You have to be able to TENDER. When a ship can't get up to a harbor, it anchors and then sends people ashore on smaller boats. To tender in your own situation, you need to use creativity. How else can you get where you need to get when Plan A didn't work out?

Passing MUSTER is also essential. Muster is an emergency plan. It means putting on your life vest and reporting to your assigned muster station. This is practiced in calm times so you'll 'know drill'. Having been through it in a calm and rational time, presumably in a state of panic your body will remember while your mind is flooded with emotion, and you'll get where you need to get. Do you know where muster station is? Practice in quiet times. You'll need knowledge in emergencies.

What ship doesn’t encounter WINDS OF CHANGE. Winds are always blowing in a transition. It's typical to experience ambivalence, wanting thing that's gone, wanting to move forward, fear of unknown, survivor guilt, confusion, joy, sadness, anticipation. Today you're glad you got promotion and ready to go, tomorrow you dread new responsiblity, doubt you can handle it, and mourn changed relationships. The winds can toss you about without anchor of your Personal Power and your Stabilizers.

Stormy seas have WAVES. It matters size of adversity, and succession of adverse events. One large wave can really knock you over. So can a rapid succession of smaller waves. 60' waves routinely roll in slowly, one by one in Pacific, causing no problem, but a rapid succession of 30' waves sank Edmund Fitzgerald on Lake Superior. It had no time to recover, to right itself. Depending upon relative size of your craft and size of wave, it's best to turn and face wave rather than taking it broadside. Turn and face your problems head-on; it will be easier in long run. There’s nothing worse than getting side-swiped. The trench of wave is how it effects you - it may look like just a house your leaving to someone else, but to you it's your memories and your home. Learn about you, learn about waves.

Study transitions. Processing one transition and learning good coping strategies builds resilience and helps you handle next one, and next one. Learn to ride waves to fun and happiness!

Start at top of your scoring sheet and work your way down through all major areas that apply to your life. At each stop ask yourself, "Does this area add to or subtract from my happiness?" Record your answer by drawing an 'X' through whichever expression, smile or frown, that doesn't apply. For example, if your job contributes to your happiness, 'X' out frown and leave smile.

Remember, don't try and analyze, hedge or complicate your answers. You can say to yourself, "Well, some days my job contributes to my happiness and some days it doesn't." That's true of all of us. But you know without fudging whether your job is adding to or subtracting from your happiness on an overall basis. Put down answer that feels right. It will almost always be on target.

When you've finished audit, add up your smiles and frowns. Bingo. You have an instant picture of your life...happy or not.

You could use a far more complicated audit with a lot of personal type questions. But I can almost guarantee bottom line will still come out same.

But there's more. The audit will also quickly point out areas in your life that could use some smile work. If you're as smart as I think you are, you'll start planning activities and setting goals to turn those frowns around.

PRINT OR DUPLICATE EXTRA COPIES

Take Life Audit now. Remember, it only involves about one-minute. Date sheet.

Mark your calendar for a follow-up audit in three months. If you've been persistent in working on your goals, you'll be pleased to find that some frowns have become smiles. Of course, as sometimes happens, you may also find that some smiles have become frowns. That's life and that's why a quarterly audit is so important. And with One-Minute Audit you have no excuse for not taking it. The audit is too simple and fast.

Do yourself an enormous favor. Print out and take One- Minute Happiness Audit right now. It might well turn out to be one of most important minutes of your life.

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Get more facts, techniques and information about living healthier, happier and being more productive. Subscribe Free to Doug C. Grant's bi-monthly e- zine, THE EMPOWERED MATURITY PAGE. It's directed toward over 50 Crowd but good reading for anyone wanting to boost their life up a notch or two. Subscribe at: mailto:empoweredpage@smartautoresponder.com