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Be happy.

Emily Clement 019Emily Clement ’97

Clement’s five questions to answer to find what makes you happy:

  1. “If you had a magic wand, what would your life look and feel like? Think beyond your current conditions and circumstances.”
  2. “Are your values aligned with where you spend your time and money? Define your core values, and then look at your bank or credit card statement. Perhaps you want to make adjustments.”
  3. “What scares you? We tend to become stagnant because of fear or our sense of deserving. Name and befriend your fears. Lean into your fear and watch your comfort zone expand naturally.”
  4. “Do you want love, affection and attention? Give away freely what you desire for yourself. Give it freely, and without expectation, to those around you.”
  5. “How do you spend your spare time? Spend quality time in silence. Prayer is talking to God, while meditation is listening. If that’s not your jam, then spend quiet time in nature. Answers arrive in silence.”

Something to think about

“My most transformative moments are found in life’s disappointments. I’m confident there is no such thing as failure; it is all feedback. Though disappointment, loss and frustration stings and includes a range of uncomfortable feelings, there is always something to learn about yourself and the world around you.”

An interesting journey

“I’ve been a soul-searching, joy seeker since I graduated twenty years ago. While I was at Wheaton I went on a new adventure each summer. I worked in a health food store in Petersburg, Alaska, and then I was a camp counselor in Istanbul, Turkey, and finally a waitress on the Cape. Upon graduation, with a teaching certificate in my back pocket, I packed my bags and taught internationally for several years: the Czech Republic, then Beirut, Lebanon, the Virgin Islands and Greece. I returned to New Hampshire and taught, coached and was a dorm parent for three years at Cardigan Mountain School, an all-boys junior boarding school. After I completed my master’s degree in education in school counseling at Plymouth State, I explored a few career paths before reconnecting with my childhood church. For five years (2005–2009) I was the director of Christian education at the Congregational Church of Laconia, United Church of Christ. I organized and facilitated Sunday school, confirmation, youth groups, mission trips, summer camp, and adult programming. My job title quickly became spiritual party planner. The five years that followed (2009–2014) I was a guidance counselor at Gilford High School in Gilford. N.H. In 2014, I started my own business as a life coach. I’ve integrated my favorite elements from every job—teaching, counseling, speaking, meeting new people and affecting positive change.”

What a life coach does

“While a therapist gets your back-story to discover how you became who you are, as a life coach I’m more interested in discovering who you are right now and where you’re headed. We all have a back-story. However, your history doesn’t dictate your future. My clients are excited about making positive, healthy changes in their life. It starts with their thinking—they begin by defining what it is they would love and then take action to get there. My invitation tends to be shifting from the problem to the solution. When people focus their attention and intention on the solution, magic happens.”
Photo by Kate Criscone