What is bliss?

I shall be writing to you in a couple of weeks about a three book marketing campaign to establish me as an Amazon top ten business author. I am sure that you will be pleased to participate when you hear of the fantastic package of goodies that will support the promotion.

As part of the campaign, each author involved is receiving some marketing coaching. One of the examples that we been given of a successful campaign in the past relates to a book called "Happy For No Reason" by Marci Shimoff.

I have noticed quite a lot of talk about happiness in the last few weeks. It occurs to me, that there is a hierarchy in happiness.

It is one thing to be generally happy. Another, is a sense of joy. It seems to me that perhaps the highest form is to experience bliss.

So I have been thinking, what is bliss?

When I recall specific examples, I note that they are all peaceful. Does that mean that it is a quality of bliss? Can we only experience bliss during a peaceful moment - or can we experience bliss when we recall a special time?

I have a subscription to all the Birmingham Royal Ballet's performances this year. Last week I attended an evening with three short ballets. Two were enjoyable, but the third was on a different level – I was transported. Just like I feel when I am designing a management game or solving a problem for a proposal. Is this ecstasy? Perhaps ecstacy is the active form of bliss.

I wonder about these forms of personal fulfilment because I have a client who has retired. Or, rather, he hasn't retired. After 50 years in his family business, he cannot break away. So, the question is: "How can he fulfil his personal needs without continuing to visit the office?" This is something he has never experienced, or had to think about.

Many people have a similar problem adjusting to retirement. And, if they fail to solve it, they tend to die young.

A lot of my current life is devoted to work related activities. However, I do not consider myself a workaholic. My work is an expression of who I am. I love the creativity, the problem solving, the involvement with current affairs, the interaction with other people, the travel.

Because I know what I need for personal fulfilment, I know different ways in which I can find it. Indeed, my varied career has involved many different ways already – and launching the Director Development Centre has been a case in point.

Maslow has a well known hierarchy of needs; the highest of which is "self actualisation", which means realising one's potential.

Learning how to achieve this is clearly relevant for people facing retirement, but it is also the role of a coach to help people address this at any stage of their life.

We use Wealth Dynamics profiling to help us with this. My profile is high in 'dynamo' energy. This means that I am creative and active, but, since I am low in 'tempo' energy, I might well neglect the nourishment I need.

For me, it is the quiet 'blissful' things that nourish. Fortunately, they mostly tend to be free!

Richard Winfield is founder of Brefi Group.
An international facilitator, he coaches and
facilitates directors and boards in transition:
helping them to make progress by

bringing structure and clarity

to their thinking.