52 Lists for Happiness

List #1: what makes me happy right now

Going thrifting
Collecting all the things I don't need and donating it back to the thrift store
Reading a good book

Some things I can't do yet but will be able to in a few months:

Power walking
Hiking
Water aerobics
Tai chi

List #2 part 3 finding joy in personal and work life
Time blocking
Organization and clearing space
Creating my own energy
Building trust

List #3 things I am good at
Changing pace
Following instruction
Meeting challenges with open mind

#4 things that get me out of my head
Repetitive tasks
Using color
Biking
Organization
and yoga

#6 what blocks my happiness
Fear,
emotional challenges,
inability to reason with self,
lowered esteem,
Implausible challenges

List 7
List the greatest compliments and encouragement you have ever been given.


Action cue: Rewrite your favorite compliment on a sheet of paper or print it out in a font you love. Then tape it to a wall or frame it in your home so that you are reminded every day to choose happiness and self-love.

Yay!!! A new list!!! Thank you for posting it.

List 8
List the things you like to do that don't involve technology


walking and hiking
camping
star-gazing
being by a campfire or water or trees
reading
eating
writing positive messages on my chalk board
dancing
sliding up and down the wooden floor in my socks
looking at stationary, animals, or books

Action cue: It's easy to end up spending lot of time with technology, but does that time really make you happy? Take a half hour each day this week that you would normally spend on screens and do something else that you enjoy. View it as your happiness practice time!

This list helped me realize that I am far too attached to technology. At first I drew a blank.

Floating in the pool: the one next door in the summer and the one at the YMCA in the winter
Hiking in the Smokies
Dancing
Writing
Snuggling with my dog
Being outside on sunny or windy days

I love the idea of writing positive messages on a chalk board. I need to get one.

These lists are very helpful. Thanks again for posting them.

You are very welcome Jennifer. The tech thing is an important consideration. I'm quite old-school in that regard. I rarely watch TV (though I do enjoy watching films) and I don't use any social media other than PC.

The older I get, the more I believe (for myself anyway) that the simpler I make my life the happier I will be. Some of my happiest/most peaceful times were as simple as lighting some candles and watching the flames for a while or taking a long hot shower or going on a really steep hike!

The difficulty for modern humans (imo) is that Society's pressures and expectations are antithetical to mindfulness and gratitude. For example, I know some women who are hooked on plastic surgery and radically altering their physical appearance or fighting Father Time. Now each to their own, people must make their own choices in life and I respect differences. But sometimes I almost want to point out that the only reason all those procedures exist is for companies to make money...and they can only make that money if they convince as many women (or men) as possible that if you don't look a certain way you cannot be happy...first they convince a person that they are deficient and then they present their supposed solution which happens to cost a lot of money or even repeat business. Which is utter nonsense. I am often described as "pretty" or "beautiful" but I've had depression my whole life. Physical beauty and happiness are not linked in any way, in my opinion. I have known two women who anyone would describe as "drop-dead-gorgeous" and they were two of the most unhappy people I have ever met. Seriously. So when a person buys into the notion that physically looking a certain way will bring them peace or happiness I actually find that really sad.

Similarly, modern Society suggests that loneliness can be cured by social media when the research actually suggests that texting (instead of calling or visiting) and having 600 "friends" on Facebook is actually leading to more individualism, isolation, and you guessed it - loneliness!

Anyway, that's quite a tangent. Glad you are enjoying the 52 Lists and thank you for participating....makes me smile.

That tangent is relevant to a current issue in my life. You always have helpful things to say.

Thank you. Feel free to PM me if you would like to discuss further. I'll head out a while and be back on later.

List 9
List all the little things that happened today that brought you joy

the sun came out
a kind message from my sister
four thoughtful messages from PC pals
using my 52 Lists happiness notebook
using my new planner
getting more things checked off a very long to-do list
long hot shower

Action cue:
Every day this week write down one thing that brought you bliss on a little slip of paper, then place them in a jar. Keep this jar of joy going all year, and any time you feel down, dip into the jar to remember the little things that bring you happiness.

Listening to the rain and thunder during a storm
Eating a delicious sandwich
Watching a favorite movie
Snuggling under a warm blanket after I came in from the rain
Looking at my beautiful Valentine’s roses

The jar is a great idea. Thanks for posting this!