Success: Happiness from helping and making a good living

It's such a simple concept. Figure out what you love and then figure out how to make a living with it.
But I grew up in an era where women were barely accepted in the work force. That meant being a teacher or a nurse were kind of old fashioned. As women fought to contribute, use their strengths, and make a difference, they also fought to climb their way to the top.

Thirty two years after I graduated from a top level school for Hotel Administration, I'm still baffled at how I got so hung up on climbing a ladder I'd never really wanted to climb. How could it be possible?  I listened to the guidance of my most important ally -- my Dad.  And Dad knew the world, knew me, and surely he wouldn't steer me wrong.

He didn't. He tried to steer me to where he thought I'd make the most difference. He taught me about money management, accounting, and finance in his own way.  He taught me sales and marketing. And most of all, he taught me to keep on fighting even when there was no end in sight. He taught me to never give up.

What Dad missed was a clear way for me to use my natural talent and my business mindset. Neither of us knew that 30 years later our passion for fitness and holistic health would answer the cries for help. Neither of us realized that the country would be in desperate need.

As I built skills in business, I pursued my happy factor in outdoor recreation, fitness, and healthy living.

Today, it fits. The more I write about health, the more I love what I'm doing now.

Thank you Dad! See, had I not done all the other things, I'd never appreciate the passion I feel today. It would be a job, a focus, and I'd do well, but I would never have the humility, gratitude, and joy I feel today.

Here's the thing: We can do stuff well and hate it. We can love other things and be average. But when it all falls together, we can master a craft, continue to love it, nurture it, and build on it -- and enjoy a great living all at the same time.

Today --- I am there. I am at the place that I've dreamed of for decades. I recall saying to Dad some 25 years ago: Look, you love your career. You would not dream of doing anything else. It's as good for you, Dad, as you are for it.  That is the love I want to find in my work. Why should I have to settle when you never did?

Dad's answer:  Well, sure, but you need a job.  Get a job!

Well, that's how I came to be searching at 55 for a lifeline. The jobs came and went. Some were great, some not so hot. But always, there lurked around the corner a better place. A better me.

So when I tell you can "BE The BETTER YOU" I know what I'm talking about.

I've found it!  And I am here to lead others to their Happy Factor!  ;)