Last year was the year of my Happiness Project. I consciously worked on making my life better, richer, happier one new habit at a time. The first thing I did was identify the things in my life that caused unnecessary stress, and then I worked on replacing those things with healthier habits. Here's how my project shaped up:
- I had to let go of a close friend who had become increasingly unfriendly to me
- I started exercising and at the same time changed my diet
- I started going to bed earlier and waking up earlier
- I de-cluttered my house
- I started saying "yes" to most everything: Want to play jumprope? YES; Want to go with us to this concert? YES; Want to ride bikes? YES, YES, YES
The results were that I dropped 20 lbs., lowered my blood pressure, increased my energy, have lighter periods, clearer thoughts, and more even moods...I am HAPPIER! It worked. The best, most surprising thing that came out of this project is that my whole family seems happier--which may just be a change in my own perspective.
Two books that gave me encouragement and motivation were:
The Happiness Project, by Gretchen Rubin
Life is a Verb: 37 Days to Wake Up, Be Mindful, and Live Intentionally, by Patti Dign
Now that it's a new year, I'm beginning phase two of my Happiness Project. Of course, I need to keep working on the changes I made in 2010 so that I don't backslide But, I am already working on my first goal of the year: to learn something new...something completely different and out of my comfort zone: belly dancing. I think I'm happier already!
