January’s been pretty intense. Fun, but also crammed full of launching a magazine, job hunting and making a vague effort to get into running again (which, I’ve just noticed, isn’t reflected in these images at all, but I guess I need to cover some real distance before it’s worth throwing up in an image!). I’m glad it’s worked out this way, because the highs and lows involved in this sum up why I decided to go for the Happy Days concept in the first place. Is it working as motivation? Who knows,  but stuff certainly seems to be happening, with a little help from my friends! This one goes from 5mph to 100 at right about day 39. Without further ado, here’s the second installment. Click here for Days 1-20!

Today my redundancy officially went through, and with the real world firmly back on our doorsteps, it doesn’t feel like a holiday anymore, either. It’s a strange feeling – I’ve never been unemployed aside from by choice before, and while this has its benefits, it also takes a bit of getting used to. I don’t feel comfortable doing the ‘treat myself’ thing as a little bit of money has landed in my account (who knows when I’ll next get a pay check!), so instead I bought myself some affordable inspiration, and got going on my second full on job application of the New Year. Here goes! #100HappyDays #Day21

A photo posted by James Hendicott (@jameshendicott) on Jan 8, 2015 at 1:59pm PST

Here’s a little motivational project I have going at the moment under popular Instagram hashtag #100HappyDays, largely to keep me positive whilst job hunting. These are the first twenty entries through Christmas and New Year 2014 and early 2015. The next twenty will have a far more serious bent I suspect, but it’s been nice to start out with family, food, puppies and booze!:

I thought my last day at my company might make an interesting day to start #100happydays, as a way to keep myself focused and recognise I have a lot to be thankful for, and to push myself to make the most of this time. It also makes the day after St Patrick’s Day the 100th day; a good target for working out and setting up what comes next. This #day1 pic is a certificate my colleagues put together in the style of our students. My send off included a champagne lunch and gifts. Its been surreal and emotional marking the end of my time at Berlitz, my only serious full time employer of around eight years, who I’ve worked with in four countries. Indirectly their hiring me in South Korea led to my meeting my amazing wife. Its the start of the holidays but for me this year also the end of an era in a major way. I’m going to miss this…

A photo posted by James Hendicott (@jameshendicott) on Dec 12, 2014 at 11:47am PST