The 30-Day Happiness Project
In the article Finding Joy: Tips for Creating Your Own 30-Day Happiness Project by Shelley Seale the ability to create one’s own happiness is discussed. Seale embarked on her own 30-day happiness project by keeping track of the events or objects that made her happy throughout her day. At the end of her 30 days, Seale analyzed her entries and was able to conclude that happiness is a choice. It’s not something mystical or magical that happens to us by luck, and our internal level of happiness should not depend on external circumstances. A person can choose to be happy or not in every moment, and no one can make a person happy but himself.
During Seale’s 30-Day Happiness Project, she found that there were some practices that were more profound and effective than others. First of all, Seale found it important that people should want what they have, rather than wanting what they cannot have. Happiness has less to do with a person’s circumstances, than how a person perceives them and how satisfied they are with what they have. A person’s feelings of contentment are strongly influenced by society’s tendency to compare what we have to what others have. Therefore a person is better able to create their own happiness as compared to those who want what they cannot have.
Seale also discovered that it is important to make a list of happiness. These things include places, things and activities that allow you to create happiness. It might be music, traveling, time spent with a loved one, a hobby, working out, or even shopping, and by incorporating as many of these into a person’s daily life as possible, they will be better able to create happiness. Along with making a list of happy things, it is important make a list of characteristics about oneself that makes them happy. People rarely think about what they like about themselves, and instead, our self-dialogue tends to be very critical. If more people write down all the things you really love about themselves, they will better be able to create their own happiness.
From her 30-Day Happiness Project, Seale also learned that in order to create one’s own happiness, a person must learn to accept the past and move on from it. Seale learned that dwelling in the past will never change it, dwelling only keeps you stuck in a bad emotional state. Sometimes dwelling on the last means that a person must deal with conflict or anger, and it is important to remember that when conflicts with others arise, a person’s outlook may become narrow until they are focused only on the problem. This leads to self-absorption that can not only make the problem seem much more intense, but limits the person’s ability to see the other person’s viewpoint or have compassion toward their suffering. By having a cooling-off period and better dealing with one’s emotions, a person will be able to create their own happiness with much more ease.
Those who want to successfully create their own happiness must know that it is important to carefully choose the people and activities you spend your time with. People must make enough time for those which really matter to them. It is also important to remember to approach others with happiness as you would like others to approach you. Often we expect the other person to respond to us first in a positive manner, whether that is brief exchanges with strangers or in our most intimate relationships. But by being open, positive and empathetic first, you are setting the stage for a more meaningful, happier encounter. The importance of treating others the way you would like to be treated cannot be stressed enough.The people who one chooses to be around should make them a kind and better person and allow them to truly create happiness.
Finally, Seale realized the importance of keeping a gratitude journal. She realized that jotting down the things we are thankful for can help a person appreciate what they have in life, and keep their difficulties in perspective. Overall, Seale found the 30-Day Happiness Project to be an eye-opener as to how easy it is for a person to create their own happiness rather than pursuing it. All it takes is a slight change in a person’s thought process in order to make their lives much happier.
During Seale’s 30-Day Happiness Project, she found that there were some practices that were more profound and effective than others. First of all, Seale found it important that people should want what they have, rather than wanting what they cannot have. Happiness has less to do with a person’s circumstances, than how a person perceives them and how satisfied they are with what they have. A person’s feelings of contentment are strongly influenced by society’s tendency to compare what we have to what others have. Therefore a person is better able to create their own happiness as compared to those who want what they cannot have.
Seale also discovered that it is important to make a list of happiness. These things include places, things and activities that allow you to create happiness. It might be music, traveling, time spent with a loved one, a hobby, working out, or even shopping, and by incorporating as many of these into a person’s daily life as possible, they will be better able to create happiness. Along with making a list of happy things, it is important make a list of characteristics about oneself that makes them happy. People rarely think about what they like about themselves, and instead, our self-dialogue tends to be very critical. If more people write down all the things you really love about themselves, they will better be able to create their own happiness.
From her 30-Day Happiness Project, Seale also learned that in order to create one’s own happiness, a person must learn to accept the past and move on from it. Seale learned that dwelling in the past will never change it, dwelling only keeps you stuck in a bad emotional state. Sometimes dwelling on the last means that a person must deal with conflict or anger, and it is important to remember that when conflicts with others arise, a person’s outlook may become narrow until they are focused only on the problem. This leads to self-absorption that can not only make the problem seem much more intense, but limits the person’s ability to see the other person’s viewpoint or have compassion toward their suffering. By having a cooling-off period and better dealing with one’s emotions, a person will be able to create their own happiness with much more ease.
Those who want to successfully create their own happiness must know that it is important to carefully choose the people and activities you spend your time with. People must make enough time for those which really matter to them. It is also important to remember to approach others with happiness as you would like others to approach you. Often we expect the other person to respond to us first in a positive manner, whether that is brief exchanges with strangers or in our most intimate relationships. But by being open, positive and empathetic first, you are setting the stage for a more meaningful, happier encounter. The importance of treating others the way you would like to be treated cannot be stressed enough.The people who one chooses to be around should make them a kind and better person and allow them to truly create happiness.
Finally, Seale realized the importance of keeping a gratitude journal. She realized that jotting down the things we are thankful for can help a person appreciate what they have in life, and keep their difficulties in perspective. Overall, Seale found the 30-Day Happiness Project to be an eye-opener as to how easy it is for a person to create their own happiness rather than pursuing it. All it takes is a slight change in a person’s thought process in order to make their lives much happier.