A Final Report

Three weeks have gone by and I can’t say I have seen an enormous spike in my happiness. However, I do not think all was lost. There are many small things that have allowed me to focus more on being happy and to make others happy. Keeping the jar full of happy things has been my favorite part, because when I sit down to write things that have been good during the week, I can look over some of the parts that weren’t exactly in my favor. To my surprise, other people have asked to write their own note to put in the jar, which I found to be a great idea.

I also loved this week being all about gratitude. Most of the past few days I’ve been a little overwhelmed with several tests and projects going on in multiple classes, but when I took the time to write a little note to someone everyday, I loved seeing the other person react. Because I had made someone else happier, however small the act may seem, it made me happier, too. I was pleasantly surprised when I walked into math class the other day to see the note I wrote for my teacher had been taped up next to her desk. It simply just feels good to give and see it bring happiness to others.

This way of showing my appreciation for her and the other people who received notes of their own, is similar to the way Rubin spent her June, by focusing on friendships. The jar of happiness is very much like her gratitude notebook. I liked this method a little more because it also has a visual reminder about all the good things that happens to you. The less space you have in the jar, the more you’ve been able to say about good things that have happened to you.

Being grateful also ties in with Haidt’s points on adversity and Rubin’s reflection on reading memoirs of catastrophes. It becomes much easier to be grateful when you are reminded how good you’ve got it. And if something traumatic were to happen to you, knowing to grow from it and learning to be thankful for all that you have is great way to use adversity in your favor.

All in all, this week has gone more smoothly than the previous two, in terms of the (Happiness Project) Project. I’ve still been trying to write everyday and finishing homework when it needs to be, instead of procrastinating as much as I used to.

At the beginning of this project, we were asked something along the lines of what we thought was going to be the most difficult for us, and I wrote down remembering my motivations. This week especially, I was reminded by my friends and family why I need to be focusing on appreciation and happiness in general. Knowing that I’ll have these “accountabillabuddies” after this project ends is comforting.

This has been a great experiance, and I'm very glad I'll be able to use these tips and helpful methods in the time after the project has ended.