Happiness: the state of being happy. Easier said than done, I know, but it’s something I’m always striving for. This hasn’t always been easy the past few years due to the loss of Florian, my husband and business partner, but I’m doing a pretty good job of finding my way again. Here’s how I find joy and happiness in my life every day.
Personal happiness to me is…
maintaining an attitude of gratitude to ensure that I can find joy in all of the small, everyday things. It’s easy to get a surge of happiness when something big and exciting happens, but those moments are few and far between. I make a purposeful point to never take life’s little daily pleasures for granted.
Professional happiness to me is…
loving what I do, loving the people I work with, doing good work, and creating a positive impact through our company’s philanthropic arm. Additionally, my team really supports me in making sure I’m always playing to my strengths in my company. I’m free to be me!
A happy morning begins with…
no alarm and waking up when my body tells me I’m ready to start my day. Sleep is such a luxury, so I arrange my schedule to ensure I always get a full eight hours. After all, I don’t drink coffee or other caffeine, so I can’t use that as a crutch when I’m sleep deprived.
I celebrated my 51st birthday by…
making it really memorable. As so many of you know, non-milestone birthdays after the age of forty are usually uneventful, but I insist on making all of my birthdays fun and special. I’m just so grateful to be alive and well, and I believe this is always something that should be celebrated. This year, I went to Montana and Wyoming and had all sorts of fun adventures like horseback riding, flying in a helicopter for the first time, paragliding, hiking, boating, and more. It was a magical four-day trip.
The happiest part of my job is…
the gratitude I feel to be able to provide a healthy, supportive, and thriving company that my team of nineteen people is proud to work at. I’ve always said, “I work for my employees, they don’t work for me,” and I truly feel that way.
My happiest moment came earlier this year when we received a “Best Places to Work” award from the Austin Business Journal. I am so very proud! Plus, we just celebrated twenty-four years of Renée Rouleau Skin Care. Unbelievable that at age twenty-six I set out with a vision, made it happen, and am thriving more than ever all these years later. A dream come true, for sure. And I have all of you, my loyal blog readers and customers, to thank!
A fun part of my job is…
product development! It’s such a creative process, it’s like creating a piece of art. I’m knee-deep in it these days as we have five new products in the works. First up is something minty and fun, which is launching early October. It is soooooo good, I’m obsessed with it! Sign up for our emails to be notified when it launches.
How I keep my life fun is…
by using my Joy List. What’s a Joy List? After Florian passed away and I had to start a brand new life, part of my plan to find happiness again was to ensure I was keeping myself busy with new, fun, exciting adventures. I created what I call my Joy List. It’s filled with ideas of small things to do to give me daily and weekly doses of happiness. I try to do something from the list every day, and I’m constantly adding new ideas as I discover them.
Here are just a few examples of things on my Joy List:
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Go for a hike
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Get a snow cone on a hot summer day
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Go for a swim at Barton Springs (downtown Austin)
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Run around the lake
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Work out of a coffee shop for a change of scenery
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Go for a motorcycle ride with friends
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Bridge/cliff diving
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Dance in the rain
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Get a foot massage
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Put pennies on the railroad tracks
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Watch the sunrise and sunset
How I stay happy in a pandemic is…
by being at home on my patio. Just before COVID began, I had gotten all new outdoor furniture so it was perfect timing to use it during quarantine. Even on most summer days in the hot Texas heat, you can still find me working away on my laptop on my patio. Lately, it’s been a great space to have some friends over. I do enjoy entertaining and look forward to doing more of it.
When I’m feeling down I…
force myself to smile. Studies show that it boosts the mood instantly. I can attest to its magic!
My favorite mood-boosting music is…
the Rap Caviar playlist on Spotify, or the one I created for when I workout!
Something I read that was life-changing for my happiness was…
a post online called Staying Is Settling: Why You Need To Move At Least 5 Times In Your Life. It was THIS article that was the catalyst for me and Florian moving our personal life and company to Austin five years ago. Please, please read it. It’s so inspiring and might bring you a newfound happiness if you’re feeling in a rut.
With business decisions, I always focus on happiness by…
making careful decisions to ensure my company remains a great company, not a big company. I say “no” to a lot of growth opportunities because I know that bigger doesn’t always mean better. At the end of the day, my main priority is making sure my company is a happy and healthy one. I was just interviewed all about this by Inc., which you can read about here.
A book I’m reading to encourage happiness is…
How To Be Comfortable with Being Uncomfortable: 43 Weird & Wonderful Ways to Build a Strong Mindset by Ben Aldridge. It is so good for exactly where I’m at in my life. You see, Florian and I were together for twenty-two years. He was my security blanket, and I was totally in my comfort zone in life. When he was no longer by my side, it created a lot of fear and uncertainty for me. Navigating a world of unknowns alone was really, really hard. I made a point to challenge myself and this book has brought a lot of new ideas for making sure I’m challenging myself to live a life without fear. If you follow me on my personal Instagram, you’ll see I’ve been into bridge jumping and cliff jumping lately, which is super scary but oh so fun.
The four qualities that got me where I am today…
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Enthusiasm
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Intuition
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Persuasiveness (some might call me “pushy” lol)
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Resiliency
My core values are my guiding light to…
help with decision making. Especially when I first became a widow, I didn’t have a path to navigate me through the dark. I was vulnerable and didn’t have a clear head. As I do every few years, I took myself through a core value exercise to get clarity on how I would make decisions moving forward. I review these at least once a week to ensure I’m staying true to who I am.
- Bold — I can clearly identify a personal or professional goal that I’m striving to reach.I am saying yes more and in forward momentum with new challenges that allow me to learn and grow, be fearless, make new memories and get me out of my comfort zone.
- Individualism — I am fully operating in the Visionary seat in my company and playing to my strengths in all areas of my life. I am utilizing my own unique talents that I bring to the world and not having to be someone who I’m not. I am expressing myself creatively and not caring about what anyone else thinks. I have acceptance for who I am, quirks and all.
- Inspirational – I am using my skills, talents, knowledge and life experiences to inspire, empower and be kind to others. I am helping change lives for the better to leave an impact on the world around me.
- Joyful – I am living in a state of being comfortable, happy and healthy.I am treating my body with love through healthy habits such as regular exercise, stretching and eating well. I am surrounding myself with people who bring positivity and add value to my life. My positive energy is contagious and others get joy when they are around me.
- Freedom – I am the architect of my world and am living life through my own wishes. I am acting as an independent spirit and I value the power I get from being able to make choices, even if others don’t understand. I am free to be me.
My perfect day ends with…
a slight buzz from cocktails after a night connecting with important people in my life. Washing my face, doing my nighttime skincare routine followed by hanging my head upside down for three minutes. Then, off for a good night’s sleep.
What I know for sure is…I accept that life is full of change and I trust that despite the unknowns that will always lie ahead, I’ll keep putting one foot in front of the other and figure it out as I go. But in the meantime, I’m going to make damn sure that I’m in the present and enjoying today, for today is the only certainty.
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