April Happiness

Howdy, and welcome to my little piece of blog-land.  I have gotten my April Happiness goals written.  And I want to share them with you {smile}.   For those of you, who don't know me personally, I am over 50.  And a fair amount of my mental attention is focused on budget, savings, retirement, and increasing my own personal quality of life.  That is how this monthly happiness challenge has started.  I wanted something more concrete to work on weekly/monthly, to increase my happiness, or at least give me a happiness focus.   Because let's face it, life gets busy, and hectic, and sometimes I (we) can loose focus on 'our' own big picture.  So I wanted something to help me stay on track to happiness.   I don't want to simply live, but to enjoy life.  And we all have financial barriers that we all must face.  

I print these little happiness goals/task charts, and put them in my planner for each month.  That way they are at my finger tips, and I look at them daily.  To be honest, some 'challenge' activities are done our of order.  So, please use this as a guideline, and not a to do list.  Change the ones that don't 'work' for you.  Make it something you can do.  If you don't donate blood, donate your time - read to a child, help a neighbor, or chaperone at your child's class, etc.   I also made my 'work' challenge (bring a treat to a meeting) very generic.  Your 'meeting' could be T-ball practice, or a sewing circle, or an afternoon lunch with friends, it is pretty open to interpretation.  That's the point.  Make it work for your life.   I also wanted to include opportunities to work on personal goals/tasks.  We all have them! Cleaning out the closets, organizing work/hobby space, getting a budget written down on paper, signing up for a retirement plan, etc.    Taking steps to getting us (me and you) to our own finish lines, feels good.  We feel accomplished, successful, and our stress about 'those' things decreases, allowing us to accept happiness.  I want and need more happiness in my life.  I don't want to live with negativity anymore.  I also start each week, writing down what I am Thankful for, from the previous week.  This allows me to reflect, and start a week with gratitude in my heart, and in turn allowing joy a place to reside.  {smile}  Have a great day, week, and a happier month!

February Happiness

Hello.  I wanted to write a quick post.  I am still working on my 'happiness' challenge for myself, as one of my new year's resolutions.  In today's world, it is extremely easy to get mad, upset, and stay negative.  Well, I don't want to spend anymore time, energy, or health being negative.  So, I am looking for ways to remind myself to be happy! To stay positive.  To be grateful.  To count my blessings.  

I also started a planner, this year, to help me stay organized.  And Sundays are the start of each week in my planner, so on Sundays I write 3 things that I am thankful/grateful for, from the previous week.  I figure, why not start the week, acknowleging my blessings. {smile}

So, to keep me on track for the week, I give myself a challenge each week, to pass along the happiness, and stay focused.

  

And here is my February Happiness challenge:

Some of these require work, effort, and consciousness.  But, I think that is part of it.  We have to actively be happy, to stay happy.  To make an effort to change  the way we see our lives, our world, our neighbors, and our friends.  To actively choose to be happy, to smile, to find the good.  So, the last week of each month, I will create my own happiness challenge.  You are welcome to join, to participate, to create your own, to just be happy! 

Have a great day!  And help make our world a little happier! {smile}  Me, I'll be smiling, crafting, baking, sewing, and challenging myself to happiness!