Dont Let Life Happen to You


Don't Let Life Happen To You

It is not death that a man should fear, but he should fear never beginning to live. - Marcus Aurelius (121-80 AD, Roman Emperor, Philosopher)

It's hard to believe that we are nearing the end of another year. As I write this, snow is falling in Colorado, the makings of a fantastic Thanksgiving dinner are in the kitchen, and our newspapers are filled with holiday ads. The end of the year always tends to be a time of reflection as we look back on the accomplishments of the past year and look forward to a new year. It's also a time to reflect on our lives and ensure that we are living the life we want.

It's easy to look at ones life and be content with where you are. You have a good job, a spouse or significant other, children, a nice car, and all of the trappings of success. Clearly you are well on your way to success. But the real question is, are you happy with what you are doing?

No, this is not an article about the spiritual side of your life. Normally these articles focus all of the attention on management and leadership concepts that you can use to shape your career, improve your performance, and move up the ladder of success. But as we enter a new year it is important to take a step back and make sure that the path you are on is the right path for you.

You see life has a way of just happening to people. Your first job tends to be the job that you were first offered, in an industry that may or may not really interest you, doing what you may or may not have a real talent in. Your career then tends to grow from there. You get promoted or change companies, but tend to stay with what you are familiar with and what you have done in the past. Months turn into years and at some point in time you find that you are on a career path that you never really intended to be on at all. It may be a great, wonderful career path doing all of the things that are important to you, or it may be a path where you have had some successes, but don't find inspiring.

In short, your life has been on autopilot. That is when you know that life has happened to you.

You didn't plan to be where you are. And while you are not unhappy with where you are, you are not happy with it either. It does not speak to your inner being.

The purpose of life is to live a life of purpose. - Richard Leider

As you sit down in the coming weeks to plan your new years resolutions, take a few extra minutes to think about where you are in your life and where you are in your career. If you have not made a life plan in the past, start one now. Identify your core values. Identify what is important to you in life and in your career. Figure out were you want to be in 10 years and make sure your current path will take you there.

Your life is a fairy tale, with the journey unscripted. Take control of your life and write your own script. Understand your desires and passions and build a plan for your life that will be a source of happiness and pride. It may be in management and leadership. It may be in the arts. But whatever it is, make sure that you control your life and that your life does not just happen to you.

David Meyer, owner of Coaching for Tomorrow, has more than 25 years of management and leadership experience, having worked for companies such as Nobil Shoes, McDonough, Allied Stores, MCI and Nextel Communications. His mantra, "You Win With People" is based on the deep-seated belief that hiring, developing, and promoting the right people can lead to organizational and financial success. As a management and leadership coach, David works to instill that same passion in his clients by helping them understand the importance of strong leadership, strong teamwork, and strong players.

David has a Bachelor's in Business Administration from Elmhurst College and has been certified by both ACTION International as a Business Coach and the Coach Training Alliance. He also has received his CTM from Toastmasters. He is an Officer in the Denver Coach Federation and a facilitator/trainer for the Coach Training Alliance and ACTION International of Colorado.

Married with two adult daughters, David is active in his local Kiwanis club and Crossroads Community Church. He enjoys reading, golf, scuba diving, and Civil War reenacting.

www.coachingfortomorrow.com


MORE RESOURCES:

IBTimes.co.uk

Can Happiness Research Invent a Better Economics?
The Atlantic
But do they know how to measure happiness? If they did, what would we even do with the results? Each year, the OECD produces the Better Life Index, a comprehensive report on the well-being of advanced countries based on a long list of factors, ...
Korea 24th happiest nation: OECDKorea Times
Global Economic Group OECD: Americans are Wealthiest, But Not HappiestMoneynews
Top Ten Happiest Countries in the World in 2012 [SLIDESHOW]IBTimes.co.uk
24/7 Wall St. -The Guardian (blog) -The West Australian
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AARP News (blog)

Happiness: Reversing the Formula
Huffington Post
We grow up being taught to believe external things will bring happiness. Many of us learn to equate our own happiness with the level of success we achieve and the external things that come with the achievement. If we meet the right person, ...
What's Your Happiness Formula?AARP News (blog)

all 2 news articles »


Daily Mail

Happiness is — being a woman!
Times of India
An international study has suggested that women spend less time in office, are better educated, live longer and are generally happier than their male colleagues. Across the world's most advanced countries men work longer hours and earn higher wages but ...
Women are happier, better educated and less stressed than overworked men ...Daily Mail

all 7 news articles »


Home of love, happiness and life
Spartanburg Herald Journal
“I wanted my house to be warmed by love, lighted by happiness and always full of life,” says the Spartanburg native, owner of Travel Connections, a corporate travel management company. Her beautiful, stately brick Southern Colonial at the Carolina ...



A Sea of 'Happiness' Without Memory
Huffington Post (blog)
With the advent of positive psychology, there has been a vast emphasis on finding happiness, and we might say selling it, and for a pittance at that. All we have to do, it seems, is buy into the idea that unhappiness -- which we are brought to feel is ...



Our say: The joys (or not!) of parenting
San Jose Mercury News
In fact, parents are generally happier and find more meaning in life than people who don't have children. That's according to a three-part study released last week by a team of researchers from UC Riverside, the University of British Columbia and ...
Parents are happier peopleiAfrica.com

all 6 news articles »


CareerBliss Announces the Ten Happiest Companies for Veterans for 2012
MarketWatch (press release)
IRVINE, Calif., May 22, 2012 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- CareerBliss, the leading online career community empowering people to find happier jobs with 3 million open jobs and salary info on CareerBliss.com, announces new data highlighting The 10 Happiest ...
Orlando No. 6 happiest city for job-seeking college gradsBizjournals.com

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Chan Luu says happiness is key to beautiful jewelry
Houston Chronicle
I really believe your happiness is in your own hands. If I'm not happy, I exude nothing but toxic energy around me. People don't like it, and my jewelry might look nasty. I want my jewelry to be pretty and my customers to love it.

and more »


What's the Most Popular Resolution for Happiness?
Huffington Post (blog)
When people tell me they've done their own happiness projects, I always ask, "What resolutions did you try? What worked for you?" One answer comes up more than any other. I'm not saying that this is the most significant thing you could do to boost your ...



The Philadelphia Happiness Project: 12 Ways to Overcome City-Induced Angst
Philadelphia Magazine (blog)
Not 30 seconds before Spitgate, I had been perfectly content, sitting in my seat reading that book, The Happiness Project. Do you know it? (Evidently, it's been on the New York Times bestseller list for roughly a jillion weeks.) I'm not very far in, ...


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