THERE IS NO BETTER JOURNEY

THE HAPPINESS JOURNEY

Where does happiness come from?

How can happiness be attained and kept?

Happiness is an inside job. Happiness is a byproduct of a virtuous journey in a spiritual transformation. The two happiest days of our lives are the day we consciously start and the day we finish our journey. Unhappiness comes from living an empty life, a life without meaning. We live in a culture seeking happiness from worldly entertainment, not realizing the pursuit of such pleasures bring only restlessness and misery. Pleasure is of the body. Joy is of the mind and the heart.

No one else can go on the happiness journey for us. 

Happiness comes from schooling our souls the nobility of stellar character. We must strive for it, making the changes in ourselves necessary to attain happiness. Be aware that many many people will test your resolve, often times to the limit. From happiness we can go for joy, and then, achieve the peace we all want. True peace is only possible we become living models of the right principles and place duty above rights. The happiness journey requires the uniting or our minds, our hearts, and our wills simultaneously. Here is what it takes to attain happiness. Happy people have these 7 traits present in their daily lives. 

Why don’t you resolve to go on the happiness journey by resolving to develop and adhere to these 7 habits? This is like a mini manual or plan for you to pursue happiness.

1.   Faith.

ü  Belief in a better future and behave accordingly. Belong to a higher power. Pray.

ü  Ditch worries. Worry is wasted energy anyway.

ü  Have a positive outlook on life. Have a healthy spiritual life.

2.   Work.

ü  Doing meaningful and productive work. Doing what you absolutely love to do.

ü  Fulfilling the purpose and cause greater than oneself. Do it with all your might.

ü  Performing a variety of tasks, from menial to critical. Work on self above all else.

3.   Health.

ü  Walk, move, exercise. Mental hygiene too.

ü  Eat healthy, caring for the body. Plenty of water. No vices.

ü  Proper amount of rest. Proper sleep; naps are great!

4.   Patience.

ü  Have a long-term perspective. Focus on eternal vs temporal things.

ü  Focus on the important vs the urgent. On guard for distractions.

ü  No busyness for the sake of it. No time for drama or petty parties; nature instead.

5.   Wonder.

ü  Take time to think and reflect. Take time to learn (read, listen, associate).

ü  Take time to wonder the marvel of all creation. Limit news and Facebook😊

ü  Take time for appreciating all the blessings. Internal and external to ourselves.

6.   Love.

ü  Express love to all those who deserve it. It is easy to love the lovable.

ü  Express love to those who do not deserve it too. This will test what love really is.

ü  Serve those in need. Share time and treasures. Love never gets out of date.

7.   Generosity.

ü  Be a giver in a world of takers. Practice sacrificial giving.

ü  Count the blessings often for they are many. Blessings grow by counting them.

ü  Be thankful for all the blessings. Live in thankfulness.

Happiness is an attitude, a state of mind attainable by anyone who is willing to go on a journey full of struggles and victories. Happiness is not something we are entitled to. We all have the freedom to seek happiness no matter what our circumstances. Each one of us can do all the things listed above. Simple, yet not easy. If it was easy there would be a lot less miserable, depressed, and sad people in this world.

Carlos Fontana

Financial and Leadership Coach

Get out of debt, make more money, pay less taxes

Be the leader you want to see in the world

"Those that take swift action will always leave those that don't breathing the dust"

"The future belongs to those who can see and pursue opportunities before they are obvious"

“Managers influence numbers, leaders influence people by inspiring them to pursue excellence”

HOW CREATIVE ARE YOU?

Where does creativity come from?

Creativity is a learned skill; no one is born creative

Creativity comes from the environment we grow up and live in. Creativity is an important quality to live a significant life. All of us have the innate potential to be creative. So, how do we go about becoming creative, bringing new things into existence, new ways of thinking and doing things? Creativity does not come from living in harmony but from our desires born in the need for survival. Creativity is a precursor, a catalyst to innovation. Read on and you will add some spice to your level of creativity. Want to be more creative? Do the following:

1.     Imagination. Imagination is a quality of the observant minds. It is the art of mentally creating ideas from pictures. Imagination leads to risk taking to go after the dreams that add that zest for life. A free spirit is part of a healthy imagination.

