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HECTOR’S SEARCH FOR HAPPINESS

You’d have to read yesterday’s blog post to understand what my plans are for MakeAShift this week.  It all stems from my love for a movie I watched a few weeks ago called Hector and the Search for Happiness, a very inspiring and powerful movie, at least for me it was.  My name is Hector of course and what better topic to cover this week than that of Happiness.

Unlike the character Hector in the movie, I haven’t taken a journey around the world that provided me with some crazy life changing revelations or anything like that, but I have had my share of challenges, some recent and some not so recent.  As a 43 year old man who has lived as full a life as possible, I can say that I’ve been through enough to be able to write on the topic of happiness and I hope that my insight can help you find yours today.  My list isn’t in any particular order so know that it’s all coming out as I write.  Enjoy.

HAPPINESS IS DOING WHAT YOU LOVE

I’m a fairly happy person most of the time and it’s very rare that I wake up grumpy or upset.  I’m usually ready to go and look forward to that first morning cup of coffee.  I work for myself and for the most part I’ve been doing so since college.  I of course have had some full time jobs over the years, but the longest I ever worked for someone else was for about 5 years in the 90s.  Some might say that being my own boss is the reason I can wake up and be happy, but no, this is my disposition for the most part.

Trust me, working for yourself isn’t always easy and there can be many reasons to want to quit, but I love it.  I’m not rich by any means and being my own boss is great but that’s not the part that I love the most.  I could be my own boss doing anything, but I don’t think I’d be happy running my own landscaping business or owning a kiosk at the mall, not because those aren’t great, but because they’re not my passion.  If you’re going to be your own boss then do so by doing something that you actually love and enjoy.  I own an ad agency and I get to create and design every day.  Sometimes the work and clients are great and sometimes it’s challenging, but in the end I’m doing what I love and enjoy.

By working for myself I’ve also been able to turn other passions into businesses with two of those being a love for cycling / bikes and dogs.  Two very successful festivals have come from this and 2015 marks 4 years for each fest.  This November 7th will be the 4th Annual HTX Bike Fest and this past Spring the Puppies for Breakfast Dog Festival was the largest yet.

If you have a passion for something, whether it makes you a lot of money or not, jump in and do it.  You don’t have to get up and quit your current job today or tomorrow to make it happen, just take baby steps and start doing something that you love that will increase your happiness everyday and make waking up all the more better.

HAPPINESS IS COFFEE

I love coffee but I’m not what you call a “real” coffee drinker.  I stick to the basics, just give me a good cup of standard brewed coffee and let me add some cream and sugar and I’m happy.  My ritual every morning is to heat up some water and then poor all of that hot water goodness over a one cup pour over system that is usually filled with some Dunkin Donut brand coffee grounds.  I’ll usually just sit out on the porch for a little while and sip on that cup or I’ll do what I am doing this morning and I’ll write or work.  I usually only make it to cup #3 before I realize that I have the shakes and then it’s time to stop.  I’m sure there’s an addiction by now, but it’s ok, I’m happy.

HAPPINESS IS FORGIVING

Remember, I said that this list would come in no particular order, which is why i can jump from loving coffee to now talking about something deeper such as forgiveness.  Working for yourself is great and can be awesome, especially if you do it each day with a cup of coffee in one hand and a donut in the other, but if you’re walking around with unforgiveness towards someone you might as well quit and go work for someone else.

If there was ever anything that could affect a person’s happiness it’s the decision to carry around unforgiveness.  We’ve all been hurt by someone at some point in our lives and I’ve seen first hand how destructive unforgiveness can be to a person.  It can be a huge weight and there are some people that will carry this weight for years and never deal with it.  Forgiving comes easy for some but can be very difficult to do for others.  I’m wired to forgive fairly easy and quickly, to a fault, but I wouldn’t want it any other way.  I would hate to be walking around with the burden of that huge weight, stunting my growth and disabling me from moving forward.  Forgiving someone can be so freeing and life changing.  If you’re carrying around one of these weights, please, let it go today.  Lay it down, give it to God or allow friends or family to help you remove it and take it off.

I found this image online of the donkey that is suspended in the air, still attached to an overloaded cart that he was pulling.  It’s hilarious, but the only way to safely get that donkey back down on the ground is to begin removing some of the weight from the cart.  Only then can his legs touch the ground again and he can be detached from the cart.  I’m sure that donkey was scared as hell being suspended in the air like that, and he was probably the happiest donkey in the world when they brought him back down.

Take the weight off of your cart.  Lighten your load and in doing so watch how much room you can make for happiness.

Until tomorrow, enjoy your 3rd or 4th cup of coffee and get back to work.  Thanks for reading.

@hectorgarciahtx

 

HECTOR’S SEARCH FOR HAPPINESS

A few weeks ago while scrolling through Netflix and chillin (alone by the way), I came across a movie that I had been wanting to see for a while but forgot about it.  I was so happy to see that it was available and couldn’t wait to see it.  With my bowl of “world famous” spaghetti in hand, a nice cold beer sitting on the nightstand and my dog Mr. Wesley laying next to me, I watched what has become one of the best movies I’ve seen in a while, “Hector and the Search for Happiness”

Featuring actor Simon Pegg (as Hector) and actress Rosamund Pike (his girlfriend), the movie follows Hector, a psychiatrist who realizes how unhappy he is with his life and decides to go on a journey to find out what makes people happy.  He travels to several different locations around the world facing many challenges and almost death and unbeknownst to Hector, his journey would completely change his life and ultimately help Hector find happiness for himself.  The movie comes to a beautiful climax of self realization for Hector and a very emotional phone call with his girlfriend Clara, who he finds to miss and love very much.

That last phone call with Clara is very powerful and enlightening for Hector.  By this point in the movie he comes to realize how much he loves her and wants her in his life and as the voice over the movie states, Hector “learns to love like never before”.  Because I’m a soft heartened little boy, I’m tearing up by this point in the movie and yes, it leaves me wanting to see the movie again later in the week.   And yes, one more time a few days later.  I purchased the book some time after this, but have had a hard time getting into it, mainly because for me, the movie was way too awesome.

We all want to be happy and many people spend their entire lives trying to find happiness.  Some try to do this through their job, others attempt to find happiness in relationships or friendships, while others search for it through spiritual things.  Regardless of how, the fact is that we all want to be happy and whether we like it or not, we’re searching for it daily and we will continue to until the day we die.  Whether it’s through that first cup of coffee in the morning or through a cozy cuddle session and Netflix with your significant other, happiness is all around us, waiting to be found.

Over the next few days I will provide a list of what I have found to make me happy, something similar to what Hector provides in this movie.  One of Hector’s quotes in the movie is “Many people only see happiness in their future” and as true as this statement is, it’s very sad that many people actually feel this way.  My goal will be to help each person who read’s my series come to find that “happiness” is there for you today, not tomorrow or a year from now.  Happiness is all around us, we just need to put on the right glasses to see it.  I’ll help you clean your classes tomorrow though, because right now I’m going to make myself happy and eat a late lunch.

Have a good day.  See your happy asses tomorrow.

@hectorgarciahtx