Yesterday, I dumped out everything from my gratitude jar, organized it by date, and read it all. Every slip of paper, every note jotted on a ticket stub, every list written on the back of a calendar page.
Mixed in with the lists of what I felt grateful for every day were other things: affirmations, like this list below taken from the blog namastephanie (which you should read, ’cause that woman shares real wisdom); fortunes from cookies and Yogi tea bags; and even a letter I wrote to myself. 
I wrote the letter to myself on October 3 knowing that I would read it at the end of the year. And I wrote it to thank myself in advance for doing exactly what I have done since then–I’ve given myself a break and a chance to catch my breath, and have taken a detour from the traditional path to success.
I’m a big believer in writing letters to yourself when you need inspiration or reassurance. Most often, you know better than anyone what you need to hear. And you are allowed to give yourself that reassurance. When you’re in the right frame of mind, write down your thoughts to read later, when the inspiration you need might not come to you as easily.
Here’s an excerpt from the letter I wrote to myself:
“Dear Future Self,
I’m writing this letter of gratitude to thank you for changing your life, and to reassure you that you made the right decision. Trust the timing of your life. Know that you deserve to be happy.
…Stay excited for your life. Let yourself be young. Mistakes are okay. Stumbling is okay. Learning is okay.
Go on another road trip. Visit another country. Go for a hike. This is the time. Don’t delay. Don’t hesitate. Take whatever criticism may come, embrace any uncertainty, and just let yourself be happy. Let yourself be home. Let yourself breathe.” 
Since I wrote that letter, I’ve done many of those things. And I want to keep doing more. I can’t wait to fill my 2016 gratitude jar with stories of new countries visited, adventures taken, and plenty of relaxation, hikes, and binge watching shows on Netflix.
As for my Happiness Project: it continues to improve the quality of my life. The very act of deciding to prioritize something makes me value it more. My enter through beauty project, which I began in November in an effort to improve my apartment one small project as a time, has been a major success this month–more than it was in the first month! I’ll keep going with that, as there’s a lot to do.
December’s focus was on my physical health, and I have been so much better about shopping for good food, drinking water, and fitting in exercise wherever I can. I have a long way to go, because I want to get to the point where I exercise consistently and do more strenuous workouts, but I managed to take tons of long walks outside whenever I had free time,and I’m satisfied with that.
Next month’s project? Date myself. I spend a lot of time with people I love (and oh my god, do I ever love that. That won’t be changing). I realize that the person I’m not spending quality time with is me. I spend time by myself, but I’m not very intentional about it. In January, I’ll plan things for myself the way I would plan things for anyone else I love: I’ll go to new places, eat good food, and put as much energy into making those experiences fun as I would for a partner. This year, I learned so much about loving and unconditionally accepting myself; it’s time to really put that into practice.
2016, I can’t wait to meet you. 🙂
Unpacking Happiness 