U-Shaped...

I recently published an article about happiness and waiting until 65 in order to experience happiness on a greater scale. According to the U-Shaped Happiness Curve, we are at our happiest at the age of 65, with our unhappiest age at around 46. In fact, happiness starts declining around the age of 18! At 39, my curve is a little more skewed. My mid-thirties was absolutely awful (well, almost). In December of 2013, I had been dismissed from a doctoral program at Florida State University (Dyslexia is a bitch). The following January, I was arrested at the Tampa International Airport for bringing a gun to the airport (a gun for which I forgot to take out of my book bag when I rushed out of my house). In February of that year, I was hired for a now defunct for-profit educational company. I won't air all of my dirty laundry, but I think you get where my life was headed. 

In March of 2015, I was, happily, hired as a trainer for a financial services company--this was my turning point (partially). I re-joined Toastmaster's International. I started writing a book. I became certified in a host of things, such as speaking and leadership development. I seemed to have found my passion--helping people find their passions, to develop them into high-capacity individuals, and to help people use their voices for change. While there have been a couple of stumbles, I have continued to reinvent myself. In February of 2016, I finally put ideas on paper to begin my own business. Today, I serve clients, I have made numerous connections with business leaders, I have made progress on my book, and a host of other accomplishments have been tallied. 

My point in writing this? I chose to disallow circumstances to control my life. While happiness is central to our short lives, it can be elusive, especially given the circumstances that seem out of our control. Though, small changes make for huge progress. My life seemed dire at times, but a few things saved me. Finding my passion for people. Writing. Travel and solitude.  Finding my passion took patience, however. People I trusted helped me along the way, especially my family and close friends. 

Don't wait until you're 65 to be happy--start cultivating your path now so that you, too, can subvert the U-Shaped Happiness Curve.