thoughts

Getting Unstuck

To break out of the rut and transform your life, concentrate on what you like.

If living means just going through the motions, your life may need a tune-up. While such change may seem like a daunting task, all it may take is cultivating a new focus. These simple steps will get you started.

First, take time to meditate and reflect. Meet with a spiritual leader, trusted friend or life coach (check out coachfederation.org) and make an honest and blame-free assessment of your life. Realize you’re in control and have the power to change.

Next, decide what’s important to you, what goals you want to pursue and how they might affect your health, relationships and general happiness. Keep a journal; take career tests (for example, Myers-Briggs or Career Key); sign up for classes at your local YMCA; or check out meetup.org to socialize with new people and experience different things. The point is to find what inspires, motivates and nourishes you.

After you’ve decided what to do, then set small, achievable goals to help you succeed. To stay motivated, make getting there fun. And celebrate every accomplishment, no matter how trivial you think it is.

Finally, retain a sense of humor. The road to happiness is more easily traveled accompanied by laughter. —Cristina González

A Dream Fulfilled

Janice M. Williams turned her desire to teach into a satisfying career.

After I became a mother in 2008, the next year I lost my job as a strategy and business development professional. That’s when I realized I had to find a more rewarding career. Although I’d always wanted to make a difference with my work, somehow that goal eluded me. It had gotten to the point that when people asked me what I did professionally, I would tell them I made THE EXPERT SAYS PowerPoint slides. One day, during a church retreat, I asked one of the female elders to pray that God would How do you find your passion in life? reveal my gift. She asked Find out what makes you feel better me what I loved to do. about yourself and then follow your When I told her I loved to bliss, says Kirk Charles, a New Jersey– work with children, I felt based life coach and author of How to tears in my eyes. I’d done Unleash the Power Within. And give volunteer work with chilthought to these questions: dren, but I’d never worked with them full-time. WHAT GETS YOU OUT OF BED IN That fall, I became a THE MORNING? Tutor Doctor franchise Whatever moves you to action qualifies. owner in New York City. (Hint: It usually kicks you into high gear.) Now, I help students And, yes, for some people that includes get better grades while making money. helping parents get the academic support they HOW CAN YOU SERVE OTHERS? need for their children (or Some would say this is what life is all themselves). I feel like a about. Certainly, a feeling of warm proud “auntie” when I get satisfaction comes from helping your calls about my students fellow man. improving their SAT scores or getting acceptWHAT MAKES LIFE EXCITING? ed to one of the best This is something that gets your adrenaline schools in town or somepumping. Ever hear about being on a one passing a business “natural high”? Who needs drugs to get exam and being promoted. there? Not you. I am so grateful clients trust me with their educaWHAT IS YOUR GIFT? tional needs. And, even Although this has much to do with natural though I often work eveability, you can develop skills. To plug nings and weekends seven into your passion, just make sure to use days a week, I love it.

the gifts you’ve got. —Kate Ferguson —As told to Willette Francis

Win this DVD; get happy!

SPEAK YOUR MIND!

(And Win Free Stuff)

Two years ago, when a couple of Texas Tech University researchers studied what makes folks happy, they asked people about their satisfaction level with the things they had or wanted to have. What they found is that people who appreciate the things they have can be happier than those who continue to yearn for and accumulate more stuff. How happy and satisfied are you? Tell us by filling in the survey below. To say thanks for the info, we’ll send five lucky readers a fitness DVD (suggested retail price $16), like the one pictured left. To enter our drawing, take the survey at realhealthmag.com/survey or fill out this form and mail it to Real Health, c/o Smart + Strong, 462 Seventh Avenue, 19th Fl., New York, NY 10018 or fax it to 212.675.8505. For official contest rules, visit realhealthmag.com/survey/rules.

1. Name:_______________________________________________________ 2. Organization (if you represent one):______________________ 3. Street address:_____________________________________________ 4. City & state:_________________________________________________ 5. Zip code:____________________________________________________ 6. E-mail:_______________________________________________________ 7. Phone:_____________________________________________________

8. What year were you born? __________

9. What is your gender?

❑ Female ❑ Male ❑ Transgender ❑ Other

10. What is your sexual orientation?

❑ Straight ❑ Gay or lesbian ❑ Bisexual ❑ Other

11. What is your marital status?

❑ Single, never married ❑ Single, divorced or separated ❑ Married ❑ Unmarried, living together ❑ Widowed

12. Do you have children?

❑ Yes ❑ No

13. What is your annual household income?

❑ Under $15,000 ❑ $15,000–$34,999 ❑ $35,000–$49,999 ❑ $50,000–$74,999 ❑ $75,000–$99,999 ❑ $100,000 and over

14. What is the highest level of education attained?

❑ Some high school ❑ High school graduate ❑ Some college ❑ Bachelor’s degree or higher

15. What is your ethnicity?

❑ American Indian or Alaska Native ❑ Arab or Middle Eastern ❑ Asian ❑ Black or African American ❑ Hispanic or Latino ❑ Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander ❑ White ❑ Other

16. Where do you get Real Health?

❑ I’m a subscriber ❑ My doctor’s office ❑ My church ❑ A community or college organization ❑ It was mailed to my home or office ❑ Other: _______________________________

17. Do you have Internet access?

❑ Yes ❑ No

Please rate your level of satisfaction for each of the following based on a scale of 1 to 5:

1 = extremely satisfied 2 = fairly satisfied 3 = neither satisfied nor dissatisfied 4 = fairly dissatisfied 5 = extremely dissatisfied

18. Your home

19. Your financial situation

20. Your job

21. Your love life

22. Your health

23. Your friends

24. Your family relationships

25. Your hobbies

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