Practice Happiness

I haven’t written about happiness here in a while.  This particular moment in my life is the perfect time to change that.  Happiness is a practice - you need to work at it every day, especially when life gets complicated.  Right now, my life is complicated.

 
I want to be great at my job.  I want to make my clients’ lives better.  I want them to be happier than they were before we started working together.  I want to be attentive, proactive, and thoughtful.  I want them to have a better experience than they ever could have imagined.  I want my personal brand to grow so I can better help to support my family. 

I want our new home to be amazing.  I want it to be a place that my family is proud to live in.  A place that my kids can’t wait to invite their friends to.  We are so fortunate to be able to build this house.  This is likely the only time in my life I will be able to do this.  I want to enjoy the experience. 

I want to be an amazing husband and father.  Pancake and I are about to celebrate our 10 year wedding anniversary.  When I think about all that we’ve accomplished in that time, I’m shocked.  She is an amazing partner, and I’m so fortunate to have found her so early in my life.  Meeting when we were freshman in college gave us the chance to grow together; for her successes to be mine, and mine hers.  We’ve built such an incredible life together in such a short time, and I am so appreciative of everything she is.  One of those things is a wonderful mother.  Stinky Face and Monkey are the greatest gifts in my life.  I love watching them learn, seeing their personalities take shape, talking to them about their days and listening to how they answer.  ​

It’s easy to forget all of this - to push it to the back of my mind.  It’s easy to focus on the toilet that got ordered wrong, the shipping delay on the cabinet, the house detail that got installed differently than what the plans showed, differing parenting styles, the silly arguments about sharing toys, or any of the other thousand things that comes up every day.  

Without dedication, it’s hard to be mindful and present, it's hard to practice gratitude, and to focus on happiness.  By focusing on the little things that pop up throughout the day, it’s impossible to focus on what is really important.  If I want to be great at my job, build a beautiful home for my family, and be an amazing husband and father, then happiness must come first.  

Bye for now,
TJ
 

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