Reinvent Yourself: MAKE A HAPPINESS JAR

Subtitle: Ditch the New Year's Resolutions! Make a Happiness Jar! In 3 Easy Steps!

I'm not making any New Year's Resolutions this year.

There. I said it.

I've been doing resolutions every year for decades now, but dammit!... it's time to admit the truth.

I FAIL at New Year's Resolutions!

And because my friends & I review our resolutions on New Years Eve each year, I begin nearly every new year on a disappointing note by stewing on my failures of the past 356 days.

And what makes it worse is that I've often recycled the same resolution from year to year because: (1) it's usually a great goal on some level, and (2) it deserves another shot at being accomplished. I think most people have done this.

But we shouldn't recycle our goals.  We should accomplish them!  Then move on!

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I had one resolution for 2012

Start School.

Did I start school?  NO.

Am I happy about not starting school?  NO.

Did reflecting on "not starting school" start my New Year off with a bang?  NO!

Get the picture?

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So I want to try something different for 2013.

I love the idea of making a "Happiness Jar". (It goes by many names.)

It's a simple idea. And there's only 3 Easy Steps.

(1) Get a jar.
(2) When something good happens to you in 2013, write it down on a scrap of paper, and
(3) Put it in the jar!

Then on New Years Eve 2013-2014, you & your friends can take turns reading notes from your Happiness Jars. (You can even do this alone.)

To me, this is a great way to honor a year. So much better than reflecting on the failures, don't you think? You get an opportunity to remember and acknowledge and reflect upon the good things that happened to you in a year. I love it.

Of course if you're really good at setting goals and accomplishing them at New Years, by all means KEEP DOING WHAT YOU'RE DOING.

But since the context for my message is that New Year's Resolutions are more like fun ideas that aren't structured to be taken seriously (not like focused goal setting), and since many of us are tired of slamming our heads against a wall come New Year's Eve, and since many of us would like a boost to kick-off a new year, consider making a Happiness Jar.

Already started mine.

"1/1/13: Heard (& Saw) a Trilling Screech Owl!"

Hey, it made me happy!

But you need to find the things that make you happy!

Then write them down & throw them in the jar.

Maybe, just maybe, 2014 has a chance to start off really great!

Happy New Years to you, World!

Action to Us All!
GTO