2.     Dissatisfaction. Yes, being non-conformant and non-compliant with the status quo, breaking the norm, the rules of the world. It comes when we lose ourselves in the side trips of life after contemplating and falling short of our own expectations. It comes from the crave for more.

3.     Solitude. Yes, extreme silence for long periods of time lead to bringing out deep seated thoughts and emotions. The key here is patience to allow things to grow, evolve, and take shape. A degree of stubbornness to restlessness results in the flow of the creative juices in us.

4.     Tension. It comes from internal dissonance. Intensity and high pressure are part of the process of releasing the tension in the form of thoughts and ideas. Beauty is part of the ingredients to release the tension required to see the world different, see the world with the brains.

5.     Sadness. Extreme emotions ignite something dormant in us. The key here is to accept and embrace sadness as part of life. That is how the song Amazing Grace came about, after a moment of great sadness.

6.     Pain and suffering.  Physical and/or emotional pain and suffering are companions of creativity. They key here is to capture the thoughts and ideas at the moments we least feel like jotting them down.

7.     Paranoia. By now you are thinking, yes, I can be creative. All of us have a degree of paranoia and eccentricity; it is the only way to survive and thrive in this crazy world we live in. Why not take advantage of that eccentricity to bring some creativity into the world?

It takes focus, persistence, resilience, eccentricity, emotional acceleration, and a high degree of non-conformity to be creative. If all the above is not enough for you, add some caffeine from a high-quality coffee 😊

Carlos Fontana

Financial and Leadership Coach

Get out of debt, make more money, pay less taxes

Be the leader you want to see in the world

"Those that take swift action will always leave those that don't breathing the dust"

"The future belongs to those who can see and pursue opportunities before they are obvious"

“Managers influence numbers, leaders influence people by inspiring them to pursue excellence”

GETTING THE WORK YOU ALWAYS WANTED

How to Be the Top Pick

The 7 Cs to be the top choice when applying for work anywhere.

What do I need to do to be the top choice among many candidates?

How do I separate myself from the pack and go right to the top of the list?

Read it, study it, prepare for it, then go for it! It takes wit, grit, and guts to be the top choice.

If there is a big secret, the secret is that you have be different from everyone else.

Sound simple, then, how do I do it? Have the following traits be evident in your resume, cover letter, application, and most important, in the interview. When the 7 Cs are felt by those evaluating you, there is a high probability you will be the top choice.

When you transfer the feeling from the information you share, exchange, or directly present, you are going to be pleasantly surprised with an invitation to join the organization you aspire to be part of.

Think and prepare in the following 7 areas, thinking to answer the questions that those evaluating you want answers. These important questions are often silent, not typically asked, so you have to answer them yourself through your communications and conduct. Of course, you have to excel in answering the typical questions the the experts tell you to prepare for. These are the key traits, the 7 Cs, with 3 important skills for each area, along with the silent question. 

1.    Confidence. Attitude, positivity, and hunger.

Does your energy and attitude convey confidence?

Does your outlook on life convey optimism?

Are you hungry to learn, grow, perform, and prosper?

2.     Competence. Experience, results, and leadership.

Does your technical capabilities and experiences match what is needed for the position?

Do you have a track record of results under similar conditions?

Can you effectively lead yourself, others, teams under unfavorable conditions?

3.    Composure. Professionalism, emotional, resilience.

Do you have the skills of a top professional (eye contact, hand shake, smile)?

Are you being yourself and showing emotional strength?

Do you show grit and resilience when dealing with adversity?

4.    Credibility. Listening, rapport, and trust.

Are you being a good listener?

Are you building rapport with those you are interacting?

Do you inspire trust and why?

5.    Chemistry. Style, culture, and teamwork.

What is your style when it comes to getting things done?

Are you comfortable in working in different cultures?

Can you be a great follower and leader?

6.     Communication. Clear, concise, and relationships.

Are your communications clear and easy to understand?

Are your communications concise and to the point?

Are you good at building and maintaining relationships under a variety of situations?

7.    Community. Serving, giving, and cause.

Are you a good servant?

Are you a stronger giver than a taker?

What are community causes that are dear to your heart?

