little steps toward happiness

I’m a resolution maker—and not just every January. Usually about once a month I’ll sit down and review my resolutions for the month ahead. Oftentimes my list for self-improvement includes health resolutions, fitness goals, spiritual practices and ways I can challenge myself.

For the longest time “take the GRE and apply to grad schools” was on my list, and in December I finally crossed that off. It’s funny how the things we deem most significant to ourselves are sometimes the hardest to accomplish.

Is it fear of failure that makes us anxious when it comes to pursuing our dreams?

I recently read “if you’re not failing, you’re not trying hard enough.” I think I’d heard that before, but the statement really rang true the last time I saw it. It brought me clarity of mind and peace of spirit in thinking about receiving letters back from the institutions to which I applied.

And a running item that’s been on the list since I moved to Oak Park has been “join a church.” I’ve looked around quite a bit, but I’ve been such a “maximizer” about this decision, I haven’t brought myself to buckle down and join one. I keep telling people it’s because I just haven’t found the right place yet. (And that’s true: no church has met all my requirements.) But I think another reason I haven't yet joined a new church is because I’m scared to commit.

Also on my list this year is to write more. It’s something I love to do yet sometimes I have a hard time bringing myself to just sit down and do it. Writing isn’t that hard, but sometimes it takes a lot of work.

One thing that I hope is going to motivate me to really stick to my resolutions this year is Gretchen Rubin’s “Happiness Project” for 2010. She is challenging her readers to participate in their own Happiness projects for 2010, and to keep participants accountable, there is an online petition that they can sign.

I absolutely love Gretchen’s blog, and I recently purchased and began reading her new book (that also shares the same title). Gretchen’s own happiness project, which she describes in her book, came about when she was sitting on a city bus and realized . . .

The days are long, but the years are short.

So why not seek out and embrace happiness, rather than getting caught up in the little things in life that tend to drag us down? This is what Gretchen did.

It's been a joy to follow her journey, and I’ve already started my own. With a friend, I am reading a chapter of The Happiness Project as it corresponds to each month in the year and trying to apply the resolutions and tidbits of wisdom to my own life, all the while also being mindful of my personal goals and resolutions for the year.

I think it’s going to be really great.

Interested in joining in? Visit www.happiness-project.com to learn more.