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The time between graduating college was a strange time, to say the least. Fortunately, the time was short, but my uncertainty of what the future held for me made that time somewhat stressful.
Around that time I began reading several personal development books. These really struck a chord with me and inspired me to boost my productivity and make way for a new life. One of them, Gretchen Rubin’s The Happiness Project, I came across while browsing books in the city. If you haven’t read this book, I highly recommend adding it to your reading list. The Happiness Project is a book detailing Gretchen Rubin’s year-long project where she breaks down resolutions by month, making improvements and finding the answers to what exactly makes people happier in their lives.
One of my first thoughts while reading through this book was the dedication behind Rubin’s efforts. Her intentions, as well as her results, and thoughts, were all well-documented. The subjects she chose for each month were chosen based on what she felt would help her later in the project. She put to the test principles of happiness, some being centuries old. And even while on her journey, she helped others get started on their happiness projects. In March, during her resolution of “Aim Higher”, one of her goals was to start a blog where she shared her process.
Starting today, I’d like to share with you my own happiness project. I believe that, in this time in my life especially, that there is a lot of room for improvement. I’d like to establish better habits, embrace positivity, and be the best person that I can be. I’ve decided to incorporate this project into my bullet journal, where I summarized my resolutions into one word:
Growth.
In this project I will face my setbacks so I can grow as a person, thus enabling me to be the person that I want to be. From reading books like The Happiness Project and others, I’ve learned our setbacks, whether we know they exist or not, hold us from achieving more and becoming happier. I also feel that many of us compare our lives much more than we should, and we don’t spend enough time thinking about all the wonderful things we have in our own. Over the course of my own project, I’d like to not only identify my own setbacks, but also find out about other potential problem areas and share them with you.
Over the course of the year, I am breaking down my months into eleven categories, plus Rubin’s “Boot Camp Perfect”, which is the incorporation of all the resolutions at once. Although I am following some of the resolutions in the book, I have also made my own and changed the ordering around. Resolutions are not one-size-fits-all; we are all individuals with our own challenges to pursue. Every month I will post updates on that month’s resolution, what I’m doing to improve that area of my life, and what I’ve learned. I also hope that, by posting my version of the project, that you are inspired to set your own goals, read the book, or get you going on any projects you’re working on.
Have you read The Happiness Project? What are your thoughts? What are you working on this year? Let me know below! I’d love to hear what you’re doing.
Thanks for reading! If you’re looking to read more into my project, you can find January’s resolutions here.
Sincerely,
Julie Anna x
