For those of you
who haven’t read any previous posts, (assuming there’s people out there
actually reading this thing) I have recently had the opportunity to read
Gretchen Rubin’s The Happiness Project via the Talented and Gifted class I’m
taking. This wonderful memoir tells of a wife and mother of two, and her year’s
journey to becoming happier. Rubin knows she is already happy, but thinks she
isn’t as happy as she could be. So she sets off with a plan for 12 months that
has several resolutions, focusing on one per month. In accordance with this
setup, my next project in TAG will have me spend three weeks to make me happier
than I already am, with one resolution per week.
For the first week
of this (Happiness Project) Project, I will focus on prioritizing my life. I
hope to accomplish a more relaxing state of mind and be more peaceful with
whatever may happen in the weeks to come. Firstly, I need to make sure school
comes first. Being a senior, I have no time to sit and waste away time I should
be using to complete homework. Secondly, I have got to become more organized.
My room is currently messier than my boyfriend’s… Which is certainly saying
something. Cleaning it up and keeping it tidy will help me succeed with
becoming more peaceful. It’s easier to get frustrated when mounds of clothes
and piles of papers everywhere are distracting me. Lastly, I will be ordering
myself to sleep more. I know what you must be thinking: What teenager could
possibly need more sleep when they’re taking three IB classes and has early
morning sectionals and desperately trying to keep up with hours of homework
every night? Well, lemme tell ya, this girl will be laying down some new rules.
I will be attempting to get a full 8 hours of sleep each night. Crazy as it may
seem, not being incredibly tired all the time is sure to boost my happiness.
During the second
week of this project, I’m going to be doing a lot more of what I love most:
Writing! It’s always been a passion of mine, but it feels like I can’t find the
time for it anymore. Considering I plan to major in English Literature in
college, I wanted to spend some time dusting off my creative writing skills and
improving them as well. So, everyday, I am going to try to spend time writing,
whether it be poems, stories, or reflections. While writing, I’m going to
“forget results”, another point made by Rubin in the book. I won’t edit myself
or over-think anything I’m writing- I’ll just write. Another important aspect
to being a good writer is being a good reader, which happens to be another
favorite pastime of mine, and so I’m also going to try and read a good chunk
out of the book I’ve been trying to finish for quite sometime, Inkdeath.
Perhaps another goal will even be to finish it…
Finally, the last
week of the (Happiness Project) Project will be all about gratitude. I love
helping others, but it can be hard to remember to be thankful for what others
do to help me or what I have that I take for granted. To accomplish being more
thankful, I’m going to start something that will span over all three weeks.
Using an idea from Pinterest, I’m going to write down all the good things that
happen over the next few weeks and keep them in a jar. At the end of the
project, I’ll open it and, voila, instant happiness! This way, I can reflect on
the good that’s happened and be able to overlook any mishaps that happened
along the way. Another thing I’m going to try to do everyday is to write a
little encouraging note and give it to someone different each time. This way, I
can show my appreciation for them and also increase their happiness as well,
because who doesn’t love getting a cute little note randomly in their day?
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