Monday, January 13, 2014

The Happiness Project: January

Hello friends!  How is 2014 shaping up so far??

I have been trying to get back into the swing of things here in Singapore.  January is my busiest time of year at work, so that isn't the most exciting, but hopefully it will go by quickly and painlessly!  Fingers crossed, though I'm not sure how much good that will do...

I recently started reading The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin at the recommendation of a friend.  It's a good time to start it because the book chronicles a calendar year of happiness efforts.  (I love reading about happiness.. one of my favorite books ever is The Geography of Bliss.. I highly recommend it!!  It really got me way more interested in living outside the US and learning more about everyday life, rather than the history of other cultures.)  So far, some of the book is a bit hokey, but some of it resonates with me quite well.  And hey - who doesn't want to be happier?

The month of January is focused on energy - both physical and mental.  It's pretty intuitive, but the book mentions that when we lack energy, whether physical or mental, it makes things tough.  I've probably mentioned this before, but I seem to get run down much more often in Singapore than I did in the US.  I also feel like I have a much higher stress level than I did in the US.  I've been trying to troubleshoot these problems for a while, but I figured it would be good to put pen to paper, so to speak, to try and focus on some concrete steps to have more energy.  Here are the things I'm trying to be mindful of this month:

1.  Go to bed on time
2.  Get out of bed on time (I am a chronic snoozer!)
3.  Exercise at least three times a week
4.  Eat vegetables every day
5.  Spend ten minutes a day straightening up at home to just put things in order

Maybe you guys aren't interested in know this sort of stuff about me.  I'm sure a lot of you just are primarily interested in seeing travel recaps and pictures.  But they say that telling people about your plans increases your chances of success.  And this is the best way I know how to do that.  Wish me luck!!

Go Seahawks!!!  (Side note - I woke up at 5am on a Sunday so that I could watch the game, but it was totally worth it!  Football is just the greatest.)

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