Joe Simonds - Fishing For Happiness: The Ultimate Cheat Sheet To Achieving Happiness And Fulfillment From Top Experts Over The Last 100 Years

Fishing For Happiness

The Ultimate Cheat Sheet To Achieving Happiness And Fulfillment From Top Experts Over The Last 100 Years

Joe Simonds

Copyright 2017 Joe Simonds

All rights reserved.

ISBN: 0692733051

ISBN 13: 9780692733059

Library of Congress Control Number: XXXXX (If applicable)

LCCN Imprint Name: City and State (If applicable)

Edited By: Ann Maynard

Cover Design: Djordje Grbic

Acknowledgements

To Coach Bobby Downs, for convincing me that reading was cool in my junior year of high school.

To Mrs. Bess, for threatening to fail me in typing class if I didnt learn how to type.

To Ann Maynard, for helping transform my story into a legit book.

To my parents for the endless encouragement, love, and support.

To my brothers, Luke and Daniel, for always having my back.

To my three children, Shauna, Savannah, and Jackson, for the inspiration to write this.

To my wife, Loren, for supporting my wild ideas and for always offering that irresistible smile when I need it.

To God, for miraculously keeping me alive through it all.

Contents:

Introduction

1 - What I Learned From Spending $100,000+ On Self-Help Books, Courses, and Masterminds

Cornerstone #1 Mission

Mission Overview

2. Begin With YOUR End In Mind

3. The 16 Questions That Can Change Your Life

4. Find Your Ikigai (The Reason You Wake Up In The Morning)

5. This Daily Ritual Can Make You Happier & Give You More Energy

Mission Summary/Action Steps

Cornerstone #2 Freedom

Freedom Overview

6. How To Get Wealthier Without Working Harder

7. When Money Can Buy Happiness

8. The Truth About Renting vs. Owning Can Set You Free

9. Proven Steps To Take Control Of Your Fears & Anxiety

Freedom Summary/Action Steps

Cornerstone #3 Love

Love Overview

10. Love Within A Family

11. Love Within A Community

12. Love Yourself

Love Summary/Action Steps

Cornerstone #4 Action

Action Overview

13. Say The F-Word More!

14. How This Kid In A Wheelchair Proves Happiness Is A Choice

15. Youll Never Be Truly Fulfilled Without This In Your Life

16. Why Positive Thinking Is Useless Without Action

Action Summary/Action Steps

Happiness Concluded

17. Will You Have These Same Regrets When You Die?

Final Thoughts: The Second Most Important Day Of Your Life

Introduction

Chapter 1 - What I Learned From Spending $100,000+ On Self-Help Books, Courses, and Masterminds

[Insert inspirational quote here.]

Every Self-Help Book Ever

This book exists because I needed to solve a problem: I wasnt happy. I wasnt fulfilled. And I had no idea what to do about it.

Honestly, I wasnt even sure if I was allowed to feel that way. I had gone to school, found a good job, and met a beautiful woman who wanted to spend her life with me as much as I wanted to spend mine with her. We had an amazing house, had a baby, and now I was starting my own businesswhat could I possibly be unhappy about?

Granted, I had dealt with some pretty awful stuff too. I had cancer, went through some periods of serious alcohol abuse, addictions, some highs and some lows, and even flat-lined on a hospital bed once. But I had come out on the other side each time, usually determined to live a better life. Sometimes I succeeded. Other times I didnt.

And so through the amazing times and the terrible ones, the unforgettable moments, the job promotions, the life changes, the massive hangovers, and everything in between, I determined that the keys to the happiness and fulfillment I wanted were out there waiting for me. After all, the bookstore shelves, talk shows, podcasts, and blogosphere were full of people who had found it for themselves. They had written books, created courses, and drawn out roadmaps to happiness; their websites were full of It worked for me testimonials. Surely I could join the ranks of those who had unlocked the key to true happiness. So I rolled up my sleeves and set to it.

I dove into years of intense work. I read hundreds of books (averaging a minimum one new book a week), listened to audiotapes and podcasts, scrolled through countless blogs and joined online self-help courses. I attended conferences, mastermind groups, and seminars in exotic places. All told, I spent over $100,000 on tapping into the minds of great thinkers and prolific doers. And then I recorded what I found. What helped me, what challenged me, what wasted my time, and why. Think of this book as the ultimate cheat sheet to all of the wisdom from some of the best teachers and self-help/personal development gurus of the past 100 years.

If you were to go and buy all of the books that I have curated for you in this book, it would cost you upwards of $3,000not to mention all the time it would take you to read them. And that doesnt even take into consideration the $100,000+ I have spent on self-help courses, mastermind groups, and doing everything I could to surround myself with happy and successful people, trying to learn anything and everything I could.

The crazy part is that regardless of whether these books were about finding your purpose, becoming a positive thinker, getting rich quick or building wealth slowly, how to become a better speaker, leader, spouse, parent, or entrepreneur, they were all trying to achieve the same outcome:

Happiness and fulfillment.

More than that, all of these resources had a handful of overlapping concepts that appeared time and time again. In fact, everything I learned in my journey boiled down to FOUR critical, cornerstones . When combined, the following four cornerstone pieces make up the four corners of the foundation that MUST be in place in order for you to have long-term happiness and fulfillment:

1. Cornerstone #1 - Mission
2. Cornerstone #2 - Freedom
3. Cornerstone #3 - Love
4. Cornerstone #4 - Action

Its critical to have a foundation in your life before you try shooting for the stars. Just like any sturdy home or building would have a rock-solid foundation before the builders start putting up the walls, your life needs some structure as well. These four cornerstone pieces form the basis of your foundation.

James Altucher described the importance of foundation in his book, Choose Yourself , in this way:

Your life is a house. Abundance is the roof. But the foundation and the plumbing need to be in there first or the roof will fall down and the house will be unlivable.

My goal with this book is to show you what Ive learned about these four cornerstone pieces so that youll be equipped to build your own solid foundation.

Whether you are a college student living on $250 a month, a recent grad brand new to the workforce, a single thirty-something in the city, a parent living in the suburbs, or a multi-millionaire living in a mansion in the hills, the four cornerstones will be the same. By focusing your efforts on these four areas, you will make important choices and changes that lead to a happier life.

I know because it worked for me. It worked for people close to me. And it has worked for people Ive only recently met. Ive filled this book with our stories.

Now, before we get started, you might be curious as to why I called this book, Fishing For Happiness.

Can you guess the only thing better than fishing for most anglers?

Its catching.

Even if we anglers claim that, a bad day of fishing is still better than a good day in the office, all of us would rather be reeling in a fish than just sitting on a boat all day with nothing to show for it.

Ironically, though, most of us fishermen and fisherwomen spend the vast majority of our time fishing (theres a reason they call it fishing and not catching). We're hoping that if we spend enough time learning what works, where to drop our line, and perfecting our craft, we will get rewarded with a big fish (and a good story to go with it). In other words, most anglers spend the majority of their fishing careers fishing and not catching.