Tuesday, September 4, 2012

The Happiness Project

This summer I read The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin-I'm so glad I did. It's so easy to get caught up in just going through the motions of life and this book really helped me stop and think about what I'm really doing with my life. Rubin ends the book with a few questions to think about soooo here are my reflections!

What makes you feel good? What activities do you find fun, satisfying, or energizing?
----I'm lucky to have quite a few things that bring positive energy into my life: playing my clarinet, working out, baking, making an effort to look good, and spending time with my dog/family/friends, but I also enjoy spending time alone.  Reading has become a refuge for me this summer, and sometimes it's also nice just to listen to music and paint my toenails.

What makes you feel bad? What are sources of anger, irritation, boredom, frustration, or anxiety in your life?
----Usually I love going the extra mile for people, but lately the people I've been there for don't give me the time of day except when they want something. People who have bad manners also irritate me (especially when they chew ice or chew with their mouth open). I've also been bored this summer due to my inability to find a job so that's been a sore spot-it just gives me time to think about things that I don't need to worry about.  And I'm often bothered by the fact that despite having a mile PR of 7:28, I can't seem to have a run where my average pace is under 10 minutes.

Is there any way in which you don't feel right about your life? Do you wish you could change your job, city, family situation, or other circumstances? Are you living up to your expectations for yourself? Does your life reflect your values?
---Well, I'm changing cities soon with my move to college! And there's nothing I would change about my immediate family or how my life reflects my values. But living up to my own expectations? Yes and no. I didn't study as hard as I should have in high school and my GPA limited my college selection. But even then, some kids would kill to have the opportunities I had when choosing my final college. It's just  that despite my score of 2250 on the SAT and 3.9 GPA, the vast majority of my friends are the smartest at the school, and sometimes I feel rather quite stupid next to them. But I'm determined to change that in college! I'll be in the honors program and I have a few goals about my GPA. (Best: 4.0 every quarter, Good: Deans List/3.5+ every quarter, OK: 3.0+ every quarter).

Do you have sources of an atmosphere of growth? In what elements of your life do you find progress, learning, challenge, improvement, and increased mastery?
---College is the ultimate atmosphere of growth in all aspects: my social scene/personal life, academics, staying healthy, trying new things but staying true to the people and activities I already love, and doing laundry.

I also thought it was interesting that she differentiated between goals and resolutions. In her words, "you hit a goal, you keep a resolution". For example, I have daily goals of practicing my clarinet, but I've been working on a resolution to make my practice more efficient and productive.

What do you do to make sure that you stay a happy person?

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