Tag Archives: happiness

You’re already doing enough.

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The following is an excerpt from ‘The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett: Chris Williamson: If You Don’t Fix This Now, 2026 Is Already Over!, Dec 28, 2025’

Chris Williamson shared this question, which Steven Bartlett offered back to him, “If this was a movie and the audience were screaming at you, what would they be screaming?”

Here was Chris’ response:

“You’re already doing enough. You’re already doing enough. Stop whipping yourself into submission, thinking that your happiness sits on the other side of the next set of goals that you’re going to achieve.
You’ve already achieved goals that you said would make you happy. So if you haven’t made it now, if this isn’t when life is going to begin, then when are you going to start? There’s this wonderful idea of the deferred life hypothesis.
Deferred life hypothesis is basically the sort of common belief that our life hasn’t yet begun, that what’s happening now is a sort of prelude, it’s an intro to our life truly beginning. And upon reflection, what a lot of people realize is that this prelude that they run through was a mirage that sort of faded as they approached and they were actually just running toward the end of their life. Like they’re permanently putting things off.”

Wow! This is powerful.

“You’ve already achieved goals that you said would make you happy.”

How much do we defer for after we reach the next goal, the next stage, the next level or achievement? We neglect to celebrate our successes while in pursuit of the next… and the next… and the next… success.

I’m left thinking of my #OneWord for this school year: PAUSE.

“There is a lot I’m going to miss when I leave this job, what I don’t want to do is miss things while I still have time to enjoy them. I’m going to seek out opportunities to take pause in my day and truly experience the things I cherish.”

I want to leave my two schools in a way that they will thrive when I’m gone. The thing is that I can’t get lost in this goal and not take the time to appreciate all that I’ve already done. I’m not going to postpone happiness now so that I can feel slightly better about retiring and moving on. Joy doesn’t get put on hold ‘until I retire’.

This concept has really hit me. I am already doing enough… Appreciating this over the next 6 months will make this journey far more enjoyable. I will have spent 14 years with Coquitlam Open Leaning and 13 since Inquiry Hub was founded. I’ve spent those years hitting targets and goals, and working with my teams to make the schools better. I have done enough. That doesn’t mean that I don’t keep pushing, and I plan to leave everything as good as I can… but I don’t need to put blinders on and defer anything to finish off the last few months. Happiness, moments of pause, a sense of accomplishment… these are things that don’t need to wait.

Room with a view

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I am not someone who gets tired of looking at a beautiful view. If I ever move out of my current home, the view will be a priority. Ideally I would have a view of the ocean.

Large vistas and the open ocean speak to me. I feel energized by them, and yet calmed by them. I can hear the silence of the openness, I can feel the emptiness of the space.

If I can’t find an affordable a place with a view, I guess I’ll just have to prioritize this on my holidays.

Love the process

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That doesn’t mean the process is easy. It doesn’t mean you wake up full of enthusiasm every day. It doesn’t mean there aren’t hard days.

Just commit to putting yourself out there. Not for an end result, not for a reward, or accolades, or achievement badges. Do enjoy those when they come, celebrate as often as you want… but don’t show up seeking the outcomes.

Show up because you made a commitment. Show up because that’s how you define your success. Show up to show up because that’s what you do, and you’ll naturally fall in love with the process.

Once you’ve fallen in love with the process, then showing up is easy, and even on the hard days you won’t struggle to show up. Then, and only then, will the real rewards come. Again, celebrate them but don’t focus on them. Focus on showing up and keep the love of the process going.

The simple things

I came across this list recently:

The real luxuries in life:

time

health

a quiet mind

slow mornings

ability to travel

rest without guilt

a good night’s sleep

calm and “boring” days

meaningful conversations

home-cooked meals

people you love

people who love you back

I’m sure you can think of a thing or two to add to the list. There might also be an item on the list you wouldn’t include. The point isn’t to have an exhaustive or perfectly curated list… the point is to appreciate that life’s real luxuries are affordable, available, and attainable.

Sometimes it’s the simple things in life that make it worth living. Not the expensive meal or holiday. Not the elaborately planned event. Simply going for a walk with a friend, having a coffee with someone whose company you enjoy, or a moment of solitude in nature.

The real luxuries are simple, affordable, and life-enriching.

Hey Sunshine

One of my favourite nicknames to give someone is Sunshine. I call both of my daughters Sunshine at different times, and it makes me happy to call them that.

Occasionally I nickname a kid at school Sunshine. It’s usually someone who visits the office regularly and leaves the office staff smiling. Walking in with a happy disposition and leaving a little happiness behind when they go.

