theroadtohappinessisinsight-blog

[theroadtohappinessisinsight-blog]

Feel Some Joy

Today, I’m recapping episode 6 of Pursuit with Purpose: How Authentic Story-Telling Helped Him Create a 7-Figure Business in One Year. This episode features Sterling Griffin a man who went from being homeless to running a million dollar business in ONE year, you heard that right... HOMELESS to $1000000. How’d he do it? Read on my friends....

Sterling went from couch surfing to traveling the world in a year. The main question, how did he do it? Well, put simply, he went after what he believed in and made sacrifices to get him where he wanted to be. Here is some of the advice that he shared that helped him find success and happiness.

Look at your greatest challenges as triumphs. 

Confidence is a result, not a requirement. Many of us tell ourselves to be confident, that we must be confident. Sterling suggests that we reach confidence once we accomplish something or do things that make us confident. 

Have an action taking mentality. If you want something, don’t wait and expect it to come to you, go after it. 

Use public accountability to your advantage. We are driven by pain and pleasure and in the public eye these feelings are extrapolated. So hold yourself publicly accountable and see what happens. 

Your purpose is ever evolving. You don’t have to have all the answers, because you’ll change over time. 

Go through not knowing. This is my favorite! I’m a huge fan of socrates and the idea that the wisest are those who know they know nothing. We can’t possible know everything, rather know that it’s okay to not know. Spend more time learning and less time worrying. 

Lastly - growth, reflection, and gratitude! These are SO important. Have gratitude, reflect on your life, ask yourself questions, learn, and in the meantime you’ll see growth.

Finally, his reflection questions. 

Having fun - What do I love to do?

What am I good at that adds value to others?

What is the change you want to see in the world?

Personally, these are questions that I’ve been thinking about and still have yet to find the answer. But, if you read the above advice, you know this is OKAY!  I think these are really great building blocks for me personally as I try to find what I want to do with the rest of my life. I’ll leave them here for both of us to reflect on. Last but not least, my advice today is to take notes. Since listening to podcasts I’ve found that I take more out of each episode when I take notes so I can look back and reflect. It’s hard to remember 30-40 minutes of conversation, so this is an easy way that I can remember the bits that I think are important to my life! If you have any note-taking/podcast listening suggestions, I’d love to hear them. How do YOU enjoy the experience? 

Thanks for reading and joining me on this journey!

If you’re interested in this episode: http://www.melyssagriffin.com/sterling-griffin/

***Disclaimer: These posts are recaps and summaries of podcasts. I am by no means taking credit for these ideas. 

[theroadtohappinessisinsight-blog]

Pursuit with Purpose

Recently I’ve started listening to podcasts. The first podcast that I came across that really inspired me was Pursuit with Purpose. The host is Melyssa Griffin, a successful entrepreneur who helps others find success in their businesses and life. (Peep her website and learn more: http://www.melyssagriffin.com/). In each episode she interviews other entrepreneurs who share their secrets to happiness, success, and purpose. My absolute favorite portion of each episode is when she asks her guests to share how they bring meaning to their lives.

The point of this blog to recap episodes, share my thoughts, and stroll down the road of happiness. Unfortunately, I’ve missed place the notes from the first few episodes but once I find them, I’ll definitely recap. But for now.. I’m recapping Episode 05: “The 3 Most Important Factors for Having a Great Life”. This week’s guest was Jonathan Fields an author and the founder of Good Life Project (ironically, another podcast that I started listening to prior to this episode). He started out as an attorney, opened his own wellness center, and now owns his own yoga studio. This yogi has some great advice and I’m so happy to recap it for you all. 

First and foremost, he emphasizes the importance of doing what feels good and meaningful for you. Rather than following the path that others think you should take or that you feel pressured to go down, take the path that feels right. Ask yourself “who am I?” and “what lights me up?”. If you’re struggling to answer these questions, try new things. Maybe they’ll work out, maybe they won’t. However, it’s all about your mindset. Even if it’s a bad experience, take it as an experiment, think about the lessons you’ve learned and how this will benefit you in the future. As long as you take something out of the experience, chalk it up as a win. You can learn from everything. He suggests that you look at new experiences like new relationships. In the beginning you’re exploring and learning, this is the same with experiences as it is in relationships. Most of us cherish our relationships, but we fail to cherish our experiences. He also discusses the “three buckets“ of life that he believes help foster a happy, fulfilled life. These include contribution, connection, and vitality. Contribution is bringing your gifts to the world, connection is focusing on relationships, and vitality focusing on mind and body. For more info on the three buckets: https://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-26701/3-buckets-to-a-meaningful-life-contribution-connection-vitality.html 

Other great advice featured in this episode: 

GET A PLANT, something green changes your psych. 

Take a quick skim everyday and wok on what you’re missing of the three buckets (again - contribution, connection, and vitality).

