Welcome to Little Happy

Little Happy was inspired by a blog post I wrote for Karen Burns over at Working Girl, which was inspired by Gretchen Rubin’s The Happiness Project. I’ve been reading THP for a while and thought I’d like to do something similar to document my own happy moments.

The idea for this blog has been on my mind for a while, but it wasn’t until recently that I decided to get serious about it. You see, about every two years or so I get on a self-help kick. I’ll re-read my 7 Habits book, check out a few embarrassing titles from the library and write down all my notes and thoughts in a notebook. After a month or two, when I’m feeling much better about myself, I put my notes and books back on the shelf to gather a nice layer of dust.

This weekend I serendipitously grabbed an old familiar blue spiral bound notebook from the top of my desk and opened it up, flipping through pages of notes filled with words like “visualization”, “affirmation”, and “embedded habits.” Finally, I came across a page titled 101 Goals. For the life of me, I can’t remember which book this exercise is from, but it looks like I didn’t quite get to 101. Here’s the list in the exact order I wrote it:

learn how to tap dance
master salsa
write a short story
publish stories or articles
get the perfect apartment
fix up my Jeep
make an appointment with Bastyr University clinic
upgrade my television
make my blog prettier
create greeting cards
paint furniture
get a personal shopper
lose 15 pounds
travel abroad
visit my friends all over the US
run a 5k
make more friends
learn how to knit
get a pet
visit relatives
get involved in the art scene
visit the San Juans
go back to Hawaii
learn how to kayak
play organized sports
belong to some kind of women’s support group
volunteer at farm sanctuary
walk for the cure
learn how to sew
make meditation and yoga a daily thing
tutor youth
get paid for creating stuff – homemade cards, clothes, food
go to every theatre in Seattle
stay at the fancy hotels in Seattle
eat at the all the best restaurants in Seattle
learn how bake vegan goods
take surfing lessons
become an excellent public speaker
get a makeover for my hair and makeup
buy a coach or dooney burke bag
meet the man of my dreams
be financially independent and wealthy
be able to work for myself
decorate my apartment like a grownup
have dinner parties for my friends at my place
read a lot of books
watch less tv
go back to school
learn graphic design
learn French/Spanish/German
tune up my bike and ride it as much as i can

I can’t tell you how psyched I was to find this list; I was just about to do a similar exercise of my own. Rather than list specific goals, I was going to list things (within my own control) that make me happy. I'd say accomplishing goals is one of those things.

What does this list tell me, two years later?

1. My goals haven't changed very much over the years.

2. I have been somewhat successful in reaching my goals without even trying.

3. My life is pretty good.

I think this blog is off to a good start and I’m confident that, unlike my trusty blue notebook, it won’t be another two years until I pay attention to it again.