Living life to the full – a recipe for happiness

Living life to the full – a recipe for happiness

Hello again and thanks to those of you who continue to read my postings and respond with your thoughts.

Since my last blog entry a well known Australian, Steve “the Croc Hunter” Irwin, died an incredibly unfortunate death in a freak underwater accident. Although I’d not really known much about him before his death I must admit I, like many other Australians, saw him as a surreal, larger than life cartoon-character who was, to be blunt, considered by many to be a bit embarassing to our now “culturally sophisticated” country.

Nevertheless, I was interested enough to watch, on the night of his death, an interview he’d conducted several years earlier with Andrew Denton on the ABC’s “Enough Rope”. What I saw was something and someone quite different to what I’d imagined.

In contrast to my initial impression I came, over the course of 20 minutes or so, to see him as an incredibly passionate man – passionate about wildlife, the environment, the future of this planet and (last but by no means least) his wife and children. I also saw a man who lived life to the fullest. Even in the short period of time during which I watched his interview I could tell he was full of energy, humour, vatality and an enviable zest for living.

They say he lived his life in capital letters. I say he lived a form of happiness every minute of every hour, every day.

The reality was he also took considerable risks and this ultimately, unfortunately, led to his downfall. But he has now had an influence on me, and I’m guessing he also influenced many others through his TV shows – an influence that will hopefully lead more people to consider the environment and…how to live a happy and meaningful life with passion.

I never met Steve Irwin and I don’t really know much at all about him as a person. But what I saw in that short interview affected me enough to ask whether I could learn anything from his enthusiasm and joy for life.

This happiness blog posting, therefore, is an invitation to ask yourself whether you’re doing all you can do to live a full and happy life? If not, do you want to make some positive changes…???