Try breathing exercises and mindfulness. Become more mindful and less reactive. 

Know yourself 

Some questions that he suggests you ask yourself: 

Who am I?

What do I care about?

What are my sparks? What lights me up?

What are my values?

What matters?

Last but not least, he suggests taking action. This was probably the most important piece that I took out of the whole episode. TAKE ACTION towards a meaningful life, reflect and answer the questions, follow the advice, but most importantly, do what YOU want to do. Do what lights YOU up. 

All-in-all, a great episode that I strongly suggest listening to. I also plan on checking out Jonathan Fields’ book, How to Live a Good Life. If you’ve read it, please let me know how you liked it. I’ll definitely be sharing my review once I’m done.

What I’ve taken out of this episode is to take action, and to ask myself these questions. But I’ve also realized the important of podcasts and how I thoroughly enjoy them. So that’s my personal advice for you, check out a podcast. Let me know what you’ve tried. 

***Disclaimer: These posts are recaps and summaries of podcasts. I am by no means taking credit for these ideas. 

[theroadtohappinessisinsight-blog]

MATERIAL ITEMS - AUTHENTICITY - MILLION DOLLAR BABY

So the goal is to recap podcasts and share inspiration and such, but before I get started with that.. I’d just like to touch on something that I feel really passionately about.

For a long time I wanted to fit in, and of course, sometimes I still do. I wanted to have the newest designer bag, the expensive clothes, the shoes, you know how it goes. But as I’m getting older, experiencing new things, and watching more emotional dramas (yes I did just watch Million Dollar Baby and it may or may not have sparked this post), I’ve come to realize something that is SO important. 

When I die, will it matter what clothes are hanging in the closet, what shoes I wore when I was 25, what my 19 year old boyfriend got me for Christmas or the designer bags I didn’t have? I’m telling you right now, it won’t. 

Fortunately I haven’t been to that many funerals in my life or experienced many losses, but of those that I have, I PROMISE you, I don’t remember what they wore, what they did or didn’t have. I don’t think back and say, “man I miss [insert name here], they always had the greatest handbag”. Rather, I think “man I miss [insert name here], because they were always a great friend”. 

My point? WHAT WE HAVE DOES NOT MAKE UP OUR SELF WORTH. WHAT OTHERS HAVE DOES NOT MAKE UP OUR SELF WORTH. Be authentic. Focus on the important things in life. I’d rather wear the same outfit everyday for the rest of my life than be remembered as a shitty friend.

Once again for the people in the back: WHAT WE HAVE DOES NOT MAKE UP OUR SELF WORTH. WHAT OTHERS HAVE DOES NOT MAKE UP OUR SELF WORTH. WHEN YOU DIE, NO ONE’S GOING TO CARE WHAT HUNG IN YOUR CLOSET. FOCUS ON LIVING, FOCUS ON BEING AUTHENTIC AND BUILDING WHOLESOME RELATIONSHIPS. FOCUS ON BEING THE PERSON YOU WANT TO BE REMEMBERED AS. 

I’ll leave you with one of my favorite quotes of all time:  “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel” -Maya Angelou

****Disclaimer: I’m not saying you can’t have all those nice things and be an extraordinary person, I’m just suggesting that we take a moment to think about our priorities! 

[theroadtohappinessisinsight-blog]

Intro---Listening, Reading, and Writing My Way to Happiness

My name is Kelsey and like many other 20 somethings, I’m trying to figure my life out. I’ve just graduated from a public university with a degree I don’t intend on pursuing. I moved to a new city. I work a 9-5 job in a cubicle **cough** cell **Cough** that I don’t really like. I live mostly paycheck to paycheck and have student debt coming out the ass. But my decision to move to this city and work outside of my degree, at a subpar job has nothing to do with money and everything to do with my happiness. 

You see, for the majority of my life I was dependent on another to make decisions for me. Very suddenly, I started having to make my own decisions, and I couldn’t. It’s almost (as my counselor would say) as if I lost my identity. Now here I am struggling through life like so many others trying to find myself, the things that bring me joy, and to reach the ultimate goal of living a meaningful and purposeful life. 

I’m calling this my road to happiness through insight, although I know happiness is not a destination. I guess a better title would be the road to a meaningful and purposeful life through insight, but that’s just too long. Through this journey I’m listening to tons of podcasts, gathering notes, writing my thoughts and trying to find peace internally guiding me to peace externally and ultimately leading me to this life that I’m seeking.

On this journey, I’m going to recap different podcasts/podcast episodes for those of you who are on the same type of journey but don’t have time or prefer to read rather than to listen. I’ll also share personal stories and potentially stories of others, recommend podcasts/books/etc. and honestly, just write out my thoughts to try to understand them myself. I’d also love to hear your stories, thoughts, opinions, and recommendations so feel free to message me or leave a comment and let’s go on this journey together.