About
About this blog
There are a lot of blogs about happiness–thousands of them in fact. Here’s what’s different about mine:
- I’m not trying to sell anything – This isn’t about book promotion or communicating with potential clients. This blog is meant to be a conversation that explores the difficult decisions life presents us within a community of like-minded individuals.
- It’s personal – Several blogs offer advice on happiness like Take five deep breaths every morning or Make time to jump up and down like a kid. This blog discusses the specific steps I’m taking towards a purposeful life filled with optimism.
- It’s not about faith – There are many, many blogs/websites that discuss how to find happiness through religion. No need for another one.
- I’m an ordinary person – I’m not a therapist, physician, guru, mystic, or in any other way qualified to tell you what you should do with you life. All I can do is offer my own experiences and thought processes, and hope it helps someone. Expect me to make mistakes along the way. I’m seeking advice as much as I’m providing it.
About me
My name is Jennifer Gresham and I’m a recovering Type A personality. For most of my life, I’ve been known as an optimistic, even perky person. I didn’t worry too much about what I was doing with my life, because I thought I was the kind of person who could be happy pretty much anywhere, doing anything. And in many respects this is true. But at some point I realized I was often stressed or worried or otherwise not fully engaged in the present. I started to wonder why this was, even though by and large I had much to be happy and thankful for.
Then I read two books that helped me rethink and overhaul my life. The first was the The Pathfinder, by Nicholas Lore and the other was The Four Hour Workweek, by Tim Ferriss. Both are terrific books that rattle preconceived notions of what we can and should expect from life. I decided to leave the military and join the reserves after sixteen years of service to find the right path forward. Exactly what I’m going to do with myself once I leave the service is still in deliberation. Enter my blog, Everyday Bright. It’s my attempt to figure out how to recapture the personality I’m known for and create a happy life that lasts. It will mean a lot of changes. It will require more self-examination and risk taking. I’ve come to believe that happiness is not something you simply decide to live by or for, but a series of small, daily decisions.
I am a PhD biochemist, award-winning poet, and armchair philosopher. I live in Dayton, OH with my husband Kyle, our daughter Ingrid, and two cats, Pico and Starbuck.
