The Journey To A Happy Life

As far back as I can remember I’ve been fascinated by adventure stories and adventurers. The men and women who wanted to see over the horizon, go where few or none had gone before. My heroes and role models were those individuals who wanted to measure themselves not just against some arbitrary number on a clock or scoreboard but who felt the need to push beyond their limits into unfamiliar territory, and realise their potential.

Over the years I’ve had my fair share of adventures too, perhaps the most challenging of these has been the six decades-long journey I’ve been on to discover?how to live a happy life. What I've come to appreciate is that while this is neither simple nor easy it's actually a very important part of our human nature.

Seeking to be Happy is actually quite normal?for every human being. Because being happy is a sign that we are at the very least coping with all the pressures and complexity that life throws at us, at least at that moment. But that is only part of our story. Our lived experience tells us that?being Happy?in and of itself?is nearly always impossible?to sustain?if that is our only goal. So what's missing?

I believe the best way to understand the missing element is to call it "Care and Responsibility". We have a responsibility to care about and for our future selves as well as our present selves. Not only that,?we humans require the company, companionship and efforts of others?to survive and thrive for?that too is a vital part of our nature.?Over our long history we humans evolved to live together as part of a community:?To Succeed Together. It has left us with a deep longing to belong, to be loved and to love in return. And I believe that this?became our superpower. Yes, I know that it isn't always as easy as we'd like it to be, but without it, our willingness to serve each other well, we can never reach our potential or sustain the happiness we seek individually and collectively.

It's a delicate balancing act, seeking to be happy and being responsible for ourselves and others. The good news is - we can actually become very good at it if we're prepared to learn how to improve our natural skills.

My job, the work that I do, and the business I'm in, is to?Inspire, Encourage and Empower?those that intentionally seek out a joyful, rewarding and fulfilling life to do so, with the support of others rather than at the expense of others.

However, I can't confine myself to just Personal Development and Personal Happiness. Having worked around the world and across many sectors I've come to fully appreciate that if we want to be happy and resilient we need to consider the type of work we're doing and how to do it better.?We're all in?some sort of?business?- the business of raising a family, the business of serving customers, the business of caring for those that need our help. To name but a few.?Business is what we do every day, it's not a building with a big sign above the door nor the numbers at the bottom of a spreadsheet.?Business is part of our nature and done well it improves lives. I would even go as far as to say we should all be in the business of becoming happier.

Right now we face many challenges, uncertainties and unknowns. The world looks quite different today from the way it did before COVID and it will continue to change, throwing up more challenges and surprises as we venture into the as-yet-undiscovered country of our future.

Yet I believe?this is precisely where we humans can show our better nature.?When we work together?using our skills, knowledge and experience whilst being clear on what really makes us deeply and fundamentally happy?we can tackle the impossible: It's what we've been doing for our entire history.?We've had a lot of practice.

For a short period in my life, not so long ago, I became exhausted, pessimistic and even cynical. And then I woke up one day and realised how many people had helped me on my journey throughout my life. Their generosity, kindness and goodwill encouraged and empowered me, fueled many fantastic adventures and filled my life with great joy.

?It was then that I came to understand that "I love my life" in spite of the challenges, setbacks, failures and reversals. Because during those difficult times, I discovered the resilience I needed. It was during these times I developed new skills, insights and perspectives and during these times I grew closer to the individuals and communities that helped me find a new level of happiness that was much deeper and more rewarding than I had previously thought possible.

Imagine you could say the same ...?"I am Happy, I Love My Life not because it is easy or simple but because it is challenging, dispiriting, disappointing and difficult. Because in learning how to better care for myself and others I learn how to add my greatest value to the world and in return receive my greatest rewards".?

I really believe the journey to find our happy and realise our potential IS the journey of a lifetime and our greatest adventure, so let's not waste a second of it. Right?

Andy Ferguson October 2022