Things You May Not Know About Her

"I am me! I am me! Who else would I be? When I look in the mirror, information technology'due south me that I come across!" ~ from the unpublished children's book, I Am Me!

Indeed, I am me. And since no one else is in line for that job, it's me y'all get behind the words each week here at MeanttobeHappy. But who is the "me" behind the words?

Hmm. Good question. This is not a personal blog most Ken Wert. I am not the story. Happiness is. But just as book jackets provide brief biographic sketches of the writer, so information technology'southward reasonable that a reader would like to know the nature of the vocalism mouthing the words here likewise.

Besides, one of my goals this year is to open up me to you more than I have in the past equally I write about issues of happiness and the many obstacles we create to information technology. A sort of parting of the defunction, if you will.

And so to inaugurate that aim and as a playful peek into the guy behind the blog, I give you a bunch of stuff no one in their right mind would care to know almost me. So to all you who are not in your right mind, here'due south a glimpse into the unfamiliar side of the guy called Ken…

50 Things Y'all Don't Know About Me (and would do just fine in life never knowing)

1. I'g an introvert at heart. Requite me a good book, a pad of paper (or my laptop) and I'm a happy camper. I'thou as well what you might call a selective perfectionist, but not the kind that beats himself upward for invariably declining to live up to that standard. (Hey, maybe I'll write about that someday!)

2. My wife's nationality is Chinese.

3. I speak Standard mandarin Chinese, just not because my married woman does.

4. I lived in Taiwan for 2 years (unrelated to my wife's Chinese-ness, but very related to my power to speak it)

5. We sent our girl (on three unlike trips) to China, Australia, France, Germany, Spain and Switzerland when she was in high school equally role of a program called, People to People Student Ambassadors. On a teacher'due south salary, we couldn't afford lots of things and great experiences, and so we chose to give her experiences. She'due south glad. Then are nosotros.

6. Gandhi has been a moral hero of mine since I was well-nigh 17 years old. I have a large painting of him hanging in my classroom, painted by a one-time student who gave it to me a few years ago. (and aye, that's a glimpse of the actual portrait below). Cheque out his autobiography here.

7. I never dated in high school because I lacked confidence with girls until my college years. I was a late bloomer.

8. I was engaged to be married to some other girl earlier I met my wife.

9. Breaking the engagement with the other girl had nothing to do with meeting my wife (though it would have fabricated a corking story if information technology had!)

ten. I of the nigh startling and rewarding parts of a high school educational activity career has been all the erstwhile students who have kept in touch and still occasionally drib by to visit, even years afterwards. It'southward really quite moving.

xi. One year a student hid in my closet for 45 minutes waiting for me to go home. Once gone, she opened my classroom door to let her friends in to decorate my room for a surprise birthday party they threw me the next morning time. I was very surprised. Now I check my closets.

12. I was the last guy anyone would take thought would starting time a weblog. Permit'southward but say my students believe I was built-in in the wrong era.

13. I notwithstanding own a flip telephone (proof of #12).

14. When my married woman and I married, we had a thousand total of nearly $27 to our name. We learned to get creative with packaged dry noodles.

15. As a kid, I was agape of heights, so I forced myself to walk on top walls and climb copse and move onto precarious branches to claiming my fright. At present I'grand afraid of walls and trees. Just kidding, information technology actually worked (goes to evidence what facing fears tin do—you should try it–the facing fears function, not walking atop walls!).

xvi. My guitar and piano are my creative and emotional outlets. I play guitar every night equally my son falls asleep.

17. But I can't hit the right note with my voice if my life depended on information technology (I'm glad it doesn't). My girl once told one of her friends to mind to me sing because it sounded so funny. Just I sing anyway. A lot. Loudly. And yes, information technology still sounds funny. My family is very patient. Sometimes.

Actually, my lovely wife likes to secretly end singing at church building when we come up to the more challenging parts of a hymn (all the notes are pretty challenging if you lot ask me!) so she can hear me unsuccessfully try to striking the correct notes. At present I kickoff laughing every time I hear her stop, knowing what she'southward doing.

18. In high schoolhouse, I wanted to get a rich and famous guitarist in a rich and famous rock ring.

19. I was never in a rock band. Turns out talent is a prerequisite.

twenty. I live in Southern California, 20 minutes from the beach, a couple hours from the snow and almost ever in the warmth. I know. I'yard geographically spoiled. Still, I've never been surfing or snowboarding. Become figure!

21. I get teary-eyed watching movies about families (peculiarly parent-child relationships) and overcoming moral challenges. I fifty-fifty tear up with commercials and cartoons. But don't tell my guy friends. I'll take to give up my man-card.

22. I've started writing v different books over the last 25 years or then.

23. I've finished i … an eBook. It's a freebie on my sidebar and down there at the cease of this post in the box. Click here to catch your own copy!

24. I started a volume on happiness when I was in my 20s. The ideas that began to crystallize over 2 decades ago serve me hither at Meant to be Happy today.

25. I'one thousand 47 years young. My wife is (Ha! Y'all thought I was going to break that sacred vow of silence! Simply I will tell you that she is older than she looks and younger than her age and I love her dearly).

26. I accept a horrible memory. In that location was this one time when I was going to the … uh … well, never listen. Forgot what I was going to say.

27. My college major was history with a U.South. focus. My favorite fourth dimension period is the Founding Era. I take a underground love affair with the U.Due south. Constitution and Declaration of Independence (Shhh! Don't tell my married woman!).

