Yesterday I went out and bought a bunch of notebooks so that I can start this project on Friday. What an appropriate feeling day to start this on. :)
I've put together an outline of how I want the journal to go. I've created a mock-up in my Google Sheets. However, I don't know how to link that here, so I guess I'll do a quick version. Basically it goes like this:
Front of book lists all of the goals/action steps I listed in the previous post- that way I can refer to them throughout
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Month page:
May
"inspirational quote"
Events happening this month:
Goals for the month:
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Daily page:
Date:
Overall mood:
Water intake: am/pm and other
Diet: list poor- excellent and any other info
Stretch?
Movement?
How did I connect with nature?
Daily Gratitude:
Self Gratitude:
What made me laugh?
Spiritual practice:
Mindful moment:
About my day:
Favorite part:
Least favorite part:
Actions I can take:
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Week in Review:
Overall mood:
Did I meet last week's goals?
What did I learn?
How did I move?
How was I creative?
Accomplishments:
Needs work:
Goals for next week:
Additional Thoughts:
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Month in Review:
Overall mood:
Did I meet last month's goals?
Who did I write?
Financial status:
Accomplishments:
Needs work:
Goals for next month:
Additional Thoughts:
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So there it is. I figure I will adjust it as necessary. I'll be going day to day, so if I decide I need to alter it, it won't be a big issue to adapt. One thing I would kind of like to do is have a specific focus for each month. I'm not sure quite how I want to go about that yet though. I figure I'll start this month with my focus on gratitude, and go from there. See how the whole thing goes. Maybe I'll come up with something, or maybe I'll decide that this works for now. However, since it's a happiness thing, I figure I need to be mindful about how I go about it. I'll try and think of focuses, and then maybe I can adapt some of the areas to reflect those more on the pages.
Previously I identified the areas I want to work on, and what I (think I) want in each category. Now I need to break those down and find out the "how". I then need to put together a game plan, and this needs to be done by May 1st so that I can implement it on (or before) Beltane.
I first went and identified what spanned more than one category. Those are: Garden (nature, physical); Go outside (nature, physical); Journal (intellectual, spiritual); Embrace inner child (spiritual, self); Be in nature (nature, spiritual); Unplug (intellectual, spiritual); and Practice gratitude (self, social). I haven't done anything with those other than note them at this point.
So, what ways can I get these things into my life? Here is where I will put down ideas to do that. Afterwards, I will see how I can incorporate them into goals for the year.
Nature Happiness: have more experiences, get outside every day, touch nature every day, garden, follow my interests, learn about plants
1. Go on more hikes, and go camping - have experiences, get outside, touch nature
2. Find new places to do #1 and revisit favorites- experiences, outside, touch nature
3. Check in on my plant starts and my house plants. Talk to them. - touch nature, garden
4. Forage / wild-craft- get outside, touch nature, follow interests, learn about plants
5. Study plants and herbs. Keep a journal of their growing conditions, medical and spiritual uses, how to harvest. - follow interests, learn about plants
6. Admire something in nature: a pretty plant, the sunrise/set, water, moon / star gaze, etc.. - touch nature, have experience
7. Ground/physically touch nature: put bare feet in the grass or sand, feel the sun on my skin, stand in the rain. - have experiences, touch nature
