Debbie Gisonni - The Goddess of Happiness: A Down-to-Earth Guide for Heavenly Balance and Bliss

the G ODDESS

of H APPINESS

A Down-to-Earth

Guide for Heavenly

Balance and Bliss

D E B B I E G I S O N N I

New World Library
Novato, California

New World Library
14 Pamaron Way
Novato, California 94949
www.newworldlibrary.com

2005 by Debbie Gisonni
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced by any means or in any form whatsoever without written permission from the publisher.

Cover design by Kathy Wariner
Book design by Maxine Ressler
Author photo by Joe Prestipino

P UBLISHER C ATALOGING-IN -P UBLICATION D ATA

Gisonni, Debbie.

The goddess of happiness : a down-to-earth guide for heavenly balance and bliss /

Debbie Gisonni.

p. ; cm.

ISBN: 1-930722-48-6

1. Happiness. 2. Pleasure. 3. Contentment. 4. WomenPsychology. 5. Women

Mental health. I. Title.

BF575.H27 G57 2005

158.1dc22

Printed in the United States of America on recycled paper
05 06 07 08 09 10 DATA 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

T HE BULK OF MY CAREER has been spent in the corporate marketspecifically, fifteen years in the high-tech industry selling, managing, launching, and publishing computer magazines. While there doesnt seem to be a natural segue between that and The Goddess of Happiness, sometimes life takes you down roads you never imagined youd be traveling on. When I was in the corporate world, I thought I had a perfect lifea lucrative career, a great husband, a home of our own and three dogs (we opted for the four-legged variety of children). I was in control of my destiny... or so I thought. As I was climbing the corporate ladder, the family I grew up with started crumbling. One day my mother was dancing the tarantella at an Italian wedding, and the next, she was fighting for her life with a brain tumor that left her permanently disabled. A couple of years later, my younger sister committed suicide at twenty-three years old. A few months after that, my father was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a form of bone cancer. Then my favorite aunt, with whom I lived for six months, got breast cancer. All four of them died in a four-year period from 1990 to 1994.

Ironically, 1994 was a milestone year for my career, as I was promoted to the position of publisher. I continued to work incessantly, and as a result, I was rewarded with bigger jobs and more money. It took me another four years to feel the need to make a change, particularly since I wasnt enjoying my work anymore, I had no social life, and I was always sick. In mid-1998, I gave notice and jumped off the corporate treadmill. That decision was immediately followed by a major identity crisis; I spent my free time trying to rediscover who I was outside of my job, and then had to match that person (me, unleashed) with a more meaningful life. After a lot of soul searching, I realized I wasnt the queen bee I once thought I wasinstead of being in control of every aspect of my life, I was an ordinary goddess with the power to be happy no matter what path life took me on. I decided to start my own company, Real Life Lessons, with a mission to help make life easier and happier for women, no matter what challenges they faced. Within two years, my first book, Vitas Will, which chronicled my family tragedies and how I survived them, was born.

Somewhere in between shedding my old corporate identity, bearing my soul through my family story, and realizing that no matter what life handed me I had the power within to triumph, I slowly began surrendering to life as it happened, and a lighter, happier version of me emerged. I became more centered, calm, and knowing, more comfortable being myself, laughing at life, and enjoying every moment of my day. Friends and family members continually tell me, You look so happy. And I am! Like the phoenix reborn out of the ashes of death, I became the goddess of happiness. No, not the kind of goddess most people imagine, not the mythical Venus or Aphrodite, but a more modern, everyday goddess.

Whether youre dealing with serious tragedy or trivial pursuits, real life for women today is a complicated web of overlapping challenges and responsibilities in work, life, and home. Youre racing from one appointment to anotherfrom the office to the gym, from picking up the kids at school to bringing them to soccer practice, from the mall to the doctors. Your happiness is either last on your to do list or nonexistent. Yet isnt happiness the one thing we all want out of life? Thats why I created The Goddess of Happiness: A Down-to-Earth Guide for Heavenly Balance and Bliss.

I know you dont need another long and complicated how to book that you dont have the time and energy to read. So I made this book short and easy to read, with practical nuggets of information you can quickly digest while youre in line at the grocery store and then easily apply to your real lifeimmediately. You can read this book in one sitting, choose an essay to read at random, and/or use it as a reference when challenges in life arise. Before you begin, I invite you to take the Are You a Goddess of Happiness? quiz to help you determine where you are on the happiness scale.

There are forty-four essays in this book, which begs the question: why? Why not a nice round number like forty or fifty? Did I run out of ideas? No, I intentionally chose forty-four because of its meaning in numerology (the ancient science of numbers). Numbers, like colors or words, carry a specific vibration or energy to them, accompanied by distinct traits. In numerology it is common to evaluate the meaning of a number both from the individual digits and from the sum of its digits. The number four denotes a sense of perfect balance and harmony, as in the saying the four corners of the world. Happiness is dependent upon balance in all areas of your physical and emotional life. The sum of four and four is eight. Eight is the symbol of infinity and abundance in all areasdesiring and receiving the best that life has to offer. Wouldnt that make you happy? And finally, the number forty-four is what is known as a master numberone that has a special meaning with unlimited potential. Forty-four is the balance and bridge between the physical and the spiritual. We are spiritual beings living in a physical worldnot an easy task, but if you can honor and balance the two, youll have a thoroughly blissful life by creating heaven on earth!