One of these kids, who graduated a couple years ago, just connected with me on LinkedIn. Sure she was an amazing student, Valedictorian and Spirit of Inquiry winner (more prestigious in our school than Valedictorian), but that’s not what I remember about her. What I remember is the delightful way she and a friend came to the office daily to spread a little sunshine.

Who spreads sunshine in your life? And are you someone who spreads sunshine?

Giving Thanks

It was a different kind of Thanksgiving this year, the first one where both of our daughters were not with us. We went to my sister and brother in-laws, who were also without kids, and we had paella. It was delicious, I can honestly say that I didn’t miss having turkey.

I want to take a moment and be thankful. Thankful for family and friends. Thankful for good health. Thankful to be living in a prosperous country by global standards, and thankful that it is a democracy. Thankful to live in a beautiful country that is very green and very clean. Thankful for a great job where I can contribute my services to a meaningful cause for a good wage. Thankful for access to delicious food any time that I’m hungry.

It’s when we don’t have these things that we miss them most. The fact that I do have them should not go without appreciation and thanks. I have much gratitude for the life I live, and the people I get to spend it with. 🙏

Fishing with friends

I got to go fishing with a couple different friends in the last few weeks. The first time we caught some trout and it was a blast. The second time, with a different friend, he caught a small catfish and I didn’t catch anything… This was also a wonderful day.

No one wants to spend a day fishing and not catch anything… that’s not the goal. But going fishing with friends isn’t just about fishing, it’s about doing something with a friend. It’s about having an experience and not just hanging out and reminiscing about past experiences. It’s all about the experience!

Yes, that experience might be more memorable if you hook a big one, but it’s not the fish that matters, it’s quality time with a friend that really matters.

Trade your expectation with appreciation

I was listening to The Tim Ferriss Show today and heard this great quote from Tony Robbins: “You want to change your life fast then trade your expectation for appreciation and you have a whole new life.”

(Listen to the full gratitude & appreciation quote by Tony Robbins here.)

It’s easy to forget sometimes how blessed we are. It can be all consuming as we seek and want more, while forgetting how much we have already.

Possible future you robs happiness from the present you.

Don’t let future you steal your happiness today.

Bask in appreciation of what you have: Family, friends, health, work, hobbies, food, health, wealth… you might not be exactly where you want future you to be, but if you take stock right now, you probably have a lot to appreciate and be happy about.

Gone in an instant

It’s tragic when it happens. Most recently in the news it was a bridge in Baltimore. A barge lost power and hit a bridge and it collapsed, killing several workers on the bridge. One minute they are going about their job, and then their lives are over. No warning, no forethought. Living one moment, gone the next.

I was recently on vacation and watched a few sunrises. That time of day is busy for birds on the hunt for fish. There is no glare from the sun, and many small fish are feeding near the shore. Here is a slow motion video of a bird diving for food.

Imagine the life of a small fish. You are among many other fish, feeding and going about your morning, and suddenly, most abruptly, a foreign beast plunges into your world and snatches you up. Seconds later you slide down inside of a bird’s neck and into its stomach where you suffocate before being digested.

No warning, no hint of pending doom. It’s part of the life cycle of many living things. We are fortunate that it is not frequent for us as apex predators. Still, it happens, and it’s totally unfair, even random. A fall from a ladder, a car accident, an allergic reaction, a plane crash, a freak accident.

We are fortunate not to be small fish, with far greater likeliness to come to a tragic, early, unexpected demise, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be thankful for the time we are given, and appreciate the luck we have to live a good life every day that we are given. It can be seen as scary or it can be seen as cathartic… knowing that we can be gone in an instant.

Appreciation for what we have

It’s easy to complain. To be frustrated. To want things to go faster, to want more, to want better.

It’s much harder to appreciate what we have.

Appreciation doesn’t require settling. It doesn’t mean we don’t strive, it doesn’t mean we don’t have desires. It means we acknowledge that what we have now is good. Not ‘good enough’… good.

What do we have to be thankful for? How can we show our appreciation to others? How can we share our gratitude for what we have?

If all that matters is what’s next: the next plateau, promotion, or praise for a job well done… then we aren’t being present.

What are we lucky to have, grateful to experience, fortunate enough to share? What can we appreciate about our experience right now? Because if we can’t figure that out right now, we probably aren’t going to figure it out when we reach our next target or goal. We will just be looking forward to the next step instead.

Meanwhile there is opportunity to enjoy the journey, the moments along the way… and not just the next destination on a long path of next destinations.

Is it really harder to show appreciation, or do we just not spend enough time practicing?