Getting started

This journey started around nine months ago.

Like most things of real consequence, it didn't begin with a dramatic turning point. From what I recall, it was an ordinary Saturday, an overcast wintery Saturday, when for some reason I can't even pinpoint, I was compelled to pause long enough and acknowledge I was not happy. More than that, I had been not happy for a long time and if I wanted to change that, I was going to need to do something about it.

I often get very excited by my own great ideas and grand plans. And if I am honest, while I have a love for sharing these ideas, for convincing others of their merit (a la, I will complete my Masters in International Relations and work for the UN, I will be moving to Switzerland to write a novel next month...) a lot of the time I get bored with these sparkly and exciting ideas,  and soon enough, they fall over or are replaced with other inspiring, game changing ideas.

But when I make decisions, well that's different. I made a decision to get a full time job in media while I was still in university, I made a decision to be a manager by the time I was 30, I made a decision to live by the coast and make commuting work, I made a decision to travel overseas at least once a year- and I have.

A subtly yes, one that nobody else (even me) notices right away, but on this particular day I made a decision to change, to make change happen, to seek help and begin to live a life that resembled the one I imagined for myself.

And so I did.

This blog is my journey to discover, lead and maintain a happy and balanced life.

“Happiness is the consequence of personal effort. You fight for it, strive for it, insist upon it, and sometimes even travel around the world looking for it. You have to participate relentlessly in the manifestations of your own blessings. And once you have achieved a state of happiness, you must never become lax about maintaining it. You must make a mighty effort to keep swimming upward into that happiness forever, to stay afloat on top of it.” 
― Elizabeth Gilbert, Eat, Pray, Love

This is my very public, very accountable happiness maintenance regime.

Will you join me?

(photo via 79 ideas )