2020 The Year of Happiness

So here we are at the end of another year.

For lots of people, 2020 will be remembered for all of the wrong reasons, but there is another group of people who will remember it for the right reasons.

Those who passed their exams, those who proposed and maybe got married to their nearest and dearest. Those who welcomed a new child into the world, those who built or maybe moved into their first home together. Those who set up a new business and maybe those who sold a business which was a huge triumph.

Those of you who overcame a health challenge against all odds, and maybe those of you who reconnected with old friends.

There are so many reasons why 2020 will go down as an amazing year for so many people and created so much happiness.

The other more obvious reason people might remember 2020 in years to come, is the outbreak of the global pandemic which occurred in March 2020.

This started a series of ongoing events, which has triggered much pain, trauma, anxiety, confusion and anger for people right across the world.

However as this end of year blog is about happiness, I want to focus on that.

What does happiness mean to you?

I for one do not believe that humans are supposed to be happy all of the time. In fact, one might argue there is nothing more annoying than meeting someone who is happy all of the time.

Happiness is hard to explain, but I’ll give it a go.

I think happiness is more a feeling, a fleeting, passing moment, a state of mind, for a period of time. It's for the most part short lived, as the human mind appears not to want to sit in any kind of happy equalibrium, for a significant period of time.

I’ve read hundreds of books over the years about all kinds of subject matter, and many about personal development and how to survive and thrive in life. It’s been a terrific experience and one I highly recommend.

Jim Rohn says you will be the same person in five years apart from the people you meet and the books that you read. Fascinating and something I believe to be true.

However, when thinking about life, how to navigate it and how to be happy, the one book that keeps coming into my mind is Viktor Frankl’s book, “Man’s Search For Meaning”.

If you haven’t read this book or listened to it on audio, I highly recommend you do.

In summary Frankl was a Jewish man, arrested by the Germans and put in Auschwitz concentration camp during the war.

Everyday his friends and colleagues were either sent to the fields to work under really miserable conditions, or to their death in the gas chambers.

One can only imagine what life must have been like living in this environment, and how difficult it must have been for the millions of people who found themselves in these camps, to simply get through the days. Off course millions didn’t which is is truly tragic, sickening and demonstrates yet again how flawed and evil humans can be.

However Frankl actually found a way to get through the days in the camp, and dare I say it maintain a state of happiness. He shares this in his book, which in my view, provides the answers to many of the questions and problems each of us face in our own lives on a daily basis.

I won’t ruin your happiness for you by telling you what this is, so go read the book😊

What makes you happy?

I don’t mind admitting, I struggle with happiness at times.

Maybe it’s an age thing, but at my stage in life, I don’t have much time to experience prolonged periods of happiness, as I am running several businesses and anyone who runs their own business, will understand that this often can be pretty stressful, full on, and doesn’t often spark sustained periods of happiness. Although it also has to be said that it can be incredibly rewarding.

I also have two young kids, who demand/require daily help, guidance, love and attention everday. Actually parenthood is one of the things in life that does bring me great happiness and at times this can be for sustained periods of time.

I’m also often in a semi-state of happiness/ flow, when i’m with people I love and trust.

Over the last few years I’ve also experienced feelings of happiness through exercise and endurance events to be more precise.

Crossing the Ironman finish line 7 times, definitely creates great euphoria and this morphs into at least 24 hours of joyous happy feelings. Wonderful.

Have you ever given this question much thought? - what really makes you happy?

Who is Tony Hsieh (pronounced Shay)

Tony Hsieh had it all, was a multi billionaire American internet entrepreneur, philantrophist, and venture capitalist.

People who met and knew Hsieh often talk about his genious, his generosity, kindness and also his humility, charity and goodwill towards people.

I only heard of Hsieh's name a few years ago, when he sold his online shoe business Zappos to Amazon for $1.2bn, but being honest, I never really knew much about him, until I read about his unfortunate death in November 2020, at 46 years of age.

When news of his death broke, it really caught my attention, and since then I’ve read a number of articles on his life, his successes, and ultimately how everything came to a tragic abrupt end.

A few weeks ago I ordered his book, “Delivering Happiness" A path to profits, passion and purpose.

It's hard to get this book, and it doesn’t arrive to February, so i’ll have to wait to enjoy and review that.

Tony Hsieh

However the more you start to read about Tony Hsieh, who wrote a book on how to be happy, the more you realise how deeply troubled and unhappy he appeared to be.

From the research I have carried out now over many years, happiness and ones feeling of self worth, has very little to do with how much money you have in the bank, or how many followers you have on Instagram.

It seems to be more to do with a sense of connection to yourself and those closest to you.

Hsieh, like many others suffered from addiction issues and often these kinds of issues centre around a loss of connection, purpose, and feelings of pain and trauma, that can and do often spiral out of control.

It would appear Hsieh’s life, towards the end, was spiralling out of control, before coming to a terribly tragic end last month. How ironic that someone so young, so successful, who appeared to have everything, and wrote a book on how to be happy, appeared to be so lost and so unhappy.

For further reading and study on this subject matter, I highly recommend you look into the work of the Canadian physician an addiction expert, Dr. Gabor Mate.

Write it down

As 2020 comes to a close, I thought it important I wrote a blog on happiness.

So many people will be glad to see the back of this year, but what are your plans for 2021?

I’ve learned over the years, Christmas is such a great time of year to plan for the year ahead.

At 11pm on Christmas night I entered the 70.3 Ironman in Marbella, Spain. The race is on at the end of April 2021, all being well.

By me committing to this race, that means I will have to spend the next few months getting stronger and fitter by swimming, cycling and running. This may not be your idea of happiness, but it certainly works for me.

Can I suggest you think more about the things that make you happy, more often, and maybe start to do them more regularly. Also a small tip - write down what makes you happy, plan for the year ahead, and start to ensure what you write down actually happens - trust me it works!

I’ve found like everything else in life, for the most part you have to work at your own happiness. It is not something that comes naturally or happens without effort unfortunately.

Thank you

Finally, thanks for all of the support this year.

I’ve really enjoyed staying connected with so many of you, answering your queries on health, fitness, nutrition, overcoming illness, etc

What is clear is that so many people continue to look for help and answers in life.

Sickness, illness and misfortunate is rife.

The good news being that regardless of how bad things might be for you today, there is always hope.

In 2007 I never thought I would be pain free again, never mind happy again.

What I have learned over the years through this journey is that thankfully, everything is possible.

You just need to have an open mind and don’t let go of that thought, that regardless of how bad things might appear today, things can get better.

I’m glad I can still use my own health journey as being a force for good, and so much change.

This is another thing that makes me happy!

Take care and wishing you all a happier more prosperous 2021.

CD ☘

Team Bike / Run = Happy Place