The Three Keys to Happiness

“They say a person needs just three things to be truly happy in this world: someone to love, something to do, and something to hope for.”
— Tom Bodett

5:08 a.m., coffee is made, my pup and wife are in bed, I’m up and making a little word soup.  The sun has not even thought about waking up; I’ll watch the sunrise as I take a rue and make something to feed the masses.  My messianic complex has me thinking about bread and fish.

Yesterday we headed to Golden, we have not spent a lot of time in Golden, but we are finding ourselves drawn to that community.  We met a friend there the other day, and he commented he knew Golden when Golden was Golden; now it’s more like Goulder.  Only my CO friends will get the reference.  We visited a church; I needed to secure some space for a meeting we have today.

We met Joshua at the door, gave us a tour, showed us our space; we headed back home and ran multiple meetings; I taught a class; it was a busy day. After our appointments, we had to go to Denver to pick up a car that our company had used; we headed back home and ended up having dinner at Brooks Place Tavern. Finally, we got home, watched some silly show, and then hit the bed at 9:00; my dream machine was in overdrive last night.

I’ve got a meeting this morning at 7:30, an actual live gathering with people and coffee.  After that, I’m running an appointment with a potential client in Ukraine; I’ve got lunch with a new friend, a busy day for a man that likes to be active.  Speaking of active, PVHT just came downstairs, rang her bell to be let outside, and is now sitting on my writing bean bag enjoying a bone. She’s becoming a great dog; growing out of the puppy stage, she hikes well and acts like a little lady when we take her to our favorite watering holes.  We did do her 23 and me last night; we will now know what kind of dog our little lady is.

I’m a little confused by the Biden Administration’s foreign policy.  On the one hand, we are letting people scream across our southern border but then tell the Cuban people they cannot enter the country. On the other hand, I’m not sure of the logic, I mean, I can infer why, but does it make sense to let people from one country in, but not another?  I thought we were back to open borders?  Just something to ponder on this fantastic Thursday morning.

I caught a video of a young man giving his valedictory speech.  He shared how he worked hard and dreamed of being the valedictorian and achieving his goal.  But a few seconds after learning about his good fortune, he began worrying about his speech, what would he say, and something hit him in the face.  “I’m never happy for long; I’m happy for a moment and then am on to the next thing that will give me happiness.”

A lot of people live their lives like the young man, they think, when I get that new car, I’ll be happy.  When I get that new job, I’ll be satisfied.  When Friday comes, I’ll be happy. But, folks, here’s the thing; we need to find joy and happiness in everything we do.  Happiness is not dependent on the accomplishment of any goal, event, or experience. So don’t let your happiness be dependent on anything but the present.  There is a reason the current moment is called “present.”  Right now is a gift; it should be cherished no matter what is going on.

My new training is helping me understand that everything is a gift and opportunity. So when the negative ideas start floating around in my head, I can recognize them and replace them with some positive thoughts and appreciation for the gift of life.  You are a miracle, and if you live in the U.S. of A., you are part of the 1%. So be proud of where you live; freedom is a gift.

I would say some might say we are not free, we are oppressed, but I don’t see it.  If you work hard, there is a pot of gold at the end of every rainbow. But, of course, all paths are not the same; I understand some people are born on first, second, and third base, but for those that start from home plate, there is a straight line to first, and if you make decent choices, you will eventually score a run and maybe more if you are diligent.

I got a call from a friend that is not having fun at work.  I get these calls occasionally; his question was, how do I get out of this funk?  I shared that the best advice I ever got about getting out of a funk was to do something nice for another human.  But I didn’t stop there; I wanted to know more; why was he funky?   He shared his life was great, he was doing Yoga, eating well, drinking less, but business was not performing as he hoped.  They had recently invested in a new CRM and automated a system to generate leads; out of 1000 emails, they had one opportunity.

I shared it was time to get back to basics; it was time to get out of the office and make some cold calls.  Please pick up the phone, spend at least one hour a day prospecting, and his pipeline would refill, and his woes would be washed away with activity and new revenue.  When you get down, get micro and think, “what is one thing I can do to change my state?”

Well, that is enough; I’ve said what I needed to say, now I’m going to clean up a few emails, shower, and head to Golden to go to church to meet about 20 of my friends and share stories to help each other develop some new business and life opportunities.  I think my key point is that joy and happiness can be found in every moment of every day. So as soon as those negative thoughts enter your mind, use a ninja move and swat them away, replacing them with curiosity and compassion for others. Cheers, I’ll see you tomorrow.

“They say a person needs just three things to be truly happy in this world: someone to love, something to do, and something to hope for.”
— Tom Bodett