Are you Happy?
Want to SHARE your sentiments on the secrets to that seemingly elusive condition?
I'm passionate about Happiness and have been since my youth.
While others may have set their sights on being popular, beautiful, rich or enigmatic, I've kept my eye on the Happiness ball.
Probably
an unusual goal to have when growing up, it became even more important
to me as I navigated into adulthood. Decisions that others would make
for external or social reasons would often be declined by me as I
weighed the consequences against my quest for personal Happiness. Was I
alone? I never knew.
A few years ago, I started to share my thoughts through a series of YouTube videos under the moniker Maura4u.
With nearly 200 different backdrops and symbols, I put out my own
thoughts about happiness and invited to viewers to explore how similar
ideas could be interpreted in a variety of personal ways. In essence,
the question was always the same: What's your idea on this when it comes
to personal happiness?
Later, along with friends, I pioneered and co-hosted a weekly AM radio show called The State of Happiness.
We interviewed guests from a variety of backgrounds and pursuits who
were defining and exploring their own worlds of happiness.
Just recently, I published the first 6 installments of The Art of Happiness ebook series on Amazon exploring the commonalities of human experience (like Competition, Judgment and Comfort Zones). In The Art of Happiness, I invite readers to revisit defining moments in their life through a kinder, brighter set of eyes.
But
it wasn't enough. Who crowned me the Queen of Happiness and Expert
Extraordinaire on the topic? I wanted the opinions of others.
So I launched a National Happiness Poll. Originally designed to learn how American born women age 40 and above defined personal happiness, it quickly grew.
Women
were happy to speak on the subject, but those who weren't born in the
USA or fell under the age of 40 wanted in. And I wanted them in, too.
Who says happiness begins at 40? While men have yet to protest the
gender gap in my study, I'm sure they'll eventually get their voices
heard . . . and I'll want to hear from them as well!
In
the meantime, I'm enjoying the continual flow of commentary from women
young and old. Married, divorced and single. The under matriculated and
the highly educated. They're moms and grandmoms. Recent grads looking
for their first meaningful job and retired college professors creating
fun, new careers.
For
me, polling other women on their definition of happiness is pure,
unadulterated joy. I've been connecting with women one-on-one and
through intimate emails and hearing voices chiming from New York to
California, Minneapolis to Miami and even from Alaska, Hawaii and Puerto
Rico.
I'll
be framing and sharing some of my favorite quotes from the National
Happiness Poll. If you'd like to share your sentiments on the subject
and brighten the world with your personal light, email me at
Maura@Maura4u.com and ask for a survey.
Maybe you'll be "framed" for posterity, too!
Maura is an International Speaker on Self Leadership and Emotional Intelligence
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