I love Gretchen Rubin author of the Happiness-Project.com shares a story of waking up to the reality that she wasn’t happy. She had it all but felt like she was in danger of wasting her life. Sound familiar?
So she decided to challenge herself:
I’ll have a happiness project! I vowed. I saw it in a flash. I’d study the wisdom of the ages, the current scientific research, and the lessons from popular culture. I’d finally take the time to do the things I’d always promised myself I’d do someday – clean my closets, read more, stop rushing my daughters in the morning. I’d been waiting until I had some free time, but face it, I was never going to have any free time. Now is the time for my happiness project, I decided.
In the article, she discovered that by giving little examples of love to her family (holding her nagging tongue, unexpected hugs, etc.) she began to reap the benefits and even get back little proofs of love from them as well. But the key message of her project that stuck with me was her decision – wait – let’s emphasize that – her DECISION – to make a few changes in her life so that she could achieve some of what she felt was missing. Although I do not commonly use the word “happiness” since you know how I feel about the words happy, balanced and perfect, I was interested to see what Gretchen would discover from her project:
What did I discover from my happiness project? It worked! I really did make myself happier by adding small, easy changes to my everyday routine. I was able to change my life without changing my life – no extra time, energy or money required.
I heard a quote not long ago that says it all:
“Life is like a diaper. If it stinks…change it.”
Life is like a diaper. If it stinks….change it.
What mother can relate to that? Crude but to the point.
So if you were going to live your life on purpose – what is one thing that you have been wanting to finish, to change or to do? Here’s one – I would love to discover what is in my kitchen junk drawer. I have a feeling I’ll find a spare car key that I’ve been looking for for months but who has the time to go through the junk drawer? No one. It is filled with junk and yet…it might hold treasures. So I am making the decision to stand up from the keyboard RIGHT THIS MINUTE and empty the junk drawer onto the kitchen table and sift through, throw away and discover!
What will you do?
