Being happy, successful (in your own terms), and understood (my term for being free of stress) is my wish for everyone. And that starts with your being clear about what you want. Ideally what you want should be in line with your unique personality or gifts. I sum that up as your unique interests, strengths, and needs. If what you decide you want requires you to engage in lots of activities that do not interest you or to do tasks that do not play to your natural abilities, you are not likely to enjoy the process or be successful at doing so. And if your needs are not met and you are in stress, you are unlikely to be able to do anything well. Once you embark on the journey toward a goal, it is possible to both enjoy the process as well as check that you are on the right path by remembering the jingle Row, Row, Row your Boat.
Row, Row, Row your boat
Yes, some work is required. You have to take some action. And I recommend that you take at least 3 small steps every day. Like row, row, row.
Gently Down the Stream
But it does not have to be hard work. If you are working in line with your interests, strengths, and needs, it will be a gentle, relatively easy process.
Merrily, Merrily, Merrily, Merrily
Your happiness and peace of mind are good indicators that you are on the right path. If you are feeling incredibly anxious all the time or are not enjoying the process of pursuing your dreams at all, it is time to re-evaluate.
Life is but a dream
It all starts in your head. If your actions and your thoughts are not aligned, something will change, and most often it is your actions that will change to be more in line with what you are thinking. So, it makes sense to get your head right first.
I challenge you to try this out for the next week. Pause a couple times a day and run through the jingle. Are you on the right course going downstream gently? If not, take some time to re-assess.