Inflikt

Would you consider yourself to be a happy person? Are you seeking ways which could you to have a happier life? I am a person who basically is after a very simple and happy life. I do not crave fast cars, I do not wish to live in a huge mansion, I do not need to have lavish and expensive holidays abroad each year. In this article, I describe the type of lifestyle that would and does bring joy and happiness to my life.

I am a very proud father of two wonderful children. These children have an ability to make me smile when I am at my most depressed. They are very confident and live life to the full. They have an abundance of energy and are basically from what I can tell, having a very enjoyable childhood.

I am also engaged to be married and my fiancee is in full time employment. On most mornings, she will leave the house at around seven in the morning to go to work and will return home at around half past four in the afternoon. I am self-employed and this enables me to take my children to school and to also collect them from school. I love to be able to do this and just this morning was a prime example of why I do. My son, who is five years of age, woke up at about half past seven. I was already downstairs feeding our animals. He strolled down and asked if I could make him some breakfast. He did this with a huge smile on his face. He then ate his breakfast whilst watching some of his favourite television programs.

A little later, I handed him his clothes and asked him to get dressed. As it is quite a hot day, he wore his shorts and looked so cute later as we walked to school, as he was also wearing his baseball cap. As he lined up outside his classroom, he started to talk to his teacher and to his friends. I thought to myself that most fathers would never have the pleasure of seeing their children in these situations and I felt very happy and contented. Most fathers just like my fiancee, leave the house early and do not arrive home until after school has finished. I am sure a lot of them like it this way, but I want to spend as much time as possible with my own children.

I do not earn a massive amount of money as a self-employed person, however am able to earn enough to have what I consider to be a good quality of life. I hope to be able to continue this standard of living by working hard to keep my business alive. My accountant believes I should be working longer hours and that if I did, I could probably double my earnings. This may well be true, but it would no doubt come at a price. In my opinion, money is not the be all and end all. Money is not something that makes me happy, spending the maximum amount of time with my children does.

I am not envious of people when they tell me how much they earn, or when they tell me what car they drive, or when they tell me that they have just bought a villa in Tenerife for example. I am very happy as I am and these things are just not important to me. Each to their own of course.

I have in the past worked in what most people would call a nine to five environment. At this stage of my life I did not have any children and I was happy to work there.

As a self-employed person, I am now able to work at different times of the day and a lot of the work I do, I do in the evenings when my children and fiancee have gone to sleep.

I think I am one of the lucky ones and hope that this happiness continues for months to come. I am sure that my children also enjoy the fact that I am able to spend so much quality time with them.

Inertia. Even the word sounds like a disease. No, it isn’t literally a disease but it is one figuratively. Simply defined inertia is: resistance or disinclination to motion, action, or change. For those of us who are stuck in a job we hate, inertia can sap our energy, drain our lives of joy, and make us miserable to be around. The following 5 tips will help you make the changes necessary to bury your inertia.

1. Update your resume. Yes, you read it right. More than likely one of the accuses you have is that your resume is woefully outdated. Pull it out, look it over, and make the changes. Most importantly ask yourself, “Am I proud of my most recent accomplishments?” Probably not!

2. Start dreaming. You probably already have imagined yourself working outside of your current place of employment. Now is the time to visualize what you want to do. Is it a career change? Do you want to go work for the competition? Do you want to start your own business? Write down your dreams and aspirations and start investigating your options.

3. Widen your circle of friends and associates. Chances are the people you associate with are “enabling” you to stay in your miserable job. Should that be the case, expand your network of peers and start spending time with new people who have fresh ideas who will not hold you back. A positive attitude will vault you forward while negativity is a certain hindrance.

4. Set concrete goals. Telling yourself, “I want to have a new job next year,” is not a concrete goal. Plan out your “exit strategy” from your current job and your “entrance strategy” into your new job. Incorporate all the steps you will need to take to get that new job which can include: a refreshed resume, a wardrobe overhaul, weight loss/management, career coaching, and more.

5. Get fired. Well, not really. However, if in the meantime you do lose your job, look at it as a blessing in disguise. Sometimes we need a push in our lives to make the tough decisions we dread, or fear. You can always “fire yourself” by setting a deadline as to when you will leave your current job. Tell yourself now, “this job has ended,” and be prepared to get moving.

You have full control over your inertia and only you can decide what to do about it. It is time to move on. You know it, you really do.

Matt manages a web design/marketing company in North Carolina, USA. At one time Matt was overcome by inertia, but he began the journey away from it when he was laid off from his deadend job. Within weeks he started his new company and later, made an important geographical move that has stimulated him further. Today, he battles all temptations to be “stuck in a rut” and is constantly exploring new venues and challenging himself to greater pursuits. http://www.corporateflyer.net