Wednesday, September 25, 2013

The Happiest Project Ever

For those of you who know me, you know I like challenges. It's so exciting to set a goal and be able to conquer it. Due to thoughts stemming from the previous post and various blogs I follow, I've decided on my next big adventure. Happiness! I'm a decently smiley person as it is, but true, absolute bliss is slightly more difficult to achieve. Contemplating how I might endeavor to accomplish this, I came across a particularly insightful post, which has become the basis for this project. "The Habits of Supremely Happy People" is exactly what it appears to be- a list of things supremely happy people do to be, well, happy. In case you aren't feeling in the "click and explore" mood, I've provided a condensed version of the list here:
  1. They surround themselves with other happy people
  2. They smile when they mean it
  3. They cultivate resilience
  4. They try to be happy
  5. They are mindful of the good
  6. They appreciate simple pleasures
  7. They devote some of their time to giving
  8. They let themselves lose track of time (and sometimes they can't help it)
  9. They nix small talk for deeper conversation
  10. They spend money on other people
  11. They make a point to listen
  12. They uphold in-person connections
  13. They look on the bright side
  14. They value a good mix-tape
  15. They unplug
  16. They get spiritual
  17. They make exercise a priority
  18. They go outside
  19. They spend some time on the pillow
  20. They LOL
  21. They walk the walk
So there it is. Twenty-one of the secrets to being happy. How does this work into my project? Each day I will choose one attribute to focus on and attempt to implement in my own life. Details to follow and joy to come! Until next time enjoy this picture of the happiest puppy ever.

Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Happiness is a Choice

So I was reading through a friend’s blog and ran across an entry entitled “Happiness is a Conscious Decision.” It brought to memory something my brother always used to tell me when I was down. Happiness is a choice, so choose to be happy. It’s easy in this place to forget the good things and focus on the bad, thus leading to the nightly pondering of “what on earth am I doing here?” When it comes down to it, my experience here is entirely up to me. I can’t help but wonder what my days would be like if I woke up every morning and started the day off on a positive note. “Good morning star shine! The earth says hello.” <This is one of my all-time favorite quotes> Thus I’ve decided to go at the rest of this week with a positive outlook. God has given me so much to be thankful for! It is my responsibility to look for those things and keep them in my heart and not take them for granted. 
“Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift, that’s why it’s called the Present.”

Sunshine

Looking back through my old posts, I noticed that the last few were on gratitude. I'd like to start off with a continuation of that thought. Things I'm grateful for today:
  • Apple pie
  • Sunshine
  • Sleep
  • Cold medicine
  • Best friends
  • Camping
  • Computers
  • Mangos
So that's it. That's the beginning of my list to be continued at a later date.