28. My favorite place in the globe is home.

29. Every year my wife asks me what I want to exercise on my birthday (Apr 5th, in case y'all were wondering. It's still Apr fifth even if you weren't). Every year it'south the aforementioned: I want my family, pizza, and a practiced picture show. That'south my perfect mean solar day (though I don't have to have the flick. A fun game volition work also. The point is to be with my family unit … and have pizza.

xxx. Yeah, I beloved pizza. I mean I really dearest it. The simply matter that stopped me from marrying a piece was figuring out where the ring would get. Oh, and the prospect of eating my wife in a moment of weakness kinda freaked me out too. You can get a glimpse into my foreign human relationship with pizza here.

31. I always capitalize the word Mom when referring to mine equally a sign of the respect I pay motherhood and because my Mom qualifies for so much of it.

32. I don't accept a favorite colour. If shoved into the corner and manhandled until I came up with i, I might say blue … or green. Simply I might besides alter my mind as you walked away.

33. I started working with kids as a young developed for the limited reason that I wanted to be a great dad and thought working with kids would aid me reach that goal. That led indirectly to my current career every bit a high schoolhouse instructor.

34. I take big feet.

35. I take ugly anxiety.

36. When I was young, my feet smelled. A lot.

37. They don't olfactory property anymore. But they're all the same big and ugly.

38. I don't care much that I take big ugly feet.

39. I don't desire to talk nearly my feet anymore.

40. I'm not especially organized. I tend to put things down wherever I'm continuing or sitting when I don't want to hold the affair in my mitt anymore (instead of walking over to the place it belongs and setting it downwards there) … and so tin inappreciably e'er find it the next time I demand it because it'southward rarely where it's supposed to be.

41. I dearest staring at my married woman. Allow'south just say that she'south like shooting fish in a barrel on the eyes (come across photo above–non the ugly foot photo!).

42. Our family reunions await a lot like a United nations Meridian Meeting. Our extended family is heavily interracially married. I love it.

43. I'm 6'iv". My wife is 5 ft. even. Let's just say nosotros draw attention when we walk down the street manus-in-hand.

44. I have hair on my toes. My older brother called me Hobbit when I was a kid considering of it. Their size was a contributing factor, I'thou sure. My superlative wasn't. I'chiliad also certain of that.

45. I know. I said I didn't want to talk about my anxiety anymore. But I changed my mind.

46. Okay, I don't want to talk nearly my feet anymore once again.

47. I had long hair in loftier school (yep, that'south me in the photograph).

48. I was 24 when I married and 25 when we had our outset baby. My baby is at present a married mom. Our second was 15 years subsequently. He's a half dozen-year-old uncle to my granddaughter.

49. I accept a weird humour.

fifty. Here's my favorite joke (proof that I probably need counseling – and that #49 is truthful):

Why did the monkey fall out of the tree?
He was dead.

But wait, the joke isn't finished …

Why did the bird fall out of the tree?
Nope, he was tied to the monkey.

I know, just I warned you lot that I likely demand some therapy!

3 Bonus Freebies:

51. I was born without 3 attributes: 1) A sense of way and color coordination. two) The ability to carry a tune. 3) Rhythm. I told you about my singing. I look a bit similar a drunk jellyfish with a broken tentacle and a headache when I dance. And my kids in the classroom regularly challenge my power to match a shirt to a pair of pants. And all bets are off when I try to throw a tie into the mix. Oh well.

52. I have an incurable sweet tooth. I know because doctors, psychiatrists, a team of prison house guards and my wife have tried to cure me of information technology. They failed. I'g glad.

53. I've given yous these three bonus factoids considering I cheated with #due south 39, 46 and 47 and wanted to make sure you got your money's worth. I still shorted you lot though considering this one isn't really telling you annihilation about me … or is information technology?

Afterthoughts

Hope you enjoyed this little excursion into the Book of Me. Not much of a post straight pointing at happiness, and yet in another sense it actually is.

I suppose the lesson of this salad bowl of autobiographical tidbits of my life is that happiness depends on really knowing yourself, condign very familiar with what makes you tick, what the motive is backside the motivation that drives you out into the world or keeps you on your front end porch.

It'due south building traits that align yourself with Truthful N principles, never taking yourself too seriously (every bit you can likely tell I don't), or harshly judging yourself against others or some preconceived paradigm of your perfected self (also not a habit I indulge in).

Happiness is nestled deep within all the little moments of daily living. (tweet me!) It is the approach and attitude in response to the circumstances life presents.

Life is too short to spend information technology dwelling on or stewing in resentment or anger, on regrets or comparisons, or in worrying about every footling matter that might happen anytime if, perchance, luck happens to be sitting on someone else's front porch that 24-hour interval instead of yours.

Learn to accept your off-central singing and fashion misconduct and dancing atrocities. Life goes on. Go with the menstruum. Laugh forth with your spouse and friends at your fumbles and foibles and idiosyncrasies, even if you accept hairy toes and can't sing in primal. Smile at your own missteps and at others' moral confront-plants even if those face-plants affect you.

And stop pursuing self-defeating habits that rob life of meaning and joy. Shrug such things off and get live. Be happy. Detect joy every day, both in the piffling and big things. Determine what'south of import in and about life and spend every bit much time as possible doing those things. (tweet me!)

Your life, after all, is in your own easily. Practice something cute with it. (tweet me!)

YOUR TURN!

If you lot'd similar to annotate on any part of this confessional, I'd love to read it in the comments below! And hopefully I won't have to wince too much every bit I read information technology! Be gentle. 😉

Photograph by khrawlings and Bengt Due east Nyman

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