My Happiness Project--Heart

This summer, I read The Happiness Project. It was right before my birthday, so I started a similar journey of my own. I began with Home, mainly order of said home. I cleared out tons of clutter, making several trips to the donation shed for the local Salvation Army. I worked on the projects pretty consistently, tackling small areas of the house each day. The phraes "Do It Now" really started to sink in. And then school happened.

I totally skipped a month...no idea where it went. I had planned what I wanted to do next, but I just never got around to it (so much for "do it now" huh?). And here we are in mid-September. However, yesterday was the 18th, which reminded me of this project. Even though I missed a month, I figured late was better than never. 

This month's focus is going to be Heart. What that means to me is doing things that make others smile and doing things that make my heart happy. Yesterday, I had quite a few of these "heart smiles"...making domino trains with the kids in the floor, restoring order to a good chunk of the house, opening the windows, and just sitting still in my nice, quiet bedroom thinking about these things.

Today, after school, I reminded myself to enjoy the time with the kids. Yes, I did manage to do a little laundry and pick up a few things, but I also sat and really listened to Sarah Beth read her story for homework and played chess with Ryan and all his crazy rules of the game.

I wish I could say these little changes were making things all rosy and perfect, but the challenges are still the same. I still had moments of frustration with the kids or with what needed to be done. But I did enjoy the time I spent with the kids this afternoon and even had more patience with their dinner time antics and silliness before bed. And even now, I'm enjoying sitting in my slightly-less-cluttered-than-this-morning bedroom for a few minutes.

I'll continue to work on enjoying the moment and being present this month (all while not forgetting or letting order slide) and keep you updated.

Order

This summer I read The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin. That book inspired me to make some changes in my own life...no, not life-altering, earth-shaking changes. These are small things I can focus on to help me find joy in the everyday.

In the book, instead of making a huge resolution list, destined to fail, in January, Rubin broke her resolutions down into categories and tackles a category a month with a couple of main points for focus. She has a list of commandments that help her keep her priorities in line throughout the year. 

In a former life, I was a very type-A, compulsive perfectionist. Ok, so I might not be that different now. But I do let a lot of things slide these days...a far cry from the stressed out second grader I was. Yes, really. Second grade. I was afraid that if I started a project like this, I would get overwhelmed by it, letting it take over. There's even a website, complete with lists, forums, and ideas. I think letting a project like this take over would kind of defeat the purpose.

So, I've decided to do a Happiness Project of my own without getting obsessive about it. I finished reading the book right around my birthday, so my months will begin/end on the 18th.

This past month's focus for me has been Home, specifically order in the home. My mottos this month have been "Everything in its place" and "Do it now." I have been on a serious decluttering mission and have a list of the areas that still need to be tackled. I started off with one area a day, and that worked well to keep me from burning out on the idea. I haven't done an area a day, but it's been close.

One of the first areas I decluttered was my closet. I was ruthless. Things I've been hanging on just in case I am every skinny again...things I kept for sentimental reasons ("because I wore it on my honeymoon" is not a valid reason to keep a dress)...things people had given me...things that fit but weren't flattering...I finally got rid of them. Look at this huge pile of stuff!

Today I finally tackled the shelves in my closet. I ended up with a large black trashbag of stuff to donate...one of many that I've dropped off at the Salvation Army's little shed. I've already taken two stuffed-to-the-gills loads of stuff! I had been procrastinating on this particular area for no particular reason. I am so glad I finally did it...it just makes me go "Ahhhhh."

For a while now the garage has been a huge obstacle course, mainly because of all the stuff that landed out there as I decluttered. No more! I got out there last Friday and cleaned it up. Actually, I think my main intention was to load up the stuff to be donated, and one thing led to another. It's not perfect, but it is so much better!

That leads me to the most important part...I'm learning that "good enough" really is good enough! Letting go of some of my perfectionism and still maintaining control is the best thing ever. And the feeling when I see how orderly our house is becoming, slowly but surely, is the most peaceful feeling ever.

It's important, I think, to realize that this idea of "good enough" being good enough can apply to anything. I chose to go for a bike ride with my husband this morning since we were unexpectedly kid-free. That means I didn't run, but that's ok...the bike ride was good enough. I blew my "diet" with dinner tonight, but the rest of the day wasn't bad...good enough. I chose to sit on my bed and watch TV with the kids instead of dragging out some project or craft...good enough. And the thing is...it really is good enough.