8. Learn the different birds and their bird call/songs- learn, follow interests
9. Craft with natural materials. Gather and create something fleeting or longer lasting- get outside, follow interests.
Social Happiness: listen more, write letters, laugh more, practice gratitude, connect w/ people, embrace solitude, charity/volunteer
1. Write letters to friends, especially afar but those close as well. Get addresses and put them somewhere they won't get lost. Write a letter once month- connect
2. Message people on Facebook or text. Reopen dialogue with those I'd like to continue to have contact with. - connect
3. Find a place to potentially volunteer- connect, volunteer
4. Remember that this is an experiment, and I am a solitary person so I need to allow myself to withdraw and recharge as needed. But let people know so they don't feel abandoned. - embrace solitude, connect
5. Practice active listening. Don't worry about telling my stories, listen to theirs fully. Tell my stories another time- listen more, connect, laugh more
6. Find what I like / appreciate/ admire about the people I am around. Write it down, just acknowledge it in my head, or better yet tell them. - practice gratitude
Financial/ Vocational Happiness: be recognized for my work, pay off my debt, get my own place, learn new job skills that will help with promotion/ better job, feel self-sufficient, appreciate what I have
1. Stop frivolous spending. Make sure I need what I am buying. Allow one or two days before purchases to make sure it's not impulsive. - pay off debt
2. Continue to work with my Google sheet to keep track of spending and to see where I may need to make changes- pay off debt, feel self-sufficient
3. Speak up at work if I feel invisible. Talk with bosses. - be recognized at work
4. Focus on the positive aspects about my job when I find myself dwelling on the negative. Go to work with a positive attitude.- appreciate what I have, be recognized
5. Don't partake in gossip at work. - appreciate, be recognized
6. Look into schooling for my interests and/or job skills like Excel- learn new job skills, be recognized, feel self-sufficient
7. Continue to add to savings account, don't use it unless absolutely necessary. - pay off debt, get my own place
Physical Happiness: lose weight, eat healthier, drink water, be active, go places, stretch
1. Go for walks during the day, after dinner, or on lunch breaks- get active, lose weight
2. Listen to an audio book and get on the treadmill- get active, lose weight
3. Start each morning with a glass of water, preferably with lemon. Cut a lemon into small wedges in the start of the week, squeeze each into a glass of water to drink first thing - drink more water
4. Keep my water bottle with me all the time - drink more water
5. Drink glass of water before going to bed- drink more water
6. Find and make easy, healthier snacks- eat healthier, lose weight
7. Try to incorporate fruit/veggies with every meal- eat healthier, lose weight
8. Go for hikes- get active, go places, lose weight
9. Stretch every day, even if it's in bed, while making coffee, touch toes before bed- stretch
10. See about space in the garage to lay out a yoga mat for yoga- get active, stretch
11. Don't eat after 8pm- lose weight
Intellectual Happiness: learn/be curious, follow interests, be creative, unplug, read more esp. non-fiction, journal
1. Wild-craft/forage. Read the books, websites, and groups. Go out and just do it. Practice. - learn/be curious, follow interests
2. Create beauty and health products with herbs and flowers. Order them if needed, and create bath products as well as salves and tinctures, etc.. for medical health..- follow interests, read non-fiction, learn, be creative
3. Find a time of the day to set aside to completely unplug from computer, phone, television- unplug
4. Use audio-books while walking, cleaning, outside - read more
5. Learn wire wrapping and knitting- learn/ be curious, follow interests, be creative
6. Fit journalling of some kind (personal, happiness journal, spiritual, knowledge based) into the week as often as possible.- journal, be creative
7. Look up questions I have, no matter how silly, and find out the answers. Go even further and read other topics about it that might show up on Google- learn/be curious
Spiritual Happiness: embrace inner child, learn, be in nature, unplug, be in the moment/mindful, journal, use intent
1. Play more. Go splash in puddles, play hide and seek, climb trees- embrace inner child
2. Be outside in natural settings. Go for walks/hikes in woods or along the beach. Go foraging. Do gardening- be in nature, be in the moment, unplug
3. Get off of the computer and do something magical- unplug, be in the moment
4. Slow down and do things more mindfully- be in the moment
5. Use small "mundane" tasks in a mindful, spiritual way. Wash negativity off hands, down drain in shower. Put intentions in while making food. Prepare food especially for specific intentions. Repeat affirmations while preparing coffee. Drink water with intent to flush negativity out of body. - be mindful, use intent
6. Find a topic and learn about it. Journal findings. Moon phases/meanings, herb uses, stones/crystals, tarot cards, runes, deities,- learn, journal
7. Craft items with specific magical uses or intentions- learn, be mindful, use intent
8. Keep in tune with the phases of the moon and with holidays. Do something, regardless of how small, to acknowledge and celebrate- be mindful
9. Learn the cycles of plants, the birds and their songs, identify plants- learn, be in nature
Self Happiness: better self worth/image, stay positive among the negative, embrace inner child, find my passion, practice gratitude, laugh more, be self-sufficient, have patience
1. Squash negative self talk and replace it with positive. - better self worth/image, stay positive
2. Find and acknowledge things about myself that I like. Find both physical and personality traits. Write them down and refer to as needed.- better self worth/image
3. Slow down and allow things to happen. Do not force or rush. - patience
4. Watch more comedy on purpose. Find videos on YouTube or other venues. Share or save them. - laugh more
5. Find and write down or mentally acknowledge things I am grateful for every day.- practice gratitude
6. Learn how to make my own soap, beauty products, medicinals with herbs/plants, foraging, etc... - be self-sufficient, find passion
7. Embrace my dark side and allow myself to feel emotions, but don't let them rule. - stay positive, embrace inner child
8. Pursue topics that interest me. Learn and practice. - find my passion
9. Don't allow set backs or failures to slow me down or give up. Find the lesson in the experience and try again.- stay positive, have patience
10. Sing and dance like I don't care who's watching- embrace inner child
11. Blow bubbles, make wishes on dandelions, find shapes in the clouds, spin around and around and around until I fall down, etc.. - embrace inner child
Well, I've got my work cut out for me now. My end list might not look like any of these things had anything to do with it, or that this exercise was completely unnecessary, but I think it is helpful to really break everything down and look at it from all angles. This was a start, for sure. Next I'll come up with my to-do list. But, later. I'm tired now. I'm going to embrace that inner child- and take a nap. :)
I sat down with pen and paper, and wrote down everything that I could think of that would make me a happier person. Some of those aren't activities that I particularly enjoy doing, but I think that accomplishing them would have the desired end result. Not all happiness is fun....
