21 Apr Annie Meehan

Health, Hope and Happiness

By: Annie Meehan

When I was little, I was the middle of seven kids raised by a mentally ill mom and an abusive alcoholic dad; I had no one to help me. I never want anyone else to feel like that. I spend my life looking for people that might feel alone, unseen, undervalued and I do my best to help them.

One way to help others is to tell them to ‘Start with you’…time for ourselves is not selfish, it is self-full. I took years to learn that I was worth taking care of and today it is my top priority. I must take the morning for Bible study, beach walk, weights, water and quiet time. I get up extra early to do that. Because I do this routine, most days I am more relaxed, more joy-filled and more able to live a generous, healthy, hopeful and happy life. It is my goal to be light and love in our world, but I start with me…And one more thing, I never watch the news, I watch the sunsets, children and butterflies.

Health is a key to life and without health, it is hard to focus and be successful. Start by understanding and evaluating your physical, emotional, mental, relational, spiritual, financial and career health by scoring where you are at now.

Hope is also so important – and lately lost by many. A couple of things I do to stay hopeful are to look back at how far I have come and to remember all things are possible and then look forward.  Make a plan, seek support, move our bodies; singing ‘the sun will come out tomorrow’ does amazing good for the soul. Every day look for beauty, be aware of the struggle and ask “how I can serve.”

Happiness for me is about outside circumstances and joy comes from the inside. I am happy most days, even on the hard days, I find something to be happy about. I love to have a list of 10 things that bring a smile to my face so on the hard days I remember to turn up the music, walk the beach, dance in the kitchen, bake 10 loaves of banana bread to give away.

When I am feeling down, I am often focusing too much on myself and not enough on what I can do for another. Gratitude is good and a grateful person can live a good life, but I believe a generous person can live a great life!

So I do my best to focus on the difference I can make in the world, give a gift of a smile, coffee, an encouraging word, a listening ear, send someone a surprise for no reason brings me and them great happiness…Happiness to me is about being a servant and generous heart ; )

Meet Annie Meehan, Motivational Speaker

Annie Meehan is a woman who is on a mission to inspire others. She is a motivational speaker with the message of spreading three H’s: Health, Hope and Happiness! Her undeniable passion and engaging presence inspire people to take action. She is a keynote speaker, award-winning author, and exceptional life expert. She has spent years motivating and teaching audiences to transform achievement from good to great and become exceptional in life. With a background in corporate America as well as being a business owner, her career expands over several industries including finance, healthcare, hospitality & sales. Annie is now an international keynote speaker and spreads joy to many.

Annie has three adult children and lives in a suburb of Minneapolis with her husband and two dogs (Peanut & Leo). She loves volunteering in the community, traveling with family, and walking (or being walked) with her dogs.

To learn more about Annie, visit: https://anniemeehan.com/