My Very Own Happiness Project

Last night I fell asleep smiling. This doesn't happen all the time. Don't get me wrong - I am not an unhappy person. I just don't always feel happy. Most of the time I think I am too busy thinking about what I have to do next: chores to be done, lists on items to check off, appointments to keep, things to buy, do, see, eat, make etc etc. It is overwhelming, and I think that sometimes all of these things get in the way of people realizing how happy they are. I believe that is the way it is for me.

A few years ago, while on a work trip away from home, I listened to a CBC radio show where they interviewed Gretchen Rubin, the author of The Happiness Project. Gretchen talked about how she made a point to put in the time and effort into doing the things that made her happy and how it actually made her feel happier overall. I have been meaning to read the book ever since hearing the broadcast, but as with many other things, life caught up with me and this too was forgotten.


The end of an old year is often a time to reflect on the past and look to the future. We tend to view the New Year as a time of renewal and change and we often make grand plans to make our lives better. Although any day could be the day you decide to change, for some reason the turn of the year has us all thinking about what we can do to make our lives better moving forward.

Last night as the clock counted down the last hours of 2013 I too was caught up thinking about my life - reflecting on the past and looking toward the future and how I want my life to be. This year instead of my typical half-hearted resolution to eat better and exercise more I decided that I should try something different. I remembered hearing about The Happiness Project and I wondered if there were things that I could do to make myself happier overall - to feel content with myself and my life as it is; to stop and reflect on my life and to do things (even small things) or make changes (to my lifestyle, thought process etc.) that would help me to realize how happy I already am and would help make me feel happier overall. I figured I could document my 'journey' through 2014 on a blog - a place where I (and others?) could follow my path and look back at this happiness experiment to see what worked (and didn't work) and how my life and feelings have evolved over time.

And so, with this in mind, as I lay in bed after the clock struck midnight and 2014 officially began, I started making a mental list of things that made me happy. The list contained things I was thankful for, things that I liked to do, things that made me smile to think about - from the simple things to the more complex. Before long, as I was laying in bed with my eyes closed thinking of all these things that made me feel good I realized I was smiling.

My list went something like this:

• My loving and healthy family
• Hugs and kisses from my husband
• Smiles and giggles from my son
• My cat and dog
• Our cozy house
• My friends
• Hiking, camping, canoeing
• Playing soccer and other sports
• Baking
• Singing
• Acting/being in a play
• Traveling
• Adventures
• Reading a good book
• Snuggling under a warm blanket on a cold day
• Laying in front of a warm fire
• Watching stars on a dark night
• Remembering past trips/adventures
• Photography
• Writing
• Crafts and sewing
• Getting a massage/being pampered
• Feeling like I have accomplished something 
• Dancing
• Yoga
• Playing games

This is by no means an exhaustive list, and it doesn't even reflect all of the things I thought of last night, but as I write them down now and think of each one I do have a smile on my face.

So, for me, the start of my very own happiness project is this reflection on the things that I have that make me happy and some thought of the things I enjoy doing so that I can make a point of doing these things more each day. My starting point will be to try and take the time and enjoy my happy moments as they happen each day and before bed think of these things as I close my eyes and drift off the sleep. Who wouldn't want to go to bed smiling every night?