So, what is this thing called bliss and why is everyone following it? In our on-going competition to keep up with the feminine ideal, there are countless daily opportunities for us to miss the bar set by Victoria’s Secret, Martha Stewart, PTA room mothers, and Cosmopolitan magazine. One thing I’ve learned in working with hundreds of coaching clients over the years is the distinct need to expand our core definition of “bliss.”

I’ve learned that naturally happy people don’t live in a constant state of Zen. People who show up from a place of consistent joy are awake to the whole human experience—the good, the bad, and the ugly. Maybe that’s not what you wanted to hear. Perhaps you had hoped this was a guidebook for being happy all the time. Bliss doesn't mean you have your life all figured out and that problems elude you. (Spoiler Alert: That will never happen!) It just means you choose to find moments of appreciation and beauty, not just when the evidence is good, but through whatever monotony or hell is going on in your life.