Kerri On Down The Road

What IS happiness?  An age-old question that everyone seems to be trying to figure out, some with more luck than others.   Any social media feed will provide proof of this, from the millions of posts, to memes, to products being sold.  We are desperate to be happy and to find the magic solution that will create this in our lives.  I just finished reading "The Conquest of Happiness" and found it to be quite interesting as it approached this very question from both sides - causes of unhappiness first, and then the many different aspects of life that can provide happiness.  The following line summed it all up for me quite nicely  "The happy life is to an extraordinary extent the same as the good life."  I do believe that this is the root of where we can each determine what our own happy life will be.  I like the idea of equating it to "the good life" as we all have different ideas of what that means.  For some, it is a life that is rich in ...

Last week was an interesting one...embarking on the next phase of my career and all of the learning that goes with a new start.  During one of the conference sessions I attended the idea of "learning being clunky and uncomfortable" was discussed.  Interesting timing for that idea to be introduced as I was knee-deep in learning all last week, and will continue to be for many weeks ahead of me.  And yes, clunky and at times uncomfortable would definitely sum up the feelings that come with learning new skills, ideas and concepts, and determining where you fit in.  I have to admit that by the end of most nights last week I was absolutely exhausted, and almost embarrassed to admit it.  I mean, what did I really do....sat and took notes and listened and met people...not like I ran a marathon or did something physically strenuous.  It wasn't until I told someone that I was feeling pretty tired that they said "of course you are!" and that started the wheels turning...

As this blog posts, I will be getting ready for my first day at my new job.  I am excited, nervous and very open to all of the potential that this change can and will bring for me as I move forward.  I feel very fortunate to have this chance to push my edges a bit with this new role and am embracing the idea that I will be on a learning journey for a large part of the year ahead.  One of the biggest hurdles that I have needed to address and find a way to surpass has been the Impostor Syndrome....not believing in my ability to be successful in a role that is a stretch from where I have always tended to lean towards.  I have heard the voices whispering to me, reminding me that this is uncharted territory and that I have taken on a role where I will need to step up from where I have been in the past few years, and do I really think that I am ready to do that.  For the first time in my life I have said yes.  And not only have I said yes, I have started to actua...

I saw a running meme the other day that really resonated with me.  The message was that the first few kms of a long run are often the hardest as your mind needs time to warm up....I think that this is something that is important to remember no matter what the task at hand.  How often have you decided to set a goal or try something new.  You get that excited and nervous feeling about the possibilities of what lies ahead, what success will feel like and how great the new accomplishment will be.  Then out of nowhere those little voices start to chime in, reminding you of the last time you tried something new, of past attempts that may not have worked out as you wished, how hard it was to work towards something new and perhaps how disappointed you felt when it didn't end up the way you had planned.  Often this is all we need to stop and reevaluate our idea and perhaps even put it back up on the shelf in the box marked "one of these days".  Thinking about the i...