A few nights ago I was reflecting on life in general.  Who doesn’t do that from time to time?  So there I was, staring out into the forest and thinking about life and how I could make it better.

The epiphany I came to during this round of self-reflection was that for as long as I can remember, I have been a happiness seeker.  And in that process of seeking happiness, I often get very close but never quite 100%.   This is not to say that life has been bad, or that I am sad.  To the contrary.  Instead, it reflects some deep insecurity that makes me think that things could be better and if I don’t keep searching, I will miss out.

I do not think this is unusual for type A’s such as myself.  We have our happy moments and boom, the next day becomes mundane and we are back in happiness-seeking mode.  Nuts, right?

Since happiness is one of the tenets of living a strategic life, I decided to come up with a list of ways to be happier during those times when life gets boring, or difficult, or simple routine and mundane.

On July 4th those of us in the United States celebrate Independence Day and each year I tend to muse about the true meaning of this important day in our history.  And no, it is not about barbeques, kids games, and beer drinking.

That said, this year I  take a different approach and offer up my own set of fireworks in the form of a “Let the Sparks Fly” giveaway.  What sparks are flying?  An Essential 4-Pack Kit of essential oils from Spark Naturals plus a Fizzy Bath Bomb that will allow you to soak away the day in utter bliss.  Entering this giveaway is really easy and there is no requirement other than to submit your entry.

It has been a year since I retired and I have got to tell you, I thought I was ready but I was not.  I am not referring to financial matters, mind you.  I am referring to the lifestyle and emotional sides of the equation and what I knew was coming but was ill-prepared to deal with.  No one warned me that getting up each day without deadlines would not be easy, nor did anyone tell me how leaving the working world (or in my case the full-time blogging world) would seem like my own personal fall from grace.

Whether you are young and simply dreaming about retirement, or older and just beginning to dip your toes into the possibility, I hope you can learn something from my experience and find your own path to a fulfillment during this new and wonderful phase of your life.

For me, one of the most frustrating aspects of aging has been the physical changes to my appearance.  Funny thing is, the laugh lines, crows feet, and even the wrinkles on my face don’t bother me much.  What does, however, are the lumps, bumps, and odd rolls of excess fat that seem to materialize a bit at a time with each passing year.  That has been coupled with a  modest weight gain which my doctor said was fine, and actually a good thing.

Not satisfied that this was just the way it was, I went on a quest to find out what was really happening to my body and what I can do about it.  The bottom line is this:  although my diet was good and in fact, more healthy than most, it was still accumulating toxins that were preventing my digestive system from working at maximum efficiency.  I needed to make a change, so I did some research, and set on a course to both look and feel better.

In this article, I describe how I lost tens pounds while experiencing an abundance of energy and feeling downright good about myself.  My secret was cabbage soup, lots of water, and the elimination of white stuff, including bread, sugar, rice, noodles, and other starches.