Photographer's Freedom

Beginner – Better – Business

How To Live A Happy Life

how-to-live-a-happy-life-blog-post

Do you want to know how to live a happy life? Don’t we all? I would think this would have to be at the top of a lot of people’s self improvement tips lists.

I am writing this blog sitting on the soft warm grass of a beautiful rocky headland.  I’m looking down at turquoise waters with islands in the distance and blue sky and soft puffy clouds above.   I am thinking about how I have created this beautiful life and about the struggles I’ve been through to get to this point. If you are not where you want to be right now – only you can change that. Read on….

Or….start a change towards a happy life right now.

My Life Just 14 Months Ago

For the 1st time in a very long time, I really love my life.  Only 13 months ago I was really depressed and not in a very good place at all. I was angry at something I couldn’t put my finger on, and I was anxious pretty much all the time. This was having a negative effect on my health, and my life was terrible to say the least.

Was this the fault of anyone else? Did I have the Universe to blame for my misfortune? In my opinion…………………..yes!?

I remember days when I would get into such a state of anger and desperation that I would literally scream at the Universe. “Why me?!?” “What have I done to deserve this?” “Why can’t I ever have what I want?” I would scream so loudly that my throat would hurt afterwards. I was so fed up with not getting what I wanted from life that I was convinced I must be cursed or being punished somehow.

Is This Your Life?

Does this sound familiar? Are you unhappy with how your life is going right now? If you are, I understand. However, there is something that I need you to understand though.

Wherever you are in your life right now – it’s YOU that has put you there. The whole time I was screaming ’til my throat ached; I was screaming in the wrong direction. I should have aimed it at myself because it was my past thoughts and actions that had got me there!

Getting To The Point Where Change Is Essential

I had come to that point in my life because of many things that had happened in my past. There was one particular event however that continues to drive me forward towards positive change.

In December of 2017, I had a serious health scare. I’d had a tooth taken out and days later I started to feel quite bad. It can honestly be said that I’ve never felt this bad in my life!

I remember driving into town to pick up my daughter from school, so sick that I didn’t think I should be driving but I had no choice really because someone had to pick her up. I was feeling light-headed and just really, really terrible?!

While waiting for her, I called the Doctor. Once I had her in the car, we drove the 15 minutes to the Medical Centre. That took a lot of concentration I can tell you?!

Fear Sets In

I think I was in with the Doctor for maybe 5 minutes when he told me he thought I had Spinal Meningitis. He started talking about going to hospital, and that I’d have to have a spinal tap and all sorts of horrible things?! Hearing this made me feel so much worse!

The Doctor called an ambulance and my daughter and I waited for over an hour for it to arrive. During that time, my wife turned up, as I had called her to let her know what was happening. It was all quite light-hearted at this point, my daughter even road in the ambulance with me.

The Days In Hospital

We got to the local hospital and waited quite a while in Emergency. It was nighttime by the time they called me into the ward. I had a CT Scan and we waited for the results.

The next thing that happened played out like a movie, as if it was happening to someone else. A doctor came in carrying the result of the scan and quite casually said “We’ve found a 2cm lesion in your brain.” Just typing that, a lump is forming in my throat. The emotion of that moment is still so deeply embedded in me.

I spent a couple of days in that hospital before I was transferred to Saint Vincent’s Hospital in Melbourne for an MRI. This is “brain cancer central” basically, so my fear was all-consuming at this point.

I was brought into the hospital on a Friday afternoon and the imaging team who would give me an MRI had left for the weekend. Hence, I spent a harrowing couple of days lying on my back in a hospital bed, thinking I could have brain cancer. People were coming in-and-out, either being prepared for brain surgery, or recovering from it. This did not help my stress levels at all?!

“I’m going to change my life”

As it turned out, the lesion was in fact not cancer but what is called a Cavernoma; an abnormal cluster of blood vessels in the brain. It was possibly an old event from when I was a child.

As is common in circumstance like this, I lay in that hospital bed over the weekend assessing my life. I asked my wife to get me a pad and a pencil. I had reached the point where change was essential, and I jotted down all the ways I was going to change my life. It was like I had been given a second chance, or that I had dodged a bullet so-to-speak.

Don’t Wait To Live A Happy Life

I do not tell you the above story for you to pity me or feel sad for me. I tell it to inspire you or to shake you into the realization that you will not be here forever. Your life could be over at any moment. Don’t wait for an experience like mine to come upon you before you commit to change. Just DO IT NOW!

Did I change all the things I wrote on that list immediately after leaving the hospital? No, unfortunately I didn’t. I quite quickly fell back into old habits and familiar behaviors. That is why I ended up depressed and anxious and reaching another low point that actually did shock me into changing.

How To Live A Happy Life

My suggestion for how to live a happy life would be to just do it. I know this is much easier said than done, but when it boils down to it, this is really the only option. As I said at the beginning of this blog – if you are not where you want to be right now – only you can change that.

If you are not happy in your job, then you need to find a new one. Perhaps your relationship with your partner is not great – then you need to do whatever it takes to fix it, or find someone else. If your business is not doing as well as you would like, then you must find ways to make it better.

How To Live A Happy Life Through SFM

I was lucky enough to find Six Figure Mentors. This is an online marketing and business course, and not somewhere you would expect to find tips for personal growth. However, SFM is not just an online business course.

The best thing for me about SFM is the mindset work they put you through. You are given so many resources that are aimed at getting your head-space right and getting you fired up for living your best life.

The community within SFM is also incredibly supportive. You can communicate with heaps of people from all over the world through the Facebook groups and Zoom chats. I have made so many wonderful friends and felt supported and valued like never before.

Six Figure Mentors has changed my life. I now live every day doing what I love and doing it where I want to (within the restrictions of Covid-19). I’m not working so that someone else can achieve their dreams or desires – I work towards my own. I feel empowered and like I finally have direction.

I’m not saying that joining SFM can negate the need for professional help. If you feel you need to see a mental health professional to get your mind or your life right, then please do that. I am saying that it has worked for me and I continue to go forward in my life with positivity and purpose.

If you think Six Figure Mentors sounds like something that would help you live a happy life, then please don’t wait. Sign up for your free account right now.