I guess, at the beginning.
With one small step, a year by the books begins. I contemplated lofty goals with including tallying numbers of books read, reading only classics, and manically tracking genres. But, I decided to let the process be more natural and organic. I am delighted to see how one book will lead to the next. . . how reading informs more reading, more thinking, more learning.
This past month I reread Gretchen Rubin's The Happiness Projectand read and reread Happier at Home. Rubin's work has informed my thinking about happiness and how to be happier at home in very practical, manageable ways. For instance, she recommends keeping a one sentence journal. . . a very non-threatening way to start to track the seasons of your life in a distilled form. For my birthday, my son gave me a one sentence journal with room enough for FIVE YEARS. I have started, and not only is it a completely manageable thing to complete daily, it is fun and will become an wonderful keepsake.
Both books include making resolutions regarding how you can be specifically happier in your life. The resolution that is most difficult, but most fundamental, is to truly be yourself. Be Jennifer. Part of being me is the need for reading, thinking, and growing. I'm delighted to have created this space to do just that.
Resolutions inspired by The Happiness Project and Happier at Home
Read daily.
Say yes. SAY IT. JUST SAY IT.
Act the way I want to feel.
Limit paper touches.
Go shelf by shelf.
Do tasks when they naturally occur.
If something takes less than a minute, do it without delay.
Return correspondence in a timely manner.
Just keep the laundry going and stop avoiding it.
Get it out of your head and onto the paper.
Procrastination leads to anxiety. ACT.
Do what ought to be done.
