Are you feeling overwhelmed with life, run down, stressed, looking for calm, but can’t find it? You know you can be happier, but not sure where to start?

The Happy Way is a community of women who are taking steps to happiness, you’ve come to the right place!

About me – in brief

I am Inge Kuindersma Doig, and I’m passionate about getting the most out of life and happiness! I have worked in the corporate and not-for profit worlds for 25+ years, in Marketing, Communications, Advertising and then, nearing 50 and nearing being over it, I regrouped. Was this all there was, I’m sure I was happier in my 20s and 30s. My days were mostly overwhelming, but simultaneously samey! Juggling work and family life and never spending enough focused time with those I love, a treadmill, one that was burning me out and leaving me wondering if the happy, positive, person I was in my 20s would ever be back?!

So, using one of my key strengths, love of learning, I read and researched, studied and gathered information, ideas and practices that helped (yes!) increase my personal happiness. And, along the way discovered the Secrets to Happiness, practices that have been scientifically proven to improve wellbeing and happiness, and put together our Goal Success Strategy!

I love my life, my part-time job (which I now make sure is more part-time than full time), my boys and husband, and the time I now take to spend with friends, family, and on my own. I love creating and walking, and I am super passionate about sharing my passion with women who may find themselves  in the same place I was, knowing there is more to life, that happiness, and achieving the things you’ve always wanted to, is possible!

The longer version

Not so long ago, I was thinking…

Surely there is more to life? Surely I can be happier?

I used to be positive and excited about the world, and creative… when and where did I lose that???

I wish I was calmer and not so stressed…

My hormones were also playing havoc and my moods varied between high and low or more low than high!

Yep, that was (and sometimes still is) me. So I went in search of how I could feel better, be happier, and found a lot of information, the coolest being that YES you can become happier, with effort, and that it has been scientifically proven so 😊

Two years ago it all got a bit much. I was in Marketing and Communications, in the corporate and not for profit worlds. Despite carefully having chosen to stay at home with my kids (lucky enough to have been able to make that choice) I promptly ended up running myself ragged as a Playcentre Mum for 6 years in the process. And then having ‘only’ a part-time job, which was actually more full-time than part -time, didn’t help either. Nor is being a perfectionist.

Things had to change and fast, or not so fast as it turned out, a massive project followed at work and I soldiered on. The following year would be better, business as usual, hhhmm not so! COVID-19 happened, I soldiered on, busy at work, busy at home. Lockdown was actually a blessed relief for the first 4 weeks (lots of work but I also got lots of ‘projects’ done, yes I am a doer!) but family life was good, more relaxed, the weather was warm and not having to get ready, commute and make lunches, having all hands on deck in the form of husband and children and family time together was very special.

And then we went back to work and for no reason whatsoever I was feeling emotional, felt like crying.

Despite already having completed a number of wellbeing courses and having learnt a number of wellbeing techniques, I hadn’t actually done anything to improve how I was feeling. Knowledge is useful, but so much more useful if you do something with it!

So I delved deeper and discovered more – the Secrets to Happiness (YES!!), and understanding how to make things stick (YEAH, effort!) and that a positive lens on life is harder than a negative one but sooo worth it. And yes I saw my lovely doctor, who confirmed that I was trying to do too much, surprise!

I am feeling great, but hey I am still human, and trying not to be a perfectionist, so, like every one, I have good days and average days and sometimes something really shitty happens, but I bounce back, all things do pass, and I can honestly say that I am feeling happy. I have put in place those happiness practices that work for me, I measured my happiness too! I moved from an under 5 to a solid 8.5+ out of ten, depending on the day 😊 … feeling pretty pleased about that!

Check out my Blog here.