I may be taking this much farther than is sane, but it's giving me something to do during the shelter-in-place, and it's helping me really delve inside and look at myself. As I did some research, I discovered different categories of happiness. I felt that it would be helpful to break these actions down by category, to give myself a better feel for my desires, and maybe see if there were areas that were more prominent than others. In no specific order, the seven categories I came up with are:
1. Nature
2. Social
3. Financial/Vocational
4. Physical
5. Intellectual
6. Spiritual
7. Self
I took all the things I had written down and divided them into the categories. Many of them fit into more than one. Some of the items listed seemed to be a little repetitive, but I left them, since there is a degree of difference in them. I discovered that all of these categories were pretty even as far as how many items were in them. No one category particularly stood out from the others. Seeing how some of the items overlapped was interesting. Here is how they broke down:
1. Nature Happiness
- Go outside every day
- Gather experiences
- Touch Nature every day
- Garden
- Follow my interests (wild-crafting, foraging, gardening, herbalism, etc..)
- Learn plants- identifying, cultivating, harvesting, uses, etc....
2. Social Happiness
- Listen more
- Write physical letters/cards, etc
- Laugh more
- Practice gratitude
- Connect with people
- Embrace my solitude
- Look into volunteering options
3. Financial / Vocational Happiness
- Be recognized for my work
- Pay off my debt
- Get my own place
- Buy my own place
- Learn Office (?)
- Be self-sufficient
- Look into schooling
4. Physical Happiness
- Lose weight
- Eat healthier
- Drink more water
- Be active
- Go places
- Garden
- Be outside
- Sing & Dance
5. Intellectual Happiness
- Always learn/ be curious
- Follow my interests
- Be creative
- Unplug
- Read
- Journal
6. Spiritual Happiness
- Embrace my inner child
- Learn more about spiritual stuff
- Be in Nature
- Unplug
- Be in the moment
- Journal
7. Self Happiness
- Have better self-image/worth
- Stay positive while embracing the shadow
- Embrace inner child
- Find my passion
- Practice gratitude
- Laugh more
- Be self-sufficient
I'm sure there will be more to add later. However, this is my starting point. My goal now is to break each category down even further by analyzing each item and brainstorming ways to incorporate or work toward each item. The items that cross categories I will pay attention to, since those are the actions that will have results in multiple areas. Then I will be able to prioritize and come up with an action plan.
The other day I was talking with a friend, and I mentioned needing to download an audio book so that I'd have motivation to get onto the treadmill more often. So, this morning I did just that. The book I wound up downloading is called "The Happiness Project" by Gretchen Rubin.
April 17th update:
Upon further reflection, I'm wondering if I should take a different approach to the "one a month" idea. Since so many of my needs overlap each other, I feel I need to take a different route. Things like "get outside every day" and "no frivolous spending" are things I can easily do now, every day. Especially since the weather is warming up. So, my idea now is to have those things done every day. Then, adding in (at least) one more every day, with the goal to have done all of them at least once during the week. I do feel like I'm going to have to sit down and really decide what constitutes "frivolous spending" and what doesn't. Especially when looking at making sure I add some creative time in there, since that might require spending some money. Maybe just only buying what I need, and only for a specific project. Then, DO that project before more spending?
This whole happiness project is going to require its own journal entry (hand-written, which will allow me to slow down and process a little more, as well as add scribbled note and allow for my chaotic thinking patterns). I am a little excited about the whole process though. If nothing else, it will give me a little structure to my chaos.
I'm so bored.
I 