Yesterday I wrote that I am committing to The Happiness Project for 2010 and that since I’m coming in a month behind I had to catch up and do January’s resolutions:
Resolution: “Toss & Organize” – this is a big one. Having had a baby 12 weeks ago and a very active toddler, I have things piling up a bit. I’m way more under control than I was after my firstborn but still far from where I’d like to be. I find that, for me, a cluttered space makes for a very cluttered mindset (and I hate having a cluttered mindset). In the past year I have accumulated a lot of magazines from my subscriptions (had to use up expiring Delta miles) that have gone unread but I haven’t wanted to throw them out b/c I ambitiously (insanely?) think that I’m going to be able to do some reading at some point in the near future. They are mostly parenting magazines and fitness magazines. I can’t throw those out unread! I just had a baby and I have a toddler, which means I need every tip and trick possibly in those magazines to help me get back my pre-pregnancy body as well as develop my children into the best people they can be! No pressure! Anyways, to make a long story short, there is a two foot stack of magazines sitting beside my bed (I kid you not. Might be closer to 2.5 feet). It makes me feel stressed every time I look at them (which is every day) so I am going to have to really pair down and get rid of some of them and start reading too. So, by the end of this month that pile will be gone. I hope I can accomplish that mission. I am sure it will bring me happiness!
Update: (March 1) I was able to get through most of that 2.5 foot pile. Most. It now stands only about 4 inches tall, which is pretty damn good for me right now. It did indeed make me happier! I do wish I could have gotten rid of it all, but hey, February is a short month, right?!
As for the other resolutions for January, I was able to accomplish those in a single day.
Resolution: “Under-react to a Problem” – Mostly to me this just means trying to be more patient with my toddler. Oh, is that all?! It’s a tall order, let me tell you. My son is a spitfire and I love him for it but it does present many challenges. So, last night when he was going boneless on me when I’m trying to get him dressed and we are running late for dinner at a friends house, I didn’t freak out. I walked away and started to get the bags in the car. If he didn’t want to cooperate then I’d just go without him (this often works although I’m not an advocate of threats that you can’t follow through on and this is clearly one of them). Alas, I did use it out of desperation – no one is perfect, certainly not me. The point is…I didn’t loose my cool. Under-react to a Problem – check!
Resolution: “Tackle a Nagging Task” – One word for ya…LAUNDRY. Laundry of the clean variation. Oh, Laundry, how you are my nemesis! It seems I cannot get rid of you. You are a daunting mountain but I overcame you yesterday! I carved out the time to sort, fold, and put-away and while it didn’t particularly make me happy whilst I was doing it, I certainly was happy when that mountain was gone! Of course, it’s back this afternoon but those brief few hours it was gone made me sooooooooo happy!
[...] more, touch more, hug more is the Happiness Challenge for this week. This is my kind of challenge! Way better than getting through that 3 foot (now 1 foot) stack of magazines beside my bed. This challenge sounds easy. Though…is it? I am now thinking of when I last kissed Dr. [...]