soulati.com

Digital Marketing Strategy, PR and Messaging

  • Home
  • So What is Message Mapping ?
  • Services
  • Hire Me
  • Blog
  • Presentations
  • Get a FREE E-Book
  • Contact
  • Home
  • So What is Message Mapping ?
  • Services
  • Hire Me
  • Blog
  • Presentations
  • Get a FREE E-Book
  • Contact

Soulati-'TUDE!

The Happy Friday Series: How Is Happiness?

12/20/2013 By Jayme Soulati

jayme-soulati.jpgFor practically a year, just a few weeks shy, we’ve read all semblances of happiness interpretation in this series. My heart is brimming with thank yous to each of you for your contribution; do you know what an accomplishment it’s been to bring in single authors once weekly to share a personal happiness story? It’s huge, especially in this era of blogging when folks have little time and engagement is minimal.
There were personal stories so revealing and shocking to some; there were stories about loved ones gone with happy memories that remain; there were other stories about family and friendships, and hobbies that brought smiles.

Based on all these wonderful stories, is happiness elusive? The 40 or so authors who have graced these pages in the last year, have had many obstacles facing them; yet, they found happiness.

I’m going to try and add another perspective to happiness with this story:

Are You Happy?

Used to be when someone asked me, “Jayme, are you happy?” I’d scoff and say, happiness is relative, it’s elusive and fleeting. I didn’t have an answer; I had a poor taste because I didn’t know HOW to answer.

As I challenged people to write for this series, some jumped at the chance; others struggled for just the right topic. I was in the latter category knowing I really didn’t have anything to write until this post right here.
What that experience, earning my white belt in taekwondo, taught me was the opportunity to truly feel a variety of emotions that burgled up into pure happiness. Although another mom attempted to publicly minimize my accomplishment, it didn’t matter; I knew how much I had struggled to achieve and stuck with the challenge in spite of my limitations. I got out of my adult comfort zone and pushed the barrier envelope. How often do you do that? When I arrived home that evening, I immediately sat down to write knowing I had to capture my feelings.

Today, as drama in life continues to unfold, I hold that experience in highest regard. It may sound funny, but do you know how you survive turmoil? Do you know how you remove obstacles from the path often littered with negativity and people who attempt to belittle?

You focus and recall the happiest moment you can, when you were on top. When you face the obstruction, squeeze your hand and let all the empowerment from that happy place and time rush back to overwhelm the negativity and fuel you your own powerful strength. When you take charge of that moment using these tools, you will continue to grow from within to the next level. Your happy feelings will consume the negativity, and the people facing you will be disarmed. It works, I know this from doing it; and, I will continue to practice it the rest of my life.

I thank Sharon Gilmour-Glover of Jump-Point for that tip; she is one helluva woman with incredible teachings from her 13 years as a management consultant and change agent.

I do believe happiness comes in levels. When my 12-year-old squeals like only little girls can do, I giggle inside and register that sound as happiness and excitement. When I earn a new client, I’m happy the fruits of my labor worked. When I belly laugh with genuine sincerity, it washes through me from the tips of my toes to the ends of my curls.

Today, right now, if someone were to ask, “Jayme, are you happy?”

I would say, “No, I am at peace.”

Filed Under: Happy Friday Series Tagged With: happiness, Happy Friday Series, Jayme Soulati, Jump-Point, Sharon Gilmour-Glover, Taekwondo

The Happy Friday Series: Taekwondo Humbled

08/09/2013 By Jayme Soulati

taekwondo-trophy.jpgTonight was the culmination of seven weeks of training as a white belt in taekwondo, the South Korean martial art consisting of forms, sparring, self-defense and breaking.

During the first week, I fast learned I was not cut out for something so disciplined and exact, for I am an out-of-the-box creative throwing abstract thought into my free-form approach to life.

At the same time I trained in grueling workouts and sprint races competing against my daughter and six-year-old kids, I was publishing my first book, Writing with Verve on the Blogging Journey. I didn’t have time to memorize three forms of 20 moves each, five self-defense moves, and a litany of South Korean vocabulary.

In the second week, I was humbled as the entire class of about 30 students with five adults and children waited for me to stumble through the most basic of forms, the lowly Gicho Ilbu. As everyone else held their last move of the form, I struggled with three instructors loudly directing me to move this foot and that hand. I hung my head in shame and tears stung my cheeks. My three partners in crime (adults also crazy enough to try this art form with their kids) patted me on the back. The instructor, a third-degree black belt, said to me, “Miss Jayme, this is not life or death, this is just taekwondo.”

It was then that I knew this was the most humbling adult experience I’ve challenged myself with ever.

Challenge Yourself!

Then I got to thinking…how do we challenge ourselves as adults?

When was the last time you stepped out of your comfort zone to try something new and experience humility?

Exactly.

In spite of my perfectionist brown-belt daughter (an advanced belt) attempting to teach me overnight how to be exact with my posture and the angles of my blocks and punches, I persevered. In fact, she informed me several times I was not allowed to quit.

This experience no longer had me in the alpha position as a parent and leader to my child, it put me squarely in a place of discomfort unable to learn the forms as quickly as the kids with an inability to devote practice time because there was none.

I could not hide the fact that I truly sucked at taekwondo and wanted desperately to quit.

I didn’t.

Embrace What You Hate

I embraced what I hated and kept on. I owe thanks to my peers for coming early to class to work with me as we all helped each other build confidence.

Tonight, May 30, 2013, I graduated to yellow belt.

I broke a board on the first try with a loud snap using my foot; I sucked at the self-defense; my forms were decent; and, I took a kick on the calf in non-contact sparring. My grade was A-.

What raised my happiness quotient, however, was the very end of testing when the instructor awarded me a huge trophy, the Spirit Award. He shared a story, and it went like this:

“This young lady is an inspiration. She struggled, and she could have quit many times, yet she didn’t.”

And, the tears came with the smiles; the humble mixed with the happy.

My sense of achievement, not accomplishment, launched my very personal journey about challenges as an adult and about the growth of self. It’s really a big deal, and I wanted to share.

Enhanced by Zemanta

Filed Under: Happy Friday Series Tagged With: Happy Friday, Korean Martial Art, Martial arts, South Korea, Sparring, Taekwondo

ALT="Jayme Soulati"

Message Mapping is My Secret Sauce to Position Your Business with Customers!

Book a Call Now!
Free ebook

We listen, exchange ideas, execute, measure, and tweak as we go and grow.

Categories

Archives

Search this site

I'm a featured publisher in Shareaholic's Content Channels
Social Media Today Contributor
Proud 12 Most Writer

© 2010-2019. Soulati Media, Inc. All rights reserved. Dayton, Ohio, 45459 | 937.312.1363