It's amazing what a three-day weekend can do to you. Last week was stressful and I failed to keep up to date on my happiness calendar. Even with that excuse, I just kind of checked out of my happiness project. Now, I knew before I started this task that I wouldn't always be able to make all of my "goals" for the day, but I never thought I'd be one to miss an entire week (especially, since I'm still on the first month). I'm not totally discouraged or frustrated with myself that i completely ignored these resolutions, because I feel I'm due a little more credit.
When I looked back over the past week, I may have neglected my blog, but I was getting better at exercising and waking up earlier, and it was all due to working these two factors into my routine! I'll take two out of three for a week, but I must get better at writing things down in this blog and checking over my happiness calendar, so I can actually reflect and remind myself why I'm doing this.
With that said, I'm excited about the short work week ahead and a fun-filled weekend to look forward to. A photo shoot for a friend's yoga studio and hanging out in Fort Worth with my best friend, should get me through the short week!
Monday, January 16, 2012
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Anticipation
This weekend, I started to get particularly excited for my Caribbean cruise I'm looking forward to for next month! As I got more and more anxious about the details such as choosing an excursion, getting in swim suit shape and missing work, I started to think, am I not living in the present if I'm thinking about the future, especially in this type of anxious way?
The Happiness Project disucsses the 4 stages of happiness: anticipate, savor, express and reflect.
After reading this section, I realized that subconsciously, I too, associate anticipation with the fear that I might be let down if the event I was anticipating didn't go as planned. There's always going to be things that you can't control, but in order to truly be happy in the moment, sometimes you have to anticipate the good that comes your way...More happiness bang for your buck if you will.
This month, as I focus on my theme of getting into a routine, I'm going to do better of anticipating in the present. Most of all, I am going to follow through on making more of an effort to schedule things into my day that will give me a happiness boost. For instance, when I know that going to the last day of an exhibit at one of my favorite Fort Worth museums would boost my happiness, then why not put it in the calendar to anticipate and really get excited for it? With a little over a month until my cruise, I am going to anticipate each day of the vacation and think about it anytime I may get overwhelmed, frustrated or exhausted in the present. Even better-keeping the cruise on my mind will help motivate me to get to the gym!
The Happiness Project disucsses the 4 stages of happiness: anticipate, savor, express and reflect.
After reading this section, I realized that subconsciously, I too, associate anticipation with the fear that I might be let down if the event I was anticipating didn't go as planned. There's always going to be things that you can't control, but in order to truly be happy in the moment, sometimes you have to anticipate the good that comes your way...More happiness bang for your buck if you will.
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Write IT Down.
Five days into my project, I can't help but notice how hard it has been for me to get on the blog and write something out. I have plenty of emotinos, thoughts and ideas about my resolutions to write on paper, but for some reason making the time for it has been such an issue.
Surprisingly, I would have thought exercising better would be much harder to accomplish on a daily basis than writing for my blog, but regardless, I knew going into this, it wouldn't all be easy...and that was what keeping up with my blog was for! I hope that on the nights I'm struggling with writing, I can come back to this post and realize this is an integral part of my resolutions and finding a happier place.
Surprisingly, I would have thought exercising better would be much harder to accomplish on a daily basis than writing for my blog, but regardless, I knew going into this, it wouldn't all be easy...and that was what keeping up with my blog was for! I hope that on the nights I'm struggling with writing, I can come back to this post and realize this is an integral part of my resolutions and finding a happier place.
Routine
The furthest I've gotten in my new years resolutions and I can honestly say, I've never felt better. I ran a full two miles today...the entire time and didn't even get super winded. This is huge considering about a month ago, you couldn't pay me to make it through one mile.
Instead of coming up with a giant list of resolutions, I decided to come up with a list of things I would like to improve in my life and focus on each one for each month of the year. January is my month to focus on routine. I've spent a good seven months in denial about forming good lifestyle habits and a healthy routine-probably because the first year in the working world you want to spend every second of your life that you're not working (5pm-bed time) doing something that is 1. enjoyable 2.takes very little effort and 3. does not resemble work in anyway. Needless to say I haven't been the best about my work outs, morning routines and well, posting regularly on this blog.
For the month of January that is dedicated to creating and honoring a routine in my life, I will try to
Like the chart the author develops in the Happiness Project, I created a chart where everyday I check off the three things: a check mark if I succeeded at doing so that day and an X when I didn't. So far (it's been five days) the process of checking and xing these "goals" makes me feel completely accountable for them. I'm also maintaining a total realistic expectation that life happens and everyday, I may not be able to do all three...but keeping them at the top of my mind each day pushes me to follow through.
Instead of coming up with a giant list of resolutions, I decided to come up with a list of things I would like to improve in my life and focus on each one for each month of the year. January is my month to focus on routine. I've spent a good seven months in denial about forming good lifestyle habits and a healthy routine-probably because the first year in the working world you want to spend every second of your life that you're not working (5pm-bed time) doing something that is 1. enjoyable 2.takes very little effort and 3. does not resemble work in anyway. Needless to say I haven't been the best about my work outs, morning routines and well, posting regularly on this blog.
For the month of January that is dedicated to creating and honoring a routine in my life, I will try to
- exercise better
- utilize mornings to the fullest
- blog at night
Like the chart the author develops in the Happiness Project, I created a chart where everyday I check off the three things: a check mark if I succeeded at doing so that day and an X when I didn't. So far (it's been five days) the process of checking and xing these "goals" makes me feel completely accountable for them. I'm also maintaining a total realistic expectation that life happens and everyday, I may not be able to do all three...but keeping them at the top of my mind each day pushes me to follow through.
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