happier

As I waited for the MAX train this morning at 7:30am, I took note of the clean, eerie shade of pale blue the sky had taken. All the objects in my sight were sharp silhouettes of dark, dark brown-gray against that palette. A puff of my white breath clouded my view and I was reminded of how hard it has been to find energy during the start of this cold season.

I think most of the trouble lies in the fact that it's dark when I leave for work and dark by the time I arrive home in the evening. I have a mental list of nebulous ideas that need consideration, projects that need work, but there's always a deep chill in the air and my motivation apparently thrives (however minimally) only in warmth and light.

And so I've begun to explore The Happiness Project in an attempt to hone good emotions and achievement of some kind. This project was created by an apparently busy, motivated woman named Gretchen Rubin who, as her website explains, has spent a year "test-driving studies and theories about how to be happier." Gretchen is publishing a book just after Christmas about the process involved in and results of her research. The website provides a wealth of information, articles, and ideas about infusing more happiness into your life through a variety of easy tactics. Today, like every Wednesday, is Tip Day. Browsing tips from weeks past is a great way to find concepts to mull over and thoughts to help you refocus on your own happiness. For example, I should probably reread the entry for November 18th: "15 Tips to Avoid Nagging".

A satellite website of The Happiness Project is the do-it-yourself Happiness Project Toolbox, on which you design and post "Personal Commandments" and "Resolutions," and you can maintain an "Inspiration Board."

Though I'm not convinced that I'll be able to keep this up for too long, I started by posting the following Personal Commandments, which I intend as loose guidelines and wise goals to work toward:

• Be a better wife.
• Worry less.
• Make thoughtfulness a priority.
• Exercise creativity.
• Make healthier choices.

I also posted two Resolutions, on which I track my progress for a very specific goal each day. The titles of my Resolutions are to "Cook More Meals at Home" and "Drink Less Alcohol" and the bodies of these Resolutions contain additional information about exactly what I'm striving for in quantitative terms.

I think at the very least, reading each Wednesday's tip and keeping a few simple Resolutions toward the front of my mind will be helpful. I figure that at least I'm blogging - that seems like a good start toward exercising creativity, right? I encourage you to check it out and give a little thought to what might augment your own happiness in the cold chaos of this holiday season.