Former Valley girl and current San Diego morning-show host, Alexis DelChiaro shares life lessons and her California adventures.

Noyan Photograhy, hair stylist Jill Jacopetti 

It’s Fall. I can feel the seasons changing. Days are shorter, there’s a chill in the night air, everything is crisp and clean. By now, all of my Arizona friends have packed up their towels and umbrellas and headed back to the desert.

The beaches are quiet and that is where I go to do some of my best thinking. I guess you’d call it ”self -evaluation.” Some of my friends might say that I spend too much time “in my head,” but I don’t think there is anything or anyone that you should know better than yourself. How can I shape my life if I don’t know exactly who I am or what I want? (Well that, and it’s a whole lot cheaper than therapy!)

 In one of my “self evaluation” sessions, I discovered that there are 3 specific things I’d like to accomplish in my lifetime.

 #1. I want to be happy. Sounds simple, but it’s not so easy all of the time. Two years ago when I was feeling down, my brother told me, “Alexis, you have to have the courage to make your own happiness and find it in others.” I agree.  Sometimes we get caught up searching for happiness outside of ourselves… in the superficial parts of life. In reality, it’s inside each and every one of us if we dare to look for it.  In getting to know myself pretty well these past few years, I’ve pinpointed the things that make me feel good. Some are simple, like getting lost in a deliciously good book or watching a brilliant sunset over the ocean. While others are a bit more involved, like traveling to new parts of the world or overcoming a fear. Point is, because I’ve spent time evaluating what makes me happy, I know how to sustain that happiness and I don’t need to rely on anything or anyone else to achieve it.

 #2. I want to change the world. Even if in some small way, I hope I can leave a footprint on this earth.  I’d like to think I’d leave this world a little bit kinder, more loving and compassionate than I found it.  My dad left me a letter on the desk in my new dorm room when he and my mom dropped me off at UC Santa Barbara. One part of it reads, “Grab the world by the throat and take it with you, but be kind and leave a little for the next group.” Yes! My dad has it right- go after your dreams whole-heartedly, but be thoughtful of everyone else’s dreams too. It’s so easy to get lost on the “me, me, me” in life, but doesn’t it feel so much better when you focus your energy on others?

 #3. Finally, I want to be a mommy. There’s not much to say about that except that it’s something I’ve always known to be a true about myself. Family is the most important thing in the world and I cannot wait to have my own.

So tell me…what do you love to do? Where is your favorite place to go? How do you like to spend your days? All easy questions that when put together, shape who you are and what you want out of your time on this earth. I challenge you to spend some time getting to know yourself and evaluate the person that you are, so you can eventually become the person you’d like to be.