Defining Happiness

Are your happy with your life? Do you know what it will take to make you happy? I used to think happiness was about having it "ALL". What I have come to realize is that I do not want "ALL", in terms of what other people says a woman should have, do, or become.  For instance, I do not have biological children because for whatever reason, God did not open that door for me, but in spite of that, I am extremely happy. I do not drive the car that successful people have deemed the "must have" vehicle. Not because I can't afford it, but because I have not desired it up to this point. However, I am still happy. I am not self-employed yet, because I made the conscious choice to put that dream on hold while I earn my degree, yet I am happy. There are so many unmet goals yet to achieve and I am not yet wealthy the way I desire to be however, knowing that I have the power to pursue and obtain "ALL" that God has predestined for me brings me so much joy. I have learned that happiness is a mixture of my relationships, my inner power and my pursuit of the dreams and desires God has placed within my heart.

 

I challenge you to take a moment today to discover what makes you happy. How will you know when your are living a successful life. Define happiness and success on your own terms. Take advantage of your God-given ability to discover and own your power to choose the direction of your life, decide the path of your future, and live the life of your dreams.

Reconnecting With Your Life

 

This week I have been taking a much needed stay-cation. The day before my stay-cation actually started someone asked me what I planned to do. The wanted to know if I was going away on a fabulous vacation such as a cruise or a resort. I told them that I I was not going away, I was planning to stay home and reconnect with my life.

For the past two years I have been working towards my Bachelors degree while holding down a full time job. I have always been one to take my responsibilities seriously and give so much of myself trying to be excellent at whatever I do. Add work and school to my responsibilities as a homeowner and a wife and you end up with exhaustion.

I did not want a vacation from my life, I simply desired the opportunity to reconnect with my life. I desired to read a couple of great books (have already read three in the past 6 days), plant flowers in my gardens, and set up my home gym so that I can dedicate time to working out at home instead of trying to find time to travel to the gym and work out.

I am to be able to look out of my new office/gym window while writing or working out on my elliptical at the beautiful scenery of my trees and azaleas that were planted. I was able to paint my bedroom overlooking the garden and set up my office and gym. However, I did have to get help to plant the trees and shrubs. I even had time to plant peonies and hydrangeas in my garden outside my kitchen window.

I know it seems as if I took a vacation just to work, however, planting and decorating are hobbies for me. Not only are they things I really enjoy but I get gfreat pleasure from looking at beautiful things such as greenery, plants and a tastefully decorated rooms. Even though I have not yet added the finishing touches to my home gym, it has already provided me with an opportunity to move forward with two of my most important goals for this season in my life, to be healthy and to embrace my desire to write.

Tonight I plan to go to Wednesday night bible study and connect with some of the wonderful people at the Church that I recently joined. I am hoping to fulfill another desire of mine, to take advantage of the opportunity to connect with a spiritual family. Since moving back to this area, I have longed to do just that.

Are you in need of a stay-cation so that you can reconnect with your life?

Consider taking some time real soon to dedicate to doing things that you are passionate about. For me it was reconnecting to my home, my community, and  spirit. For you it could be something like training for a marathon, taking time out to enjoy your family, reconnecting with your mate, maybe taking a class to learn a new skill or enjoying a new hobby.  Maybe you desire to connect with your own community in a meaningful and significant way. Life cannot always be about work and education. Their are seasons for it of course, but when you can take time to reconnect with the rest of your life.