What Makes You Happy

“When you are inspired by some great purpose, some extraordinary project, all your thoughts break their bonds. Your mind transcends limitations, your consciousness expands in every direction, and you find yourself in a new, great and wonderful world. Dormant forces, faculties and talents become alive, and you discover yourself to be a greater person by far than you ever dreamed yourself to be.”
Patanjali, Yogi and Mystic

If you want to discover what makes you happy look no further than your passionate obsessions. A healthy obsession can be a liberating and clarifying catalyst to your true calling and career direction, especially for people in the mid-life zone. With maturity comes renewed confidence and determination to pursue the things they are truly passionate about.

Fully alive

Being passionate is a vital part of being human. Passion is love—hard to define, but easy to see and feel when it is alive. Passion is about emotion, feeling, zest and enthusiasm. Intensity, fervour, ardour, and zeal. Passion is about fire, eagerness, and preoccupation.

Passion is about excitement and animation. Passion is about determination and self-belief. Passion is about being willing to change. Passion is about following your heart’s desire. Passion is about doing something you love.

It’s not an intellectual thought. It’s a feeling. Feelings matter, and feelings are where the real power is. But Western society tends to predominately value thoughts, reason, logic and clear thinking more highly than feelings, intuition, spirit, and soul.

Perhaps because of this, people have become desensitised to the clues and callings of their own passions.

I talk more about this in my Amazon bestseller, Midlife Career Rescue: What Makes You Happy

What makes you happy ipad, kindle, audio

The Art of Letting Go

If you’ve been following me for a while, you’ll know I left a career/business I no longer loved and poured my heart into other passions. I have been painting, sculpting, writing and creating all my life and still find endless inspiration & applications. But it was only in the wake of Covid that I turned my passion into my life’s work—paintings that challenged the fear narrative and celebrated joy, beauty and love. Art that healed.

One of my paintings, A Crazy Little Thing Called Love, sold in 2025 via Saatchi Art to a collector in Los Angeles.

This painting was inspired by the beauty of blooms, real and imagined. This beauty glows. Big is my jam. I never want to play small again. An audience of one? I painted this piece just for me. Why? Because it made me happy. And guess what? It made others happy, too.

The Art of Letting Go

That’s the beauty of art—creating beauty and love for yourself, inspires love in others.

Amongst my current passions are works that flow – the medium may be watercolour, acrylic, oil or beeswax. My pieces are sensual; fluent and emotional.

My flow paintings go where they want and teach me to cede control. I love to create— it completes me, fills me with joy, and softens the world around me. Painting and creating make me happy. I love time in nature, interiors, travelling and I do love sweet treats. I am the oldest of 3 children, proud mum to 1, and a dedicated business owner and creativity coach.

I was born on the last day of September 1965, blessing me as a Libran Snake. I love harmony and creating beauty is my divinely inspired life purpose. I love creating bespoke, customized pieces, making collections for showrooms, and collaborating with collectors/designers to deliver abstract timeless art in a personal-touch way.

In the midst of Covid, I opened my own gallery.—Art @Rangitane. While those in power created fear and division I created joy and love and beauty. I was so happy! And so were all the people who came to see me.

Discovering My Ikigai: How Art Transformed My Life | The Joyful Artist

In this video, I share a wee peek into my art studio. Situated in New Zealand and the beautiful Bay of Islands, Opito Bay/Rangitane coast, my studio environment has strongly influenced my art practice, with each of my paintings inspired by the natural environment.

It’s also where I hold my in-person Learn to Paint Amazing Abstracts classes and wellness art retreats.

If you are in the area I’d love to meet you for a special studio visit.

Please contact me to arrange.

Did you enjoy this post? You may also enjoy:

The Art of Well-Focused Distraction: A Gentle Path Through Overwhelm

The Five P’s of Life – Patience, Persistence, Perseverance, Passion, and Purpose

How art can console those broken by life

Are you extremely sensitive, or is life unbearable?

Allow art to take you to places you’ve never been

Can a painting change your life?

PRAISE FOR WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY

insights and strategies to help many more of us reach our potential and utilise our talents

“Cassandra’s entire life has been dedicated to improving the lot of the average working person by imbuing them with the conviction that work should be a fulfilling and creative endeavour aligned with our talents and values. In this book, Cassandra Gaisford provides lots of insights and strategies to help many more of us reach our potential and utilise our talents.”
~ Mike Fitzsimons and Nigel Beckford, Authors of You Don’t Make a Big Leap Without a Gulp

get inspired, get your career on track, and ultimately live a happier life

“This book offers value to anyone who finds themselves in a situation where they feel stuck and dissatisfied. This book is terrific for career-changers, retirees, people laid off, and those just seeking to be happier in their current job. Read this book if you want to get inspired, get your career on track, and ultimately live a happier life.”
~ Courtney Kenney, Author of #1 best-seller Layoff Reboot and Author Unleashed

start an exciting journey with new possibilities

“Life is too precious to be in a career that’s sucking more from you than its returning. Do your life and career a favour; read this book and start an exciting journey with new possibilities.”
~ Barry Watson, Author of #1 best-seller Rock Solid Relationship

This book is very powerful

“In this book “Mid-Life Career rescue”, author Cassandra Gaisford shares her wisdom, knowledge and insight to help people reach their maximum potential and explore the areas of their lives that they have yet to tap into. This book is very powerful. The strategies are solid and fill you with the energy to do what you were born to do.”
~ Scott.B. Allan, Author of #1 bestseller Empower Your Thoughts