“Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions.” – Dalai Lama
What’s THE SECRET to happiness?
I had no idea.
That was until an amazing little gift changed my perspective.
Now I pay attention to what makes me happy on a DAILY BASIS.
My wife, who I’m not permitted to mention by name (but will say she is an amazing blog editor) bought me one of my favorite presents for our last anniversary.
It’s called the The Happiness Project: One Sentence Journal.
The journal is based on a great book by Gretchen Rubin.
It asks you to WRITE ONE SENTENCE on what made you happy that day.
- That’s 7 happy thoughts each week.
- 30 happy moments each month.
- 365 happy memories each year.
You will have 1,826 moments written down that made you HAPPY at the the end of this 5 YEAR PROJECT,
To quote a line from the Lord of the Flies, “The greatest ideas are the simplest.”
I’ve brought this journal to every SALES MEETING and family vacation for 2 years.
My HAPPINESS PROJECT has traveled with me to California, New York City, and many stops in between.
The journal has visited more Jersey beach towns than Snookie.
One of my favorite things is looking back to what made me happy exactly 1 year to the day.
Studying your past is a great way to CREATE YOUR FUTURE.
So, what has this project taught me about HAPPINESS?
WRITING HAS POWER
Writing one sentence daily can keep GREAT MEMORIES alive.
It’s pretty awesome to have all your best memories captured in one place.
Like the old saying goes, “A sentence is worth a 1,000 words.”
Happiness starts with GRATITUDE.
Gratitude crushes rough days.
It’s hard to go to bed in a bad mood when you write down HAPPY MOMENTS that you were lucky enough to be part of.
PROGRESS, NOT PERFECTION
Happiness is about MAKING PROGRESS, not everything being perfect.
We have to focus on our gains, not on the things that went wrong that day.
From helping a new customer treat their 1st patient to learning a new technique on the jiu jitsu mat – HAPPINESS is all about progress.
TAKE CHARGE
We’re in charge of our own happiness.
If you don’t like something, CHANGE IT.
If you can’t change it, change THE WAY YOU THINK about it.
Don’t wait for someone else to make you happy.
That almost never happens, except in John Hughes movies.
Helen Keller wrote, “Happiness is not out there, it is in us.”
Happiness is the ultimate INSIDE JOB.
It’s hidden in plain sight.
Our job is to notice it.
And maybe even WRITE IT DOWN.
#BeHappy
-Joe Ciccarone
The Vibe 