If you’ve been following my personal page, you will have seen my photos for this project #100DaysHappy. What a journey this was and the results were unexpected and surprising!
There is a period during the process of change where things really turn to pot. Intellectually I know this. It was only as I learned the lesson emotionally that it finally landed. Everything I knew or believed I knew went out the window. My perspective has changed, my world has opened up and I am now onto the next phase of my life.
During the 100 days, I was really conscious that I was sharing on Facebook – if you want accountability put it out there in Facebookland!
I’m not a great photographer but after 100 days I now enjoy trying to get the perfect angle, colour, light and seeing things in a new way. I’m challenged by the small viewer size and I’ve had to acknowledge my eyesight is not as it once was. Some days I had no idea what was on my viewer or what would show up on the screen.
I learned early on that happiness is not just what my camera clicks – it’s also what I hear, what I feel who I’m with, the conversations I have and the experiences that just can’t be caught by photo – these are the priceless moments of joy and happiness! I am walking again, although I have to say I did not enjoy winter this year and judged myself for walking at other than the “ideal” time of day, i.e. early morning.
For a while, I dropped out. I struggled to see happiness or joy in my life, and I did not want to show this to the world at large. My photos seemed to be of the same things. Fears of former depression came back (that was a big one – I thought I was over that!), heightened by the death of Robin Williams and the focus it brought to light.
During these 100 days, I did more and I did different, to be in the world in a whole other way. I can see and appreciate I am in the world in a whole other way! I have more friends, more appreciation and more skills and confidence; these are a natural side effect of the journey.
During this period, I learned to acknowledge the not-so-perfect aspects of myself and of my life. I am not underestimating the huge step this was for me. I learned I can – get angry, speak up, be heard, express myself and still be respected; in particular my own self-respect went up!
I am over the powerless feelings of fear and depression and woe-is-me! I am over waiting until others think I’m ready. I am over playing the game of the dangling carrot that keeps moving as I get closer to it.
100 days on and with new confidence and the different results I’m experiencing, a whole new world of opportunities seems to be in front of me. My coaching, my presentations, and even my client focus have new clarity and direction. #100DaysHappy has given me a new perspective on where I am in life and what else I’d like to experience in my life.
It’s been both a reminder and a prompt that I am here to enjoy my world and to make a difference in others’. It is a simple exercise and one which challenged me in many ways. I’m grateful to have been invited to join in this project and I would encourage anyone to try it, either alone or with others, and experience it for themselves.
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