Once I realized how temporary happiness can be, I knew life was not about being happy. I stopped chasing happiness because happiness is a choice, not a chase. Salon clients taught me the elements of a balanced and happy life. We all have those clients for whom life is always making lemonade from lemons. Don’t we love them?

As hairdressers, we meet men and women from all walks of life—successful and struggling, wealthy and not, healthy and ailing. The happiness common denominator in all of these situations is finding joy in the small things in daily life. A close second is resiliency and believing that whatever shakes you to your core —good or bad, will pass, and life will again return to finding joy in the little things in life.

The happiest clients I meet are those who feel, regardless of their situation, they are happy, not perfect. They are ecstatic about baking a great apple pie, the beautiful morning, or the sound of a train passing by. A hairstyle may not always turn out totally perfect, but it is good enough for today. If it turns out totally different, this client will say they like variety. I am sure they were the kid in the story looking for the horse when Santa left them manure. Unhappy clients think today will be a repeat of yesterday--and tomorrow will be just like today. Clients who demand perfection in a style seem unhappy. Perfection is such a disappointment. You can only be perfect for a minute or two before you see the flaw in your thinking. This probably proves, that instead of shooting for perfection, you should put in a daily personal best.   When you wake up each morning in anticipation of living a better life today than yesterday, joy fills your heart.   It’s out there, that better life, but you must want to go for it. Look for the little things. The big things only happen once in a while. Here's the best part, if today you are going through a trying time, please remember that tomorrow is another shot at making it better. Yes, tomorrow is another day. 

  Carlos Valenzuela is a hairdresser/educator, ex-salon & school owner, author and corporate spokesperson with forty-five years of beauty experience. His focus today is raising wellness awareness and assisting salon professionals in developing a fulfilling career via his podcast “Tiny Steps for Salon Pros”  www.anchor.fm/carlos-valenzuela and at industry events, seminars and in-salon workshops.  

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