Recently I finished the book, The Happiness Project, by Gretchen Rubin. If you have read this book then you know how great it is and if you haven’t, well then I suggest you purchase it! I have been inspired and motivated to start my own 1 year happiness journey. I turn 35 this month, a number that honestly feels a little scary to me. Tick tick tick goes that darn clock and time is only going by faster as I get older. Like Gretchen stated in her book, focusing on yourself and being happier by doing and concentrating on things that bring you joy does seem a little self involved and selfish. But what she found out, is by being happier, she made others around her happy.
“One of the best ways to make yourself happy is to make other people happy. One of the best ways to make other people happy is to be happy yourself.” Gretchen Rubin
I am following Gretchen’s procedure for my happiness project.
First Step
Make a list of things I know make me happier as well as things that make me feel guilty, angry and bored.
Second Step
Each month I have wrote down an area I want to focus on and concrete actions I can do. I took time writing out my list and really tried to hone in on what brings me joy and what actions I can do that will help me.
Third Step
Action! The easy part is behind me, now comes the hard part; actually doing them. I have always been a pretty disciplined person when it comes to certain things in my life but like most people, I definitely have things that I struggle with like, rising early in the morning, eating healthy, drinking water, having patience, etc. I have created a chart that I will grade myself on daily.
JUNE- SET MYSELF UP FOR SUCCESS
This month I want to focus on creating a routine that I know will make me happier.
- Wake up earlier– During the summer I tend to sleep in simply because I can. This causes me to stay up way too late, not be prepared when my girls wake up and gives me no alone time in the mornings. This has been a constant battle for me, so many times I’ve told myself, “I’m going to wake up tomorrow at 5:30 a.m.!”, only to press my snooze button 10 times. But when I do rise early, spend some time with Jesus, journal, and get ready for my day before my girls get up, I always feel more prepared and happier.
- Toss, re-store, organize– I stole this from Gretchen. My surroundings do affect my mood and when I’m surrounded by clutter it really doesn’t make me happy or feel at peace inside. Ever since Marie Kondo came around, I have definitely cleared out a ton of stuff but I believe I can do better.
- Meal Planning– Cooking and baking makes me happy but a lot of times it will be 4:00 p.m. and I’ll think to myself, “what should I make for supper?”. Meal planning will help me not only be more prepared for dinner time but also help us eat out less. I always think of how I desire to try out new recipes but I’m rarely organized enough to make sure I have all the ingredients for a new one. Finding a new recipe that my family and I love, brings me joy.
- Social Media – Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about my phone usage and have even entertained the idea of taking a break from Instagram and Facebook for the summer. My blog here makes me happy. Sharing pictures of my decor and projects on Instagram and Facebook brings me joy. I also enjoy browsing home decor accounts on Pinterest and Instagram. What DOESN’T make me happy is when I spend TOO much time on those things. Or when I post something and then constantly check throughout the day to see how it is doing. Some nights when I can’t sleep, I will scroll until my eyes feel heavy, which can take quite a long time (like hours sometimes). That is the problem not the actual social media app, itself. Therefore, I am going to be staying laser focused on my phone usage this month. I’ll allow myself the time I need to post on my blog or other apps (because that makes me happy) but when it comes to scrolling, I will only allow myself an allotted amount of time.
Today is the first day of my happiness journey and it’s off to a great start! When my alarm went off at 6:00 a.m., I dragged myself out of bed, washed my face, poured myself a cup of coffee and spent some time in God’s word. I was dressed and ready for my day before the girls got out of bed and my day feels like it’s off to a great start!
I am planning on using my blog as sort of a journal for my happiness project. Every week, I plan on giving a little update of my journey. I encourage you to read the book if you haven’t and if you feel lead, to start your own happiness project as well! Here’s to more happiness!
