THE HAPPINESS PROJECT...
Or, Why I Spent a Year Trying to
Sing in the Morning, Clean my Closets,
Fight Right, Read Aristotle,
and Generally Have More Fun
I read the front cover and I knew what I needed to do. I needed to start my own happiness project. I needed to change part of me this year. 2014. Only I know what I need to be ultimately happy, a peaceful soul. If I have a peaceful soul I am happy. I need to sit down and start a journal. I'm not much for writing in a journal (that's why I type on a blog), it will be more of a place to write my lists and ideas for my Happiness Project. A place to check in on myself and make sure I am following my plan. I have an ongoing list of things I believe will bring peace to my soul. I continue to have things come to my my mind and think, "Oh, yeah! That is going to bring peace and joy to my life! It's going to be like Christmas year round with all the peace and joy.
So here are some of my "surround myself with happiness" items that I am going to make a solid constant in my life.
So here are some of my "surround myself with happiness" items that I am going to make a solid constant in my life.
Self-Improvement: Self Help books. This is going to be my year of self help books. When I think "self-help books" I usually think relationship fixer-uppers, but that is just the tip of the iceberg. I have Paleo books I want to read, organizing books, sex books (shhhhhhhh!!), parenting books, decorating books, college prep books for my daughter, etc. There is a wealth of knowledge and ideas out there just waiting to sink into my brain. School: Go back to school. EEEEEK! Scary and exciting all at the same time. I've decided on accounting, going back to where I started and ended a very long time ago and as geeky as this sounds I am so excited. My plan is to gain some bookkeeping and payroll clients and work from home. Flexibility around my family is key so we'll see how things go over the next two years.
Music: Turn music on every morning that makes me close my eyes and breathe. Build my iTunes radio stations to make me inhale and exhale. Okay, sometimes feeling like a rock star is good for your soul, as well. So I'll listen to Metallica, Five Finger Death Punch, and In This Moment, too. :-) And let's not forget that when music is playing that makes you sing like you have 20,000 fans screaming your name you should dance. Don't forget to dance!
Close your eyes and breathe...
And dance!
CUT THE DAMN CLUTTER AND ORGANIZE!: Sorry, was I shouting? This was the very first thing I thought of when embarking on my Happiness Project. We have limited storage space in our house and too much crap we don't need. It's time to muck and purge our home. It's time to get creative with fun storage options. No plastic bins and storage containers. I hate them. It has to be fun. My family better watch their stuff. It is at risk for being donated, trashed or burned.
Home Decorating and Upgrading: Paint, replace, redo, redecorate. That pretty much sums it up. I will be calling on the help and expertise of a couple friends because just as I am fashionably challenged it spills into my ability to decorate tastefully. Thankfully I have friends that have the eye for this and they are willing to help where I fall short.
Fill Up My Closet: Since I will be purging that means there will be a little bit of room for new clothes. :) I'll be shopping for clothes that make me feel stylish and put together. With the help of my fashionista husband and being picky about what I buy I should have a happy closet in no time! First order of the year placed yesterday!! Happiness plus S & H.
Fun Family Time: There is no reason to go on and on about this. Everybody can use more fun family time. Games, meals out, ice cream, bike rides, hikes, road trips, water slide season passes, skiing, lake time, Brookies Cookies, The Great Hamburger Search Summer 2014 (fries are rated and scored, too!)
Dates with my Hubby: One of my favorite things ever! Wednesdays and Saturdays are usually our date nights. Wednesdays are for an appetizer and drinks and Saturdays are for dancing, movies, shopping, etc. Sometimes Saturdays are family nights at friends houses, but more nights for US are mandatory for peace in my soul.
Hit the Trails: Last year after owning my pretty aqua colored mountain bike with sketched butterflies on it I finally took it out on a trail for a test ride. OMG. The heaven's opened up, a ray of sunshine shone down and angel's sang. Okay, none of that really happened, but I'll be damned if that isn't how I felt while out on the trail. I hollered back at Tony at one point of the ride and asked him if he was enjoying it. He said yes and then asked me, I yelled, "I LOVE IT!" So began my obsession with my 10-year old mountain bike. I say she is retro, but she gets me from point A to point B. I'm not your "balls to the wall" type of mountain biker. I go balls to the wall at the gym all week. My bike time is my time for peace and quiet and a little endurance. I like rolling hills, maybe a bit of a steady uphill from time to time, but the rolling hills keep me going fast-ish and breathing hard. That is what brings the sweet sound of angels singing to my soul. I'm going to ride bike as much as possible this year and dream of the day I get new, lighter, flashier wheels to take me for a ride.
I'm sure I will be adding to this list as the year goes on. I already have a few other things in mind, but honestly I'm too lazy to type them up. :) So what brings peace to your soul? Do you have things you want to enjoy this year to bring happiness to your life? Happiness in your life spills out to those around you and all aspects of your life. I'm looking so forward to 2014! How about you?
