happiness

Happiness is a difficult concept, and can be hard to achieve because of so many factors that are involved around it. At 44 years old, with 4 beautiful young children and a gorgeous wife, I finally realised that my way to reach happiness is through a simpler life. Enjoying moments with my loved ones, without stress and at my own time, is ultimately my goal for the near future. So this month I am starting a personal challenge and here is the story behind it, because you know - I'm 44!

Last week on Monday, my manager told me that after the 6th of August I wouldn’t have any more work due to some changes in the company. The day after, the big boss told me that actually this was not the case and obviously I would still be working after the 6th (there is only a change of area manager). Surprisingly though, when my boss told me that I wouldn’t have anymore job, I felt slightly relieved, not stressed (my wife was quite the opposite), and for the first time in years I made plans for an amazing August. Then when they told me that I would still have my job, I thought FFS!

So I think it’s time to make some important changes in my life and that’s why I have decided to start my 30 day Challenge for a New Me! In my opinion, to reach a happy life it is important to have some factors right:

A job I like,
A wife I love
Spending valuable time with my children
Being happy with myself (healthy lifestyle).

So why all those changes now? There are mainly two things that are in my way: I am not happy with my job/what I am doing on a daily basis, and with myself (healthy lifestyle). So time for action! Today my first blog post is all about the first steps I want to take to do some changes to my professional life.

unhappy at work

As I said earlier, last week I was told that it was the end of the road for me at work (then they changed their mind). Instead of being upset and stressed (which would be the normal reaction), it didn’t affect me at all. In fact I thought that it was a good time to do something new! So obviously this is a sign that my time with this job is done. I have been doing it for 3 years, I've met a lot of lovely people, I've made them smile every day but ultimately I think I am done with it. Now it’s time to think what I should do next. I want to take my time, even if this is difficult when you are a dad with four children. I have holidays on the 18th of August (for two weeks) so it will be the perfect time to relax and find what to do next. Ultimately I really wanted to end on the 6th of August and take a little bit more time to sort out this very important part of my life.

Happiness at work is very important, because if you are not enjoying your job, it is bad for you and your family. Before having kids, I was one of those men who thought that the most important was: career and earning a lot of money. I used to work 50-55 hours a week, and I thought that was the norm. But now things have changed and being a dad has opened my eyes. On my dealth bed I will remember my times with my wife and children, and definately not my work and the money I earned! So it’s time to take some action and think about what to do.

working from home?

One of the most obvious thing to do right now, is to focus on my blog: I need to write more contents, and earn more money from it. Lately my blog has become very popular, I have increased the number of visits and page views per readers a lot. My posts rank high on Google, but I have never been able to monetise it well enough to make a significant income out of it. I earn some money but this is still like a hobby. After 4 years I think it’s time to take my blog to the next level and treat it like a full-time business. So during the next 30 days I will dedicate a lot of time to the blog and try to figure out how to increase the income from it.

So I am going to spend some time on those two huge areas of my life that need deep changes.
This weekend I will publish another post with other steps that I want to take to make me happier, healthier and enjoying my family life. Then on a weekly basis I will keep you updated with my challenge. This is a huge challenge because there are so many areas that I want to improve at the same time but losing my job (for less than 24 hours) made me realise that it was now or never. This month will be my month! Remember the goal is: happier and healthier me, and a more relaxed, calm and rewarding life.

I want to know about you. Have you been in this situation? Did you wake up one day and decide that was time to change your life? Have you lost your job and felt that it was the best thing that happened to you? How did your wife, husband, partner take it? I want to hear from you, and please feel free to write your comments. (please note: I don’t share your email so don’t worry!).