I have some questions for you. Are you ready? How would your rate your life on a scale from one to ten; 10 being fantastic and 1 being the worst it could possibly be? Are you happy with the most important aspects of your life? And note that I didnt say are you content or are you satisfied. I said are you HAPPY with your life the way it is now? If you are, why are you happy? If you are not, why not? I urge you to be specific when you answer those questions.

Most people are unable to say that they are truely happy with their lives the way they are currently and they say that it has been a long time since they have been so.

Think about this: You get up every morning and go to work. Many people do work that they dont really enjoy, but thats what they know and have been trained to do. They feel fortunate to even have a job in today's world. They spend on the average between 10 and 14 hours each and every day doing something that has to do with work: getting ready, commuting and actually working, yet they dont love what they are doing. It is merely a job. Its a profession. Its a way to make money. They save some money each month... if they can afford to do so. Some can afford to save more than others. They take two to three weeks vacation each year, BUT often times they cannot afford to go away to the places they would really like to go to, because it costs too much. So they stay home or take day trips with the kids instead. They buy a house and are often strapped with the mortgage to such an extent that they can afford to buy only things that are necessary and maybe a little more. Then, after years of working hard, its time to retire, not being able to be sure that they will collect the social security check that is rightfully theirs. They give the house and all their belongings to the kids along with what little money they have left. And then they make a graceful departure from this great planet called earth and go on to meet their maker.

Is that the way it was meant to be? If your answer to that question is yes, WHO SAID that life was meant to be that way? Society? The government? Your friends? The family? Colleagues who are doing the same thing?

Does any of this sound familiar? If it does, rest assured that you are not alone.

And you know what? It really and truly does NOT have to be that way? There are millions of people in this world that wake up every single day and are happy with their work, their quality of life, their lives in general and YOU can be one of those people. You only have to take the first step. Remember that if you keep doing what youre doing, you will most probably continue to get the same results you are getting now. If you can look yourself in the mirror and honestly say, you are happy with that, then my hat is off to you.

If, however, you would like to change something and you dont know where to begin, but are interested in finding your path, your motivation, that something special that would make your life much more rewarding and interesting. If you would like to find it. If you would like to do it, but dont know where to begin. If youve already tried and it didnt work out, but still have that desire burning inside, there are resources out there to help you make your dreams come true and help you enjoy the success you want.

All you have to do is ask for help from a good coach. Take the first step now. You will be happy you did.

So, the only question left to ask is: What'cha Gonna Do?

(article 2/10 in the series)

Anthony Lee Smith

Anthony Smith is a former executive with 13 years experience in a fortune 500 company. After a stint in the U.S. Military which lasted nearly six years, he began his corporate career in NIKE in Germany where he entered the company as a technical consultant responsable for touring his area of central (then west) Germany conducting training courses on the technical aspects of NIKE shoes and apparel for in-store sales people who sold the products to end consumers.

He then moved on to become the national manager for that department. Anthony?s next challenge was a European-wide responsability as sales manager for the military bases throughout the continent. In 2004 there became a need for a structured training approach for the sales force in Europe and Anthony was asked to conduct the start-up of this department. From there he made the move to Italy after two years to start a family and to become the national sales manager for footwear, NIKE?s largest business. His significantly positive results earned him a promotion to national sales manager, overseeing the entire sales force and its three divisions footwear, apparel and accessories as well as nearly $400 million.

With an eye on his personal five year vision, he decided he needed an additional experience and so he moved from NIKE to take on the role of country managing director for Levi Strauss? Italian subsidiary.

In 2003 he made a planned, drastic change in his life, moving on to what gives him greater personal satisfaction, which is in helping organizations and individuals improve the quality of life. He currently lives between New York and Bologna, Italy.

Anthony is founder and CEO of Jolten Educational Events and Entertainment, (jolten.com) a consultancy and corporate training company that aims at helping his clients achieve concrete and lasting results. One of Anthony's biggest attributes is his communication and speaking ability. His speeches and seminars are dynamic, memorable and delivered often with unconventional means that stimulate thought and provoke action. Thus the name to his company Jolten. Jolt describes exactly the effect he has on his audiences, awakening them, shaking them, moving them. "Training and speeches must not be boring and static, but rather interesting and yes, entertaining." Anthony is also an actor and his acting training and stage set is evident in his speeches and undoubtedly aid in making his presentations of greater impact. Thus the suffix 'en.

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