My journey....
Welcome to Chasing Happiness. My name is Crystal and I started this site as a way to document my journey (via a blog and podcast) to find what I wanted out of life. What made me happy, and the process it took me to get there.
Education
After getting my B.A. in Psychology in 2010, I realized I didn’t want to go into any of the available fields related to my area of study so I looked to other areas of employment.
In May of 2015, I found myself running my own business but realized that what I was doing didn’t make me happy. It didn’t give me a reason to get out of bed every day. It didn’t make me happy or help me live life to the fullest. It didn’t give me a purpose. I knew something needed to change but I didn’t know what that was or how to change it. I struggled trying to figure out what to do. I made the choice to close down my business knowing it wasn’t what I wanted in life. I had no idea what I was going to do but I knew something in my life needed to change. So I started searching for what happiness really meant to me and how to define it. I started to travel because I felt something inside me telling me that travel would help me find the answer.
Opportunity
Within a week of closing my business, I was presented with an opportunity to move across the country. I jumped at the chance, knowing that the life-altering change I wanted couldn’t happen if I kept doing the same thing I’d been doing. So I sold 80% of everything I owned and set off on my first journey across Canada. I started the Chasing Happiness Blog as a way to document that journey and allow my friends & family to follow the journey my life was taking.
Exploring
Exploring new places has helped me grow and I’ve become addicted to that personal growth. When I decided to start traveling the world I found parts of myself I hadn’t known existed. I went to Ireland alone for two weeks and backpacked around the country. I met people I never would have been exposed to without that trip. I learned about parts of history I didn’t know existed. I gained a new respect for the world and the people in it. In the last few years since I started Chasing Happiness, I’ve been all over Ontario, all over Alberta (including Banff National Park, Wood Buffalo National Park, Elk Island National Park, Jasper National Park), I’ve been to the Northwest Territories, California, and Florida. I’ve been on more flights than I can count and have been able to experience life in a way that I didn’t even know was possible before starting this journey. I found a way to incorporate changes into my daily life that allows me to live my best life. Now that I’ve found my happiness I want to help others to achieve happiness in their own lives.
Sharing
I’ve changed my life in so many ways that I’ve decided now is the time for this site to experience its own growth by expanding into a community. I want to share my story but I also want to share the stories of people like you. People looking for happiness and people who have made changes (both small and large) in their lives to find happiness. So that is what this site is going to grow into, a community of people looking to increase their own happiness and help others to do the same. I hope you find support here that helps you understand that no matter who you are, you have the ability to be happy in your life. Here at Chasing Happiness you will find tools to assist you on your journey, a place for your voice to be heard, support and guidance, one on one coaching, a monthly book club, and a bi-weekly podcast. You CAN follow your dreams and find your passion. We all have the ability to be the best version of ourselves if we are brave enough to simply try.
We’ve grown so much from the little one-page blog that started this journey. We now have this website, a Facebook page, Twitter, Instagram and our Chasing Happiness Podcast, all because YOU were willing to follow me on my personal journey. Now I hope to help you with your journey. I hope what you find here is more than just a community of supporters, I hope you find the inspiration to follow your own dreams and chase your version of the happiest life possible.
Thanks for Chasing Happiness!
Your Happiness Guru