That's Better: Finding What Makes Me Happy

I've been a little hung up lately on finding happiness and the most effective ways to do it, 'cause that's how my mind works, I'm a methodical person. Sometimes to a fault, as it can make me miss the point. (I've been wondering if that's what I'm doing here, but since it's the way I solve problems, that's the way it's going to get done around here. :) )

So with method in mind and happiness as my goal, I've decided to do a little list making (yay!!!) about things that make mah happy. Since I'm a list maker, I've obviously got this list already started, but, sad story, it's in a notebook that's still boxed in KY. (I really thought I would have reunited with my stuff by now..) Anyways, so here's my list, restarted and digitized, never to be parted from me again :) (so long as the internet doesn't go away)

Things That Make Mah Happy

-warm weather

-my family

-being in a relationship

-great friends

-baking/cooking

-smiling and laughing

(you too?! no way!! :) for real though,

just smiling makes you happier, try it right now)

-reading the scriptures

-exercising

-listening to good music

-bike rides with friends

-looking good

-getting personal notes from people

-hugs

-crafts that don't require much craftiness :)

-accomplishing things I think are too difficult for me to accomplish

-going to the driving range

-singing

-chocolate cake

-picnics in the park

-helping others

-spending time with the people I care about

Making this list, and even going into it, I realized that I need to recognize more things in my life that make me happy and not forget about those things. In teaching health I always loved to stress the importance of keeping a strong balance between all areas of your life and maintaining your health in each area. The areas I always focused on were:

physical health

emotional health

mental health

spiritual health

social health

I feel like I fell out of balance over the past few months and am in need of a readjustment on my road to happiness and all-around health, but, thanks to my methodical nature, that is just what I'll be focusing on this summer! I love setting goals and think it's a great way to start working on this project, and since making your goals public is a great way to hold yourself accountable to reaching them, I'm posting them here for all of you to enjoy! (And maybe even be inspired by :) ) So without further adieu:

My 2011 Summer Health Goals

physical health:

get @< 30 min of physical fitness 4x/week

emotional health:

do things that help me keep a positive mental attitude throughout the day;

discuss things that bother me with the people they concern

volunteer or serve others in a meaningful way @< 2x/month

smile at a stranger every day

mental health:

write in my journal* 3x/wk;

when I find myself getting stressed, choose a healthy way to deal with the situation

*I accidentally left my journal on the flight home from Denver, cross your fingers they find it and send it back!!

spiritual health:

effectively pray and study the scriptures every day

attend church meetings with the right attitude (a positive, humble, meek one)

social health:

meet one new person/week

get to know @< 1 new person better every month

go on 2 decently significant outings every month (and post about them here! :))

If you think you could benefit from a little more balance in your life, which, honestly who couldn't?, I'd encourage you to do something similar. Even if goal-setting isn't exactly your thing, even just recognizing the different areas of life and their importance and role in helping to keep you happy is a good start. :)

So on I go in working on these goals,

here's to making things better! My entire purpose with having this blog!!

PS Here are some pics from my recent trip to UT of people that make me happy :)