The Habits of Happy People, Part Two.

I got inspired by this article about how happy people do what they do and I loved it so much I had to dissect it and turn it into a mini-blog series. I don't do all of these all of the time, but now that I'm aware of them I'm going to make a better effort to bring my A-game in the happy department.

Don't Sweat the Small Stuff:

This one can be a little tough for me. My OCD tendencies get me all stressed out about trivial details in a project ("This bow just won't lay straight!!" and I'll re-tie the damned thing 4 or 5 times.) and I will generally ignore little irritations for the greater good. But every once in awhile they pile up and I flip out. Then I feel better for getting it off my chest and start over, letting the little things start a new pile. I don't think this behavior qualifies as 'healthy' so I'm going to have to file this one under "things to work on".

Speak Well of Others:

I can write about this one for days. In fact, I probably will at some point. I don't often join in on shit-talking someone else, unless they intentionally did me dirty. But I make it a point to only say about people what I wouldn't mind them overhearing. This line of code in my list of morals didn't come easy and I had to learn it the hard way, but I'm certainly glad I did. It doesn't seem to be something that comes easily to women.

Never Make Excuses:

Never. Just don't do it. You look like an asshole. Put your grown up pants on and take some responsibility. If it was an honest mistake, fess up and apologize. You'd be amazed how far a genuine, "I'm sorry" will get you. If it wasn't a mistake, well then you're just an asshole.

Get Absorbed Into the Present:

Yea, I don't think I do this? I don't dwell on the past much. It happened and I wouldn't change any of it. And I wouldn't say I worry about the future. I get excited about it. But I can't really think of what I do to savor the present. You could say I get absorbed in it, but a better word would be overwhelmed. I put so much on my plate I usually can't get to it all without stressing out about deadlines. Hmm...I'll have to work on this one, too.

Wake Up at the Same Time Every Morning:

Okay, I confess, my kid gets all the credit for this one. She wakes up at the same time every morning and comes and wakes me up. If I had it my way I'd get up at 9 every morning, but she wakes me up at 8:20. Last night I went to bed at 11:30pm and got up at 7:15am perfectly rested. I even got to hear her waking up and watch her trot into my room looking for me. She's so cute in the morning all sleepy-faced with bedhead and I don't want to miss out on that anymore. I think I'll set 11:30 as my new bedtime, as opposed to 2-4am like it's been for years. That's an easy enough goal to set to wield big changes, methinks.


Well, I guess 3 out of 5 isn't too bad. Identifying weaknesses is the best way to build strengths, right? I hope y'all are getting as much out of this as I am. If not, then that's your loss, sourpuss.



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