Carlos Fontana

Financial and Leadership Coach

Get out of debt, make more money, pay less taxes

Be the leader you want to see in the world

"Those that take swift action will always leave those that don't breathing the dust"

"The future belongs to those who can see and pursue opportunities before they are obvious"

“Managers influence numbers, leaders influence people by inspiring them to pursue excellence”

HOW BIG ARE YOUR QUESTIONS?

Asking the Big Questions

There is magic in asking and answering yourself big questions. How often do we stop and ask the big, the right questions to ourselves? This is a great exercise that is being forgotten or ignored by the majority of people. Yet, asking the right questions is the key to get where we want to go in life. Also, answer them thoughtfully, and above all write down your answers. 

How can we hit a target we don’t have? The answer is very simple, we will never hit a target we don’t have. The answers to the big questions will bring meaning to our lives, and that friends, is the key to living a significant life. Answer the following 7 questions and I assure you that you will live a life of meaning and significance. Don’t overthink it, just go ahead and answer and ink the answer.

1.     20 years from now, what would I wish I had done today? We overestimate what we can achieve short term and underestimate what we can achieve on the long term. The compounding effect of accomplishments makes all the difference. Small victories over time lead to big victories.

2.     What do I want to be remembered by? Go for the eternal, not the temporal things. Even the material things we often fight for are worthless when our time comes to leave this world.

3.     If I could live anywhere in the world, where would I live? There are so many wonderful places in the world to live in.

4.     If I could travel anywhere, what would be my top three destinations? The locations may be the candidates for question 3. Go visit the places and spend time there as if you were living there.

5.     What is the purpose and mission of my life? In order to answer this question, you may need to answer other smaller questions like: What do I absolutely love to do? What can I be the best in the world at? What can provide income for my lifestyle?

6.     What do I believe in and why do I believe in what I believe? If we don’t believe in something we fall for anything. Eternity is a long time to be wrong. There are certain things we must not compromise for convenience or fear of upsetting a relativistic world.

7.     What do I live for, what am I willing to die for? What causes reside in my heart, the things I can make a difference.

Carlos Fontana

Financial and Leadership Coach

Get out of debt, make more money, pay less taxes

Be the leader you want to see in the world

"Those that take swift action will always leave those that don't breathing the dust"

"The future belongs to those who can see and pursue opportunities before they are obvious"

“Managers influence numbers, leaders influence people by inspiring them to pursue excellence”

How do winners talk to themselves

The Winner Self Talk

Stop listening to yourself and start talking with yourself. Here are the things winners tell themselves. What do you say to yourself when you talk with yourself?

Freedom prospers where individuals take full responsibility for their lives. Tyranny rules where individuals focus on their rights. As you can see below the self-talk of a winner is full of responsibility. What separates winners from losers is the content of the conversations they have with themselves. Read the following statements and take what fits you. Create your own conversations and create your winner's self-talk. You were create to win! 

I love to win.

I love challenges.

Critics energize me.

I will adapt quickly.

I look and feel great.

Consider this deal done.

I feel very productive today.

If it is up to be it is up to me.

Go ahead and bet against me.

My future looks really bright.

Today will be another great day.

I am going to get this thing done.

Let me take responsibility to this.

I am going to figure this thing out.

I love to respond to an opportunity.

There is no competition in my space.

I am learning new things all the time.

I really feel motivated and energized.

I believe I am always divinely guided.

I don’t feel like this is hard work at all.

Now is the time to think big, really big.

If God is for me who can be against me?

I love to turn complexity into simplicity.

I have to say NO to this so I can DO that.

I love to produce a lot out of what I have.

I believe I will take the right turn on the road.

My time is the most valuable asset that I have.

I have clarity and full confidence to reach my goals.

I believe God will make a way where there is no way.

I love to flip excuses into reasons for doing what’s right.

Carlos Fontana

Carlos Fontana

Financial and Leadership Coach

Get out of debt, make more money, pay less taxes

Be the leader you want to see in the world

"Those that take swift action will always leave those that don't breathing the dust"

"The future belongs to those who can see and pursue opportunities before they are obvious"

“Managers influence numbers, leaders influence people by inspiring them to pursue excellence”