PERSONAL

HOW I’M GOING TO MAKE MYSELF HAPPIER IN THE SECOND HALF OF 2019

On juni 30, 2019 by Merel

Half of 2019 is gone and I’m not happier. Quite the contrary. But that has nothing to do with my Happiness Project, because my Happiness Project actually did make me happier, the first three months of the year. After that, I allowed life to happen, and the project fell down the ladder of priorities.

Now I’m more than ready to become happier again, so I’m picking it up, I’m pickin’ it up, I’m lovin’, I’m livin’, I’m pickin’ it up — as Ariana Grande would say. There are still six months left in 2019 and I’m determined to be at a better place at the end of December than I was at the end of December 2018.

Sometimes that seems impossible though. December 2018 wasn’t too bad. I wanted it to be so much better, I wanted to make so many changes. But now I’d do anything to be back in December 2018. To feel like I felt then, to be at the place I was then, to be happy enough. That’s also a side note to this project: to not to forget to live now and not be too pre-occupied with a better future.

The Twelve Commandments revisited

I’m gonna work with the same Twelve Commandments I wrote up at the beginning of 2019. Instead of dedicating a month to each of them, it’ll be half a month. It’s gonna be a Happiness Full Throttle Project. My priorities have shifted around though. So I’m shifting around the Commandments as well — focusing on everything that’s good for my physical and mental health, and feeling at home, first.

July 1-15: Never stop learning // Spanish
July 16-31: Eat to live // Food
August 1-15: Push your limits // Sports
August 16-31: Treat yo’ self // Self care
September 1-15: Think big // Work
September 16-30: Spend wisely // Money
October 1-15: Keep clean // Home
October 16-31: Focus on what matters // Minimalism
November 1-15: Have fun // Leisure
November 16-30: Be kind to people // Relationships
December 1-15: Love unconditionally // Love
December 16-31: Be Happy // Happiness

A Quick Word about Methodology

It’s not my goal to write up resolutions for each of these Twelve Commandments and expect myself to meet them all at the end of the year. Instead, I’ll take The Slight Edge approach and create a tiny new daily habit for each of these topics. Even though the goal is to fully have implemented twelve new habits at the end of the year, the idea is to prioritize the topic I’m working on if there’s too little time.

Besides all this goal-setting and plan-making, I’ve noticed reading and writing has been a huge factor in increasing my mental health and happiness. I’ll therefore continue the Book Club, to read a relevant personal-growth-book each month (see sidebar for what I’m reading at the moment), and I’ll also publish some of my writings. The first one is about feeling at home and you can find it here.