What if everything were conspiring for your good?

Take a deep breath.  

What if every single challenging circumstance, annoying person, glorious event and fabulous person were conspiring for your good? 

Or, what if we weren’t even able to prove that, yet we found it a far more fulfilling way to live?  What if we looked for the good in every situation?  What if we looked until we found it?

Or, what if we “prove” it with our spiritual beliefs?  I believe that there is only God.  That everything, everyone is a unique emanation of the One Source, God energy, good energy.  Then all is God, all is good.

So, what about that wildly challenging situation or that so-far-beyond-annoying person?  What if the challenge teaches us patience, courage, perseverance, compassion, gratitude, humility and/or kindness?  What if the person we can’t stand mirrors something inside us or  frees us from needing to please?

My biggest challenge lately: this construction project is the view from my office window. On this snow day, all is quiet. On other days, all is noisy. All day. Some of the good: I am learning I can focus and concentrate even in harsh, noisy circumstances. I am using my “secondary office” more – a lovely spot in the park.

What if everything were conspiring for your good?

Take a moment right now to call to mind your challenging situation or annoying person.  Take a deep breath. Can you find the good?

If so, congratulations.  If not, are you willing to keep looking?

This game called “Finding the Good” has sometimes frustrated me.  Especially when occasionally I have realized that I’d rather have my righteousness than my good.  Or, when I look and look and look and cannot see the good.  

Of course, shortly after I give up my righteousness or relentless looking, then there it is.  The good.  Big, bold and beautiful.  And ridiculously, glaringly obvious!

Post your own Finding the Good insights in the comments.

What and who energizes you?  Excites you?  Makes you feel more alive?  Offers you happiness?  Inspires you? Expands you?

Without apology.  

A great way to run yourself and your business right into the ground involves trying to be all things for all people.  Taking on clients that drain you guarantees business failure.  An excellent way to make your life miserable involves doing things you don’t particularly want to do for people you can’t say “no” to.  

The only variable: how long?  If you have a highly-developed “do whatever it takes, even if I hate it” mentality, you may eek a bit more life from your business or your life than someone who doesn’t.  

Yet, why would you want to?  Life is way too short without happiness and to do anything less than what you are here to do – with joy, energy, enthusiasm and your whole heart.

I generate ridiculous amounts of happiness, and feel so energized when I see a beautiful scene and successfully capture its gorgeous natural composition!

What or who drains you?  Irritates you?  Causes you to feel “less than?”  Generates less happiness?  Confuses you?  Disconnects you?

Still, no apology, no explanation, no judgment.  It is what it is.  

One of my clients, Carl, has a great time with two of his brothers and a difficult time interacting with the third.  One of the two brothers he’s energized by gets along well with all three brothers, yet can barely spend any time with their dad without feeling exhausted and frustrated.

No right or wrong.  No need to analyze or criticize.  A simple awareness of and willingness to act on what is uniquely true for you.

Post your own happiness insights in the comments section.

Excerpted from Ann’s forthcoming book, “Thriving Work,”
Copyright 2011.

Last week we looked at being happy, having happiness now as we also take steps to grow our business, lose weight, begin a new romantic relationship, make more money, improve our health or change whatever we feel would increase our happiness.

So how do we generate happiness now if we have concerns about our business, weight, romantic prospects, bank account or health?

First, become aware that happiness is a choice.  I can choose to be happy right now regardless of any circumstances.

Easier said than done, you say?

I hear you.  

So, onto step two. Create an Instant Happiness list.  Write down as many things as you can think of that almost always move you closer to happy, happiness.

I am so happy to start skiing that I’m waiting at the ropes before they open the lift line – quite a happiness transformation from how I felt getting up in the cold and dark just a couple hours earlier!
(January 22, 2011; Beaver Creek, Colorado, USA.)

Here are a few from my Happiness list to get you started:

• Play with either of my cats, Oblio or Jasmine.
• Get outside.
• Coach a client.
• Grab my camera, get out and take pictures.
• Play music from my Happiness set list.
• Play music from my Sing Along set list and sing along.
• Call my niece, Alisha.
• Go skiing.
• Take a yoga class.

Create your own list.  Post it on the fridge.  Refer to it often.  Use liberally as needed.

Then onto step three.  Stop giving your precious energy and valuable time to thoughts or activities that feel unhappy to you.  Use the unhappiness as your wake-up call.  When you notice you’re feeling unhappy, ask yourself what you can shift.  Now.

How can you shift your thinking to a happier perspective?  How can you be kinder to yourself?  How can you change what you are doing to feel greater happiness?  Or, how can you do all three?

Post your own Instant Happiness list and progress in the comments section.

Any time we’d like to make a change in our lives, we’re hoping that the change will offer us greater happiness.

Consider this for a moment: whether you’d like to grow your business, lose weight, begin a new romantic relationship, make more money or improve your health, don’t you have that desire because you believe that change would offer you grater happiness?

What if you went ahead now with your steps toward that change and also at the same time focused on happines in this moment? 

You can be happy, feel happiness now and grow your business, lose weight, begin a new romantic relationship, make more money or improve your health at the same time!

And how great would that be?!?

Last week, I shared with you my two big commitments for 2011:
– Deepening self-love
– Expanding self-expression

By devoting myself to these two simple, completely do-able ways to be in the world and respond to the world, I have guaranteed an amazing year for myself!

Regardless of what situations I create or find myself in, I will bring self-love and self-expression to the table.  Last night, after being in bed for less than an hour, I woke up with a flaming urinary tract infection.  

In the past, my responses to such discomfort ranged from depression to freaking out to panicking.  

This time, I simply said, how can I take good care of myself until morning when I can call the doctor and get some antibiotics?  Since I will probably be awake most of the night, what would I like to give myself?  Listening to good music?  Reading one of my partially-read books?  Sitting quietly, focusing on my breath?  Sipping a cup of herbal tea?

One of my clients committed to “freedom” for 2011.  Another to “easy.”  A friend is focusing on “deliberate.” How cool is it to look at something as mundane and possibly annoying as extreme, middle-of-the-night discomfort through a lens that gives us a radically different experience than without the lens?!?

Looking through a new lens literally evokes transformation in the moment: what was previously scary or maddening is now an adventure in self-love, freedom, easy, deliberative or whatever lens is most juicy and meaningful for you . . .

Wow, can you imagine how different your whole life will be 365 days from now simply by committing to viewing and living your life through a new lens – something that’s really juicy and important to you?  I can’t wait to spring out of bed to see what the new day holds, even if the new day starts an hour after going to sleep!  Having been addicted to 9 or 10 hours of sleep during the winter months for many years, that’s a miraculous perspective shift for me!