I am lucky beyond my wildest dreams to be married to Laurel. Her example has made me much kinder, her stability has helped me become healthier, and her support has helped me to build my company.
I have kept a spreadsheet for several years now tracking my happiness every day. The last twelve months of my happiness has averaged a 7.4 rating. The last twelve months of my last relationship was only a 5.5 average for my happiness.
Nothing in my life has ever impacted my life as much as my decision of who I married.
If I was to apply a 10 point scale to things that have most affected my happiness it would be as follows:
- Life Partner – 10
- Building my company – 6
- Exercise and eating healthy – 4
- Financial success – 2
- Everything else
This is a pretty sloppy scale to be honest.
In the past, there have been times when I was around very bad people (my parents when I was a kid) or drank way too much booze (young adulthood) or felt purposeless. I have considered suicide or violence in those periods and I have gotten very down.
The last few years have been incredibly good, and stopping drinking a little under a year ago was a big part of that too.
Laurel has helped me become steadily happier and more stable every year we have spent together. We both agree that the last six months have been the best we’ve ever had – and for me it is the best of my life for sure.