Be Happy

This life is taking a turn, my friends. Hopefully, a dramatic one. Last night I watched the documentary Happy. The production team travels "from the swamps of Louisiana to the slums of Kolkata in search of what really makes people happy. Combining real life stories of people from around the world and powerful interviews with the leading scientists in happiness research, HAPPY explores the secrets behind our most values emotion."

I realized there's a lot I haven't been doing. I've been selfish and ungrateful. I've been more concerned with myself than with others. I've been afraid of a lot of things. While I was watching the movie, I made a list of categories that the movie discusses, and what I can do in each category to bring happiness into my life.

I want to share my list with you, and I hope you feel inspired to make some changes and additions to your life and to the lives of those around you.


Health
Walk every day. Raise my heartbeat. Break a sweat. Take a yoga class. Eat more vegetables. Take vitamins.

Work
Get a job that fulfills me. Spend my time wisely. Exercise my skills. Make money (it really is a part of happiness).

Education
Learn. Finish my last two classes. Take a photography class. Take a graphic design class. Learn new skills. Teach people. Maybe take a dance class.

Activities
Spend more creative time. Do art. Do more journaling. Dedicate a certain amount of time to creative writing. Join a choir. Expose myself to music, art, and other cultural things. Surround myself with people I love. Invite people into my home on a regular basis. Do service daily and intentionally. Use cleaner language.

Religion/Spirituality
Be more prayerful. Read scriptures daily. Repent more. Be more involved with church. Make church a spiritual event rather than social.

Family
Spend regular time with family. Get pregnant. Prepare for motherhood. Strengthen relationships with siblings and parents.

Home
Keep a clean and beautiful home. Decorate. Organize. Make my home a place where the Spirit resides. Reduce sources of stress or contention from the home.