Hey there, I’m Angela Germano and today I am sharing one piece of advice I wish I had known on my happiness journey.  Tune in to find out. 

 

Transcript

 

Hey there, you're listening to Everyday Happiness with Katie Jefcoat. But today I'm Angela Germano and I'm taking over. Katie asked me what is one piece of advice I wish I had known on my happiness journey?

 

Oh, that is a good question. An important question. A vital one, actually. So I am really happy that Katie asked me this, and I'm really honored to chat and share about it.

 

I actually wrote about it in a book. True story. Nineteen amazing women and myself had a book come out a month ago. A month or so ago, and it was called Leading with Legacy. We all had different interpretations of how to lead with legacy, even different definitions of legacy. That's kind of like the question Katie is asking, right?

 

First we have to define, what is happiness? Everyone has a different definition, a different understanding of happiness. I mean, happiness could look like a love affair, a family, a home, a bustling career, good health, a simple smile. So first we have to figure out what makes us happy.

 

So for me, happiness is being alive. I had a pretty tragic childhood with a lot of hardship and disease, abuse, loss and abandonment. It took being asked to be a part of Leading with Legacy for me to really formulate the key advice that I'm about to share.

 

Life threw a lot at me in my younger years, however, I somehow managed to be a straight A student, a big part of my school in sports, from class president to international thespian to forensics and debate champion, homecoming queen, so much in between. And I put myself through Monmouth University. I studied in London and I interned in Washington DC.

 

I graduated magna cum laude, I earned my masters, and now I'm on my way to earning my PhD so my two children can see that anything is possible with our superpower strength of choice. So what is the advice that I wish I had known sooner on my happiness journey? Well, I want to have a little fun here. I'm going to cite a part of my story in Leading with Legacy. Are you ready?

 

“Heart and throat, palms pulsing, eye twitching.

Taste your dry mouth. See nothing.

Do it, do it. The voice whispers, tongue the upper lip.

Take a moment. Bite the lower lips softly.

That was unexpected.focus.

Come on now, let's go.

Let us fall in love.

But people are tricky.

Lots of moving parts, unexplainable mind shifts, ever changing hearts.

I want to fall in love. I want to love.

I want a love. Comfort, security, confident love.

Feel the smile from the inside kind of love.

Laughter that calms.

A few breaths and the world is more at peace, reliable, always there.

Reassuring love. Wait.

What's that I see?

Let me readjust my lens.

Oh, the perspective shifts.

Drum roll, please.Say it.

I am in love.”

 

Yes, there it is. Fall in love with life. That's the big advice I wish I'd known earlier. See you tomorrow for another episode. I'm here all week.

 

About Angela: 

 

Angela Germano is currently an award-winning middle school Language Arts teacher, Communication professor, multi-faceted professional writer in the global medical and self-care sectors and produces inspirational documentaries. In these roles, Mrs. Germano coaches people through their academic, career and life challenges and is devoted to positively impacting people’s lives so they can achieve their dreams.  She is a #1 International Best-Selling and Award-Winning Author in the Inspired Impact Book Series including Women Who Rise, Women Who Illuminate and Leading with Legacy. Mrs. Germano has been featured in The Jersey Storytellers Project, part of The USA Today Network. She has also been a guest on educational, lifestyle and mental health programming such as Everybody with Angela Williamson on PBS, Aggressive Optimism with Jenna Edwards, LaDolce Vita with Virginia Rose and others.

 

Mrs. Germano has served on the Monmouth University Board