In this solo motivational talk, the speaker explores the philosophical roots of "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" and translates them into everyday meaning‑making. She shares personal stories—from a high‑school graduate unsure of purpose, through a career in theatrical lighting and teaching, to a later pivot seeking new challenges—to illustrate how misaligned work and unexamined expectations can erode happiness. Happiness is framed as a subjective feeling rather than a tangible object, and the speaker argues that most unhappiness stems from a lack of self‑knowledge about one’s gifts and purpose. She introduces a daily self‑rating scale (1‑10) to monitor emotional state, then outlines a three‑step process for restoring higher happiness levels: (1) notice when you drop below your ideal rating, (2) locate the associated bodily sensation and identify the sabotaging thought, and (3) consciously choose a new, empowering belief. The talk emphasizes that nothing external truly blocks happiness; perception and belief do. Listeners are invited to a complimentary conversation and directed to the speaker’s website and YouTube channel.
Chapters
So a question that we often ask ourselves is, why are we here? What am I supposed to do next that's actually going to give my life more meaning and more fulfillment? And we all know it's been said that the quality of our relationships determines the quality of our life. Happy people are more likely to live longer, to be more productive at work, to have better relationships. Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. What does that even mean? We were granted those unalienable rights by the Declaration of Independence. Life, obviously, is you're alive or dead. Back then, it had a little bit to do with, or a lot to do with, you were either free or enslaved. And then when we look at liberty, liberty is having the right to do pretty much whatever you want to do as long as it doesn't harm other people. And then pursuit of happiness. That means that you have the right to freely pursue whatever it is that makes you happy, as long as, again, you're not violating the rights of others. So what does that mean? Today I want to share with you what I think it takes to implement more happiness in your life, to be happier every single day. I want to share with you what I think stands in the way of you being happy, and then 3 action steps that can actually help you to get back on that path today. So what does happiness mean? I mean, you know, we all perceive this so much differently from one person to the next. We can be talking about happiness in our career, in our marriage, in our relationships, Happiness in the experiences, happiness in where we live, and maybe happiness is determined by your ability to meet your basic needs for you or for your family. Again, we all perceive happiness so different, but one thing that is consistent is that we choose how we look at things and how we see them. We choose to either give up on it, we choose to either keep fighting And so we're talking about happiness. What stands in between you and happiness? Happiness is not an object. It's not a person. It's not a physical, tangible thing that you can get to. Happiness for me and for everyone I know is a feeling, right? Some people think, I'm not happy in my life because you know, I haven't lived up to my full potential. I'm not happy in my life because I have a problem in my relationship, in my marriage, because I'm single, because I'm lonely. Or maybe it is just that maybe you're bored and you're not challenged anymore. I believe that a large percentage of the reason why we're unhappy is that a lot of us don't know exactly what it is we're called here to do. What are the personality traits and the gifts that we've been equipped with, that we've been imprinted with, that's going to determine and help us impact and serve the world better? So a question that we often ask ourselves is, why are we here? What am I supposed to do next that's actually going to give my life more meaning and more fulfillment. You know, some people feel like there's a sense of unhappiness when they find themselves asking, "Is this it?" I found myself asking that question because had I known then, as a young strapping teenager graduating from high school, what I know now, I just would have done things a little differently. I didn't know what I wanted. I didn't know what it was that was going to make me happy. And so I remember when I graduated from, from high school, I went where I could get a scholarship. So that was a choice that was made because of financial needs. And then after college, I wanted to pursue theatrical lighting design. Because that brought me joy. But the different hours that I was working, I was working on Saturdays. I didn't want to work every weekend. I had friends who were off on the weekends, who were off on the summers. And so I observed what their life looked like, and I said, you know what, I don't think having a job is all about working all the time. I think, you know, We were put on this earth to love and connect with each other. And how can I do that if I'm at work on Saturday? And I found that that did not fulfill me with joy. And so then my next step was— I've always enjoyed theater. I've always wanted to work as a director and mount productions. So that started my teaching journey. I was inspired, I was motivated because my 5th grade teacher was that person who did that for me. I remember before 5th grade, I always felt like I didn't really fit in. I didn't feel fully accepted by people. I didn't feel like anybody really cared 100% about the things that I thought. I mean, I was well taken care of, nothing like that. But I didn't feel special. And my 5th grade teacher did that for me. And I, I go back and I think about it now and I think that was one of the most pivotal moments in my life because that is the reason why I want to impact and help other people. And it was part of the reason why I wanted to become a teacher so that I can connect and give back and inspire and motivate young minds. It's why I did and made those changes. It's why I was so dedicated and passionate