The Happiness Project

Why create a balance in your life? If for no other reason, I’d say life balance creates more opportunities to welcome happiness into your life. I had the pleasure of participating in an online Happiness Project, which started with Alex Shalman conducting happiness interviews with successful bloggers, authors, and happiness experts. The Happiness Project includes a list of five personal questions relating to happiness. It has now grown into a web-wide happiness endeavor with the intention to inspire and empower anyone who participates or reads about the project. Thank you John Chow for introducing me to this project.

You can participate in this contagious project by visiting the Happiness Project guidelines.

Here is my contribution to the project…..

1. How do you define happiness?
Happiness is when I am completely free and in the moment. Happiness is when I am spending time with my children, enjoying the company of my family, traveling on vacation, or when I am safely in nature. Happiness is when there is nowhere else I want to be but the present moment.

2. On a scale of 1-10, how would you rate your happiness now, versus when you were a child?
On a scale of 1-10, my happiness is the same as when I was a child (8+) – it’s just different. I had more energy, more free time, and less worries as a child. Now I have the ability to appreciate small wonders, grand moments, and simple pleasures.

3. What do you do on a daily basis that brings you happiness? (and how consistent is the feeling of happiness throughout your day)
Happiness starts when I hear the footsteps of my oldest son walk towards my room in the morning. Happiness continues when I walk into my youngest son’s room and see his first smile of the day. Happiness continues when I take my first sip of coffee. Other moments of daily happiness include connecting with family and friends and putting my head on my pillow at the end of the day. 

4. What things take away from your happiness? What can be done to lessen their impact or remove them from your life?
I’m currently reading all about the ego in A New Earth. It is my ego that takes me away from feeling completely free and in the moment. Fear and worrying over things I cannot control take me away from happiness. To lessen the impact, I am working on acknowledging my unhappy thoughts and becoming more aware that I can choose to change my thoughts.

5. What do you plan on doing in the future that will bring you even more happiness?
I plan to continue to create a balance in my life so I have more and more room for happy moments. I plan to travel more, spend more time with friends, and incorporate a daily exercise routine into my life.