Ever feel like you're stuck in a mud hole on the Road to Happiness? Ask yourself these crucial questions and see where you can shore up your spinning tires.

1. Time: How do you spend your time? Is it wasted time, or refreshing time? Does it take your toward your goals, or away from them? Are you consciously spending time, or just letting it happen? It's an age- old proverb, but every single person get the same number of hours each day, week, month, year. Write down how you currently spend your days, your week. Include sleep time, grooming time, wasted time, relaxing time, work time, etc. Be as specific as you can. You'll quickly see if you're spending your time where you WANT to spend it or not.

2. Environment: What is no longer working for you in your space, your immediate environment? Are there broken appliances or outdated equipment? Are there unfinished projects that were important at one time, but no longer intrigue you? When you look around, does your environment make you feel good? Make you smile? Research shows that your environment has a big impact on the way you feel. Color and lighting can improve your mood. Changing the direction your desk faces can give you a different perspective. You don't have to spend a fortune to make some small yet dramatic changes. Add color to your walls with some paintings. A fresh coat of paint can give you a fresh beginning. Add humor by using things that make you smile. Throw out clutter and focus on finding organizing solutions.

3. Relationships: Do the people in your life support you and your goals? Are you proud to introduce them to others? Do you learn from them? "Nothing worth doing is worth doing alone" is a quote from Thomas Leonard in his book "The Portable Coach". As you've probably noticed, you don't live in a vacuum - whatever you do affects other people, and what they do affects you. While you CANNOT change other people, you can set up your life so that the people closest to you provide support and encouragement. Create reciprocal, healthy relationships, such as working with other people who want the same changes that you do, or who you can support in their own activities.

4. Thoughts/Self-Talk: Do you talk to yourself like your best friend, acknowledging the wrongs, but supporting change? Or do you talk to yourself like the neighbor you despise? Do your thoughts inspire and motivate you, or hold you back from your best self? As scary as this thought (pardon the pun) may be, you are living right now what you think. Everything begins with your thoughts. "Be careful of your thoughts, for your thoughts become your words. Be careful of your words, for your words become your actions. Be careful of your actions, for your actions become your habits. Be careful of your habits, for your habits become your character. Be careful of your character, for your character becomes your destiny." -- Author Unknown

5. Work: Do you feel fulfilled and happy about your work, whether that's a domestic engineer or a CEO? Or do you dread doing the work, and just count the minutes until time off? We've all been overly influenced by shoulds, oughtas and have-to's. So much so that what you want truly want in life, what would truly make you happy, may be suppressed WAY down deep. Remember things that you enjoyed as a child or young adult, and ask yourself why you don't do them anymore. Ask yourself if you had 1 minute with all the world's attention, what message would like to give them. These clues help you know what your purpose is in life, and what would make you feel most proud, happy, and fulfilled.

Kathy Gates, Professional Life Coach, believes that "Life Rewards Action". She can help you create goals, overcome procrastination, organize your time and money, find your true passion, and learn to love the real you. Visit www.reallifecoach.com, email Kathy@reallifecoach.com, or call 480.998.5843