My view when writing this post was the incredible Greenland from above!
Month one of my Happiness Project is coming to a close, and my life is so different already–though not in the ways I thought it would be.
This month’s theme was enter through beauty, and my goal was to do 30 small home improvement projects for 30 days.
That didn’t happen.
Here’s what did happen: I went through a breakup. I resigned from my job. I went on my first solo international trip (which, before said breakup, was intended to be a reunion trip). I did exactly five of the 30 projects.
And here I am, one month later, feeling that my life is more authentic and promising than ever. It finally feels like my own life. I’ve had other really wonderful and fulfilling phases of my life before, but I don’t know that I’ve ever felt such freedom and genuine excitement to explore the uncharted territory that my life has become.
I’ve always done the next logical thing, and the next, and the next. Now I’m doing the opposite, and giving up the logical and orderly path that I could’ve followed in pursuit of a life that makes me feel really alive.
Traveling helped to shake away the metaphorical dust in my life. The breakup helped me recognize that even wonderful things sometimes don’t work out, and that you should still fall in love with people anyway, because it’s worth it. And the few little projects I did improved the apartment ever so slightly–and with this Happiness Project being a year-long endeavor, I’ll have plenty of time to get to the other 25.
So now, as I am reflecting on a tumultuous and humbling and enlightening month, I’m wondering what to do next. What will my Happiness Project theme be for December?
Just like last month, the themes that are coming to mind are simple and almost seem too small considering all the big things I should probably figure out in my life. But I think that it’s helpful to have small, feasible goals to work on in the face of much bigger challenges. And I don’t want to pressure myself into making rushed decisions or forcing my life to come together in a neat, orderly way. My theme for December is going to be: take care of my physical health. This month’s combination of long days at work spent snacking on various unhealthy foods, hardly ever drinking enough water, never going to classes at the YMCA despite having a membership and actually loving the classes, and eating the most random diet during my trip to London has left me feeling lethargic and uncomfortable. If I focus on my physical health, I think it’ll make everything else in my life a little better, because I’ll have more energy and will feel more comfortable in my own body.
The goals I’ll work toward in December will be:
•Do a cardio workout out at least three times a week. I’ll only do workouts I actually enjoy: hiking (weather permitting), Zumba, kickboxing, and a really long walk here and there.
•Do yoga at least one a week. My body has been craving yoga after traveling on planes, buses, and trains this week. A formal yoga class would be ideal, but if I do an online yoga video in my room, that’ll count, too (as long as I don’t fall asleep on the mat ten minutes into it. Not that that’s ever happened…)
•Make a grocery list every week and give myself plenty of time to go shopping. I’ll end up saving myself money and guilt if I just plan out what I want to make and buy ingredients for those meals. I’m often stingy at the grocery store and then end up regretting it when I buy two slices of pizza on my walk home for three days in a row because I’ve already gone through all my food for the week. Better to spend the money upfront on healthy food and things that I actually want to eat. And I enjoy cooking, so there’s no reason not to do this.
In keeping with the whole idea of the Happiness Project, this month will be the start of integrating these practices into my life, with the goal of continuing them long after December because they’ll have become habitual. So, for December, I’ll focus on my physical health and continue to work on entering through beauty.
And, because I might as well throw another theme into the mix for this month, I’m going to challenge myself to tentatively plan another international trip. Only once I’ve mapped it out will I know whether it’s possible, so I won’t say that I necessarily need to actually book the trip… But I sure hope I do. 🙂
Unpacking Happiness 