us as an obligation. Our days appear as a painful challenge with no reward. And little to no Hope for anything to Change...

There's no way to find the Happiness we were promised. The Happiness delivery that was supposed to arrive with 2 Hour Free Shipping has gone missing. The tracking says it was delivered at 2:27 PM, but it isn't here. Damn Porch Pirates.

Where is my Happiness? I put it down right over there. What the hell did you do with it?

Finding Happiness.

If you've lost your Happiness or if it never arrived in the first place, there's Good News, Friends... It's still within reach. You can still Find Happiness. It just might not be where you thought it would be. Or, perhaps more so, what you thought it would be.

Where can one Find Happiness? It's a lot closer than one might think.

Everything you need to begin enjoying Life Today is already inside you.

It doesn't matter if you're broke or broken. The Seeds of Happiness lie buried within - dormant. But alive.

The Real Question is...

Will you bring those seeds into the light? Will you plant, water, and nurture these grains of Growth? It's not too late. You haven't missed your chance. Even if the maintenance-free battery of Hope won't start, or even if it has died. There's. Still. Hope.

Who has jumper cables around here?

Even if you've NEVER felt Hope... If you've NEVER felt Energized by Living, that's OK, too. There's Today. There's Now. There's Still Time to change Everything...

While there's Life, there's Hope. - Marcus Tullius Cicero, Roman Statesman. And Optimist.

There is Life. Your Life. So there's Hope.

But if we're not Growing, we're Dying. But what, exactly, is Growing?

Growing is being filled with Purpose. Growing means using the Gifts, Skills, and Talents you already possess to their fullest potential. Growing is striving to become who you are supposed to be...

I suppose you've heard it all before. That each of us is born with extraordinary gifts. Unique abilities. God-given talents. Well... They're in there. Numbed perhaps, but present and lingering inside you.

Skills, Talents, and Assets.

At this point in Life, you've developed at least a few Skills. A few Talents that you might feel some confidence in... No? Nothing? C'mon. I'm sure ven Paris Hilton has talent. (Let me think on that a bit, though...)

I think of Skills as I would any other asset. Assets are simply useful or desirable things. Things you possess that could help you improve your present situation. Money. A reliable car. Tools. Knowledge. Time.

But your Skills, Talents, and Assets are also represented in who you are, not just what you have. And while this collection of crafts might not lead you to a Life of Fame, Fortune, or Fornication, they might help you to Happiness. They might buy you some bliss. The Road to Self-Actualization doesn't necessarily take you to Wal-Mart.

What are your Assets?

The Road to Happiness.

What if you could leverage this remarkable collection of Gifts, Skills, and Assets and use them to unlock and elevate yourself? What if you used these personal raw materials to build a Life Worth Living in a way that you've not considered before?

It's Possible. Perhaps, even likely. But the Road to Happiness is likely a single-lane backroad that you'll be taking on your own. Charting your own way. Go your own way to Find Happiness.

The Internet is full of Self-Help or How-To Guru's selling their Drop-Shipping to Fortunes or Real Estate Flipping For Millions courses. Programs how to Make Easy Money on the Internet and Live The Life You've Always Wanted. But what do they know about you? What kind of Life do YOU really want? How could they know? And is money - are things - actually the Answer?

Money buys things. And having things is sweet. But is it Happiness? Is it fulfillment?

Go Your Own Way.

These formulas for making money may or may not work. My best guess is that they most probably don't. But if you believe they do, have I got a Course to sell you, buddy!

But, what does our interest in Get Rick Quick or Make money on the Internet really say about our decision-making process, anyway?? What's the value proposition?

If you do THIS, you'll be happy. THIS is The Way. Follow me.

It doesn't matter your particular Gifts, Skills, Assets, or even interests. You just need to follow their program to make money and be happy. Sound familiar?

Isn't that how we ended up here in the first place? By following someone else's Formula for Happiness like some Sugar Cookie recipe in Better Housekeeping?

And haven't you had just about enough of other people telling you who you ought to be? How you ought to Live? How to make yourself happy?

You Don't Know Me!

You Can't Find Happiness.

Everything I've learned about Human Beings brings me to a straightforward conclusion. People don't find Happiness - they create Happiness - when using their own unique assortment of Gifts, Skills, and Talents to Live the Life of their choosing.

What a man can be, he must be. - Abraham Maslow, American Psychologist.

Maslow calls this Self-Actualization. He believed that a person's highest level of Happiness is attained when their full personal potential is achieved. Their Happiness. Not when they buy Tiny Classified Ads in a vain attempt to make millions.

When you Live to your fullest personal potential, it's all about you and actualizing your Dreams. It just doesn't work when attempting to recreate someone else's result or interpretation of who or how you should be.

Be Yourself. All of Yourself.

Becoming yourself may not involve wealth, adventure, or fame. (If it does, though, please remember me in your Last Will and Testament.) These are conditions set by others to measure success in their Life. They are Ideas. It's not the only Truth. And it's not the only way to find Happiness. Or riches.

Achieving Self-Actualization will result in Living the Life that is best for you. It will involve Purpose. It will provide True Happiness. And it will be a Life full of Hope and continual Growth.

And if you're not Growing... Well, you know the rest...

My Friends, there's Time.

No matter how dark, how dire, your circumstances, there's Time, and there's a Way.

Allow yourself a Dream. Your Dream.

Find your Purpose. Not someone else's.

Plan your way Forward. No Google Maps for you.

And commit yourself to massive amounts of Action.

Go your own way to Find Happiness. Write your own damn story.

If you genuinely want to Find Happiness, do You. Be You.

Because - You. Are. Enough. And if you're not growing, you're dying.

Let's Grow.

Cheers!

@braveboat

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