about teaching. And then it came a point of I'd been doing it for a while, but I was no longer challenged. It was as if I could, I could go and do it blindfold, right? I didn't find myself being excited to get up every day. So I knew that my happiness bar was lowering, right? Because that's how I perceive happiness, being excited about the day, excited about the things that I'm going to get into. And because I was no longer challenged, I decided that I know that I am happy when I'm growing and I'm learning. And I'm reaching and seeking for challenges that are new, that are fresh, that are different, which motivated me to take the pivot and shift and change careers. And so I'm still motivated by what inspires me, but I'm 100% motivated by what makes me happy. So what stands in the way of us all, of you being happy? You know what that is? Nothing. Nothing stands in your way because again, it's not a tangible item. It's not a physical place that we can get to. It's not, you know, a piece of furniture. It's not a room. It's nothing that we can really put our fingers on. It's a feeling. Every morning when I get up— okay, I say every morning, but it's my intention to do it every morning, and some days, you know, I don't follow through with because of my own fault. But I know that my general way of operating in the world and in my day, if we were going to rank this on a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being I don't want to get out of the bed, I don't feel good today, I don't want to be bothered with the world. That's a 1. A 10 is, oh my God, this exciting thing has just happened to me and I am above the moon and I'm high-fiving and I'm, you know, I'm just so excited. It's like, it's not like winning the lottery, but it's something that overly excites you to where you use a lot of energy. And it, like, if you're at a 10, you know, it just wears you out if you're staying at a 10. That's what it is for me. So I am usually on a daily basis at an 8. Sometimes I'm at a 9. If I'm at a 9, that means my body feels good, I feel healthy, I feel like I'm walking lighter, I haven't eaten a bunch of crap that made me feel bloated. So I get up every morning and I gauge how I'm feeling, and I gauge, okay, what's going on for me? What's present for me in my body? Is there any tension? I relax. So I pay attention to what is the reason why I'm not at my level of happiness of where I want to be. Is it because I'm thinking about other things? Is it because I have a lot of work to do? So definitely that opens up a can of worms, doesn't it? And we all know it's been said that the quality of our relationships determines the quality of our life. Happy people are more likely to live longer, to be more productive at work, to have better relationships. So what are those 3 steps that, that help you figure out what's going on with you? How can you flip that switch? How can you choose differently? Well, number one is that what I do and what totally works for me, and this is something that I use with my clients as well, if I know that I operate at an 8 and I expect and I set my intention to be that excitable person who leads with love and connection, if I set myself as, as an 8, at an 8, if there's a moment night in my day when I realize Uh-oh, I recognize that I'm not in an 8, I'm about at a 5 right now. Well, then I immediately figure out where I'm feeling that in my body. Is it that my, my abdomen has gotten tight? Is it that I feel like a knot in my stomach? Is it that I feel tight in my chest? Is it feeling like I have chest pains, you know? Am I having a panic attack? All those things lower me down lower than an 8. So now I go, okay, what is a thought I'm having? What is a thought that I am having in my mind right now? What is that internal monologue that I'm having, that voice that, that I'm hearing in my head that's sabotaging my actions and that's making me feel fearful, that's making me feel unworthy, that's making me stay in the same place to where I'm just not taking any action? So I analyze that voice and I go, okay, what is that exact thought? And then I figure out what that exact thought, and I go, that's not even true. It's an internal monologue. It's a story that I'm making up that I am choosing to believe. And then number 3, I choose to believe something else. Right? It's that simple. It is that simple, guys. So what stands between you and happiness? It's right here. We all choose to view things differently. One person's perception of one thing is completely different. It's how we perceive things. We've all seen examples of people who have the most money, right? Money doesn't necessarily buy you happiness. We've seen people who have the most money, but they're still so incredibly unhappy in their life. And I've known people who were so poor to where they didn't know where their next deal was coming. Some people are living on the street, but they are happier than the billionaire who just drove by in his fancy Lamborghini. So the 3 steps one more time: I notice when I drop below my ideal number. If I'm feeling an 8, then I examine where am I feeling in my body. Is there stress? Is there tension? What is the cause of that? Then I go immediately to that spot and I go, oh, It was 30 minutes ago when such and such happened. And then, oh, and then I began thinking, oh, well, who am I to do that? Oh, I am not good enough to do it. You know, and we just let it become a snowball effect, a runaway train. And then number 3, I choose differently. You can choose differently. We don't have to let those thoughts dictate our actions. Keep us fearful, keep us feeling unworthy, and keep us from taking action, and keep us from living a fulfilling, potential-filled life that we all crave. So what's standing between you and happiness? Nothing. If you like what you're hearing, and perhaps you're interested in having a complimentary conversation with me, click the link at the bottom of the show notes. Thank you so much for listening. If you even want to know more about what I'm up to, head over to traviestewart.com. And if you like seeing the videos of the podcast, every episode is on my YouTube channel. Take care, guys.
