Are You Happy And You Don’t Know It?

I can’t remember her name, but I can tell you she was not a happy person. 

It was a hot, hazy, and humid Virginia day when I arrived for a class reunion. As I stepped toward the check-in table, a friend of more than thirty years locked eyes with me, broke into tears, and screamed—

“Oh Scott… can you help me? I’m not happy!” 

Next, she bolted out of her seat, ran around the table, and hugged me… and hugged me… and hugged me… and hugged me. 

This is not the first time this has happened, and being a professional, I knew what I was going to say, “Of course I’ll help, just let me get settled, and we’ll talk later”. 

Frankly, I was buying time to figure out why somebody I have never known not to be happy was not happy. What had changed?

Nothing!

My friend found herself a full-fledged member of The Always Club, as in “I always wanted to be thin and in shape… I always wanted to find my purpose in life… I always wanted to make more money… I always…

I was a member of The Always Club myself, along with about a gazillion other folks collectively trying to figure out life’s secrets. Who knew it would take most of us thirty years of post-high school living to realize we’ve never done what we have always wanted to do? 

If that sounds familiar, it’s not your fault, and it’s more common than the common cold. But unlike the common cold, you can’t just sit around and wait seven days for it to go away, or you’ll remain a member of The Always Club for the rest of your life. 

So what did I say to my friend?

“What you have always wanted is not something you have been denied. It hasn’t disappeared or passed you by, and somebody else didn’t take it. You have been happily living your life, and there is nothing wrong with that. Just remember, your “always wanted” is alive and well, living in your future, just waiting for you to go after it.”

And she hugged me… and hugged me… and hugged me.

So what are you waiting for?

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