Are you choosing to live a happy, fulfilled life?
That’s right, studies have proven that ninety percent of the factors that make the difference between a happy life and an unhappy life are factors within your control. One life hack proven to help unlock your best life is setting, pursuing, and achieving goals.
Yes, you can choose a happy life, but don’t take my word for it! Here’s an example of how other people – people just like you – are choosing to achieve happiness through their goals.
Amuse-Bouche Before we jump into today's post, I offer you this "dad joke" as a light "amuse-bouche" to entertain your mind before we get serious. Like any other amuse-bouche, you may hate it, but it is worth every penny you paid for it, right? The key to telling mail carrier jokes is a good delivery.
You’ve Got (Happy) Mail… Positive Energy vs. Pandemic (Interview)
Welcome to this week’s Interview with a Goal-Crusher. In these interviews, I sit down with someone accomplishing big things by setting and achieving their goals to learn their secrets. Then I share those secrets with you. It’s like free mentoring from someone already on the road to success. Who doesn’t want that?!
Do you remember the early days of the COVID pandemic lockdown? Who could forget, right?
Rather than rehashing how the lockdown impacted your job, hobbies and friends, I want to ask you a different question about this strange time in our lives. How did you feel?
Were you scared about what was going to happen next? Were you angry about how the lockdown impacted your favorite people (e.g., service industry suddenly unemployed) or things (e.g., they canceled March Madness)? Did the lack of access to “non-essential” businesses mean you were bored? Did these feelings result in sadness and depression? Did the feelings of helplessness make you anxious?
You weren’t alone. The WHO reported a staggering 25% increase in depression and anxiety triggered by the COVID pandemic. That’s huge!
Imagine heading out for a walk to get a little exercise, separate from the negativity in the news and social media and try to work through some of these emotions. During your walk, something unusual catches your eye. You see a Ziploc bag with one of these colorful cards inside it.
As if by magic, a smile appears on your face and your spirits are lifted. This magic was brought to you by Happy Mail, one of the most positive innovations that arose from this horrible pandemic.
In this Interview with a Goal-Crusher, I had the privilege of learning more about the artist and force of positivity behind Happy Mail, and I am excited to share her story with you.
Please introduce yourself and tell Operation Melt readers what you do.
Hey, y’all! I am Whitney, and for my full-time day job, I am in sales, where I sell college-licensed apparel to nationwide retailers. So, in short, I outfit you in your favorite college team’s gear! When I’m not using my “gift of gab” to sell clothing, I find my creative roots in creating Happy Mail, hand-drawn family portraits, designing bold shoe designs and pretty much anything in between.
What motivated you to start Happy Mail? What was your vision?
You can say I’ve always been creative and crafty since I was young. I think the first time my family and I realized I was at least a little artsy was when I won the penmanship award in the 3rd grade.
Growing up and in high school, I dove into art classes focusing on the technical things and structure I needed to grow as an artist, but I really found my passion in making handmade signs for my friends! I would pass the signs to them in the hallway, put them on their locker doors or even on their windshields. THIS is where my passion was – BOLD lettering and colors, coupled with a fun message unique to the friend who was receiving it!
Although I switched my degree from Graphic Design to Public Relations in college, I still found ways to be creative. In every job since graduating, I found my way back to creating fun, encouraging art for my friends and family.
When the pandemic hit and people were forced to work from home, I knew everyone was struggling with the changes to everything around us. I decided to take to my social accounts to ask if anyone wanted Happy Mail sent to them to brighten their day, help encourage them during this hard time or just wanted something special in their mailboxes. The response from my friends and family was incredible! I sent out personalized, special Happy Mail to more than 50 people in the first two months!
Later that year, I lost my job and honestly didn’t know how to handle all the downtime. I turned to what I knew would not only bring joy to others but also bring me hope – creating! This time I decided I wanted to impact our community, so I created messages of hope, words of affirmation or simple reminders, put them in Ziplock bags and dropped them randomly across German Village.
Since then, I have found more and more opportunities to spread positivity by way of my Happy Mail – I still pass them out randomly and send them to people all over the world (Korea is the furthest so far :)), but it has also developed into creating other specialties for others like customized family portraits!
What were your biggest challenges in starting Happy Mail? How did you overcome them?
I think my biggest challenge in starting and distributing Happy Mail was putting myself and my art out to the world! I’ve always given that creative and special part of myself to those who know me best, but never on a larger scale. I was scared that it wouldn’t resonate with those receiving it or that they wouldn’t understand it… or me. Once I was able to breathe through that fear and realize that what I can do artistically is truly a gift – and it’s my job to use the gift for myself and others – I was able to really dive in!
What goal success tips and techniques have worked well for you that you would like to share with my readers?
My biggest success tip is being vulnerable (and brave) enough to ask for support, shares, follows and opportunities from your friends, family and co-workers! Some of the most exciting opportunities I’ve had have come from word of mouth from my support system – they want to see me succeed and also see the benefit from my art!
What else would you like my Operation Melt readers to know about you, Happy Mail or goal success in general?
I use Happy Mail and my other creations as an outlet from my full-time job, but I always make sure I am putting a piece of myself into everything I create. I always try to leave someone with a smile, spreading positivity, which is why I truly think Happy Mail has been successful. It’s such a feel-good thing… plus, who doesn’t love getting mail other than bills? 🙂
How can people learn more about your art?
Right now, I only have a buying/selling platform on my Instagram page, @thewbdesigns, where you can see some of what has taken off since the start of Happy Mail and message me there for inquiries!
Wow, talk about a labor of love! I had no idea how big Happy Mail and Whitney’s other artistic outlets had grown. To think it all grew from a desire to help people shed a bit of their negativity during the pandemic lockdown.
Let’s review some of the goal success techniques that helped Whitney launch Happy Mail:
- Remember your why: Whitney’s goal was to help bring positivity into people’s lives. Can you imagine a stronger why behind a goal? With a strong why your goal becomes unstoppable.
- One step at a time: when Whitney started Happy Mail, she didn’t plan on doing custom, commissioned artwork for people. She started small, did a good job and grew one step at a time. You don’t always have to begin with a lofty end in mind.
- You Can Find Big Things Outside Your Comfort Zone: Whitney explained that her biggest struggle was being willing to put herself and her art out there. It wasn’t a comfortable decision for her, but she did it anyway. She was vulnerable and stepped out of her comfort zone, positively impacting many people – including herself!
- Be Yourself: Whitney explained that she always puts a piece of herself into everything she creates. That’s an essential secret to succeeding with your goals. When you pursue goals that allow you to be yourself, you are way more likely to achieve them.
Whether you are launching your art to the masses, starting a fitness journey, making a career change or pursuing some other goal, these proven techniques will improve your odds of success.
Do you have a goal inside you that you want to let out as Whitney did? Let me help you take that step outside your comfort zone. Operation Melt coaching can help you create attainable goals, build plans to accomplish them and build the momentum to carry you to the finish line. Let’s work together.
I believe in you; let me help YOU believe in you!
Meet Coach Tony
My name is Coach Tony, and I am a coach, author and project manager on a mission. I am working to build a world where no goal ever dies of loneliness.
I almost allowed one of my biggest life goals to die without ever being attempted for forty years. My goal almost died, not of failure but of loneliness. But, I took a risk and leveraged a simple, logical process that helped me wildly exceed my goal.
I transformed my life, and you can do the same with the help of Operation Melt.
Operation Melt provides engaging, practical content and hands-on coaching to inspire, motivate and equip project managers and other left-brained high-achievers to pursue and accomplish their biggest goals.
Breathe new life into your goals
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