Finding Success in Balance: My Journey to The Cheerful Mind

It’s important to acknowledge that similar to the term “work-life balance,” the word “fun” is another subjective term that means different things to different people.

I’m sharing this story to show the importance of being aware of your values and the impact they make on fulfillment and happiness. Fun is something I now strive to integrate into every aspect of life: my family, career, relationships, and health and well-being. Not only do I want it for myself, but for everyone else, too; I truly am most inspired w

why I became a teacher in the first place: for a more predictable schedule.

The money wasn’t important anymore; I wanted a fulfilling and challenging career that highlighted my strengths because I would devote at least forty hours of my week to that job. But, I also wanted to pursue a career that allowed me to enjoy my life outside of work.

With my clients, I spend time to fully understand the reasons behind each activity’s presence in their lives; then we come to an understanding of how to adjust their relationship with that activity to free up time for the lives they truly want.

My biggest accomplishment in this role was putting processes in place so the department could run more efficiently, and I started to realize my passion and talent for process improvement.

If you are feeling less than worthy, spend some time writing down all the ways you provide value to anyone who interacts with you. If you run out of ideas, ask other people to tell you how they are inspired by you. Increasing your confidence in the value you provide can actually put more money in your pocket. You are enough.

“What if Northwestern isn’t the place you’re ultimately meant to be?”

I visualized the path I was working toward, one I could never see before. And even though part of that path was blurry, I was suddenly confident that I was actually creating my destiny. What I wanted was within my reach, and my mindset shifted into believing that I was going to make it happen.