By: Josh Fulfer
Estimated Read Time: 7 Minutes

From Vision Board to Real Life: Building a Business (and Life) Around Happiness

It was 2013. I was in a job I hated, working for a boss I didn’t respect. My wife was pregnant with our first child, and every part of me felt off. I’d wake up already stressed. I’d drive in silence, dreading another day under fluorescent lights. I kept thinking, “This can’t be it.”

I didn’t hate working. I hated feeling like I was wasting my life.

I wanted to be present. For my wife. For my daughter. For myself. But I couldn’t shake this low-grade misery that had become normal. That’s the scariest part—it all started to feel normal. Waking up tired. Living for weekends. Feeling numb by Monday.

The Moment That Shifted Everything

Then, one day during lunch, I stumbled on an article: “10 Scientifically Proven Ways to Be Incredibly Happy.” I almost scrolled past it. But I didn’t. I clicked it. Read it. And for some reason… it stuck.

Here’s what it said, in short:

1. Exercise: Even 7 minutes helps
2. Sleep more: Your brain needs it
3. Spend time with people you love
4. Get outside—happiness spikes around 57°
5. Help others: 100 hours a year is a magic number
6. Smile more—even if you don’t feel like it
7. Plan a trip, even if you don’t take it
8. Meditate to rewire your brain
9. Short commutes beat big houses
10. Practice gratitude, daily

I printed it. Taped it to the wall. That article wasn’t flashy, but it resonated with me. I realized I’d built my life around the wrong scoreboard. I was chasing money, status, and some imaginary version of “success,” but I had no system for actually feeling good. No plan for happiness.

The “Vision Board” Phase

We didn’t have much money. My wife was pregnant. We couldn’t afford real vacations or big moves. But I started doing the little things from the list. I got outside more. I went for walks. I helped a neighbor with yard work. I smiled at strangers. I slept more. Ate better. Moved my body.

And then we made a vision board.

Not because we were trying to manifest magic… but because we needed something to hope for. We printed out pictures of trips we couldn’t afford, houses we couldn’t buy, and work we hadn’t created yet. We called it “our future life.”

We never even showed anyone that board. It wasn’t for show. It was a lifeline. It was proof that we believed something better was possible—even if we didn’t know how yet.

From Misery to Momentum

I didn’t quit my job overnight. I wasn’t one of those “burn the boats” guys. But I started building. Slowly. On nights. On weekends. I studied marketing. I built little websites. I chased problems instead of paychecks. And I got obsessed with helping real people fix real things.

The first time someone paid me to help them grow their business—it felt like I could breathe again.

Fast forward to today, and we’ve built LevelRight into something that gives us the kind of life that was once just taped to the wall in our tiny house. We work with people we like. We spend real time with our kids. We travel. We build. We grow. And we don’t take any of it for granted.

What I Wish More People Knew

The biggest trap isn’t failure—it’s comfort. It’s “doing fine” while your soul rots. It’s pretending that dreading Mondays is just part of being an adult. It’s ignoring your gut because “that’s just how the world works.”

I didn’t change my life because I was brave. I changed it because I was tired. I was tired of feeling like a ghost in my own story. And that little happiness article gave me a nudge back into the driver’s seat.

So What About You?

Maybe you’re not miserable. Maybe things are “fine.” But are they aligned? Are you building a business that fuels your life—or one that’s slowly stealing it?

Here’s what I learned:

✅ You don’t need to wait for permission to build a better life.
✅ Big change doesn’t start with a leap—it starts with one better habit.
✅ A vision board isn’t just about dreams. It’s a commitment to direction.
✅ You can build your business around your life—not the other way around.

And if you’re feeling stuck, start here: go for a walk. Help someone. Plan a trip, even if it’s just pretend. Stack one win today. Then stack another tomorrow.

Final Thought

Sometimes people ask how I got into this work—helping concrete lifting companies grow, build websites, rank higher, generate leads. It’s not glamorous. But it’s real. It helps real people. It gave me a way to build a life I’m proud of.

And it all started with the idea of happiness.

So if you’re reading this and wondering if you can change your story… you can. Start small. Get clear. And never forget—your business should serve your life, not steal it.