"Being happy energizes you, and having more energy makes it easier for you to engage in activities that boost happiness."
~ Gretchen Rubin
Lifting off from Gretchen Rubin's Happiness Project book, I decided to try her methods for myself. Following her tenets, I started off January with her list of happiness-boosting energy tips:
Go to Sleep Earlier
After our US trip, it was a long struggle to overcome jet lag. It took about two to three weeks for our sleeping time to be back to normal: my new bed time is at 10:30 pm. I try to limit my coffee intake at one cup in the morning so I can regularize my sleep. I think this helps to put in my energies early in the morning so I can tackle personal stuff before back to back meetings, and end my night early so I can get a good night's sleep. My mood is better, and I feel less sluggish in the mornings.
Exercise better
My lifestyle is mostly sedentary: meetings, long hours of sitting down, and lying down to rest after a long day. After our New York trip, I rediscovered walking again. I used to join fun runs about a decade ago, and I'm happily going back to walking farther distances again. I encouraged family to join in Saturday morning walks around UP, so I hope this would be another bonding experience for us.
I also re enrolled in Marie France, to tackle those stubborn problematic areas: belly, thighs and arms. My FMS and PDT are twice a week, so I hope to see some results from this health investment.
Toss, Restore, Organize
We have a lot of things in our small condo. The things are slowly taking over each minute space, and is adding more stress everyday. There is something about clutter that becomes an unwilling irritant. I knew what I wanted to do: take out items that can be donated, move things around, and empty our travel luggages so all these things can be stored in our warehouse. One thing is connected to the other, and I needed time and energy to finish everything, and not just one parcel.
Because we have a spiritual event coming up, I needed to do the spring cleaning ASAP so that our home will look welcoming for our guests. One weekend, I finally found block time without any schedule/ birthday celebration / school activity that I can focus on the clean up project. I mustered all my energy to finally tackle this task, and by the end of the evening, I was able to clear out three luggages, my bag closet, our gifts for "recycling", and even clothes from our drawers and other closets. These resulted in five new storage boxes filled, to be kept in our storage warehouse for future donations, and new, organized closets that boast of refreshed space.
Though tiring mentally and physically, being able to organize space at home brings a refreshing perspective. There is a certain lightness in cleaning up, knowing that things are more organized and junk is expelled out. Hoping to tackle on my daughter's room next time.
Tackle a Nagging Task
I have always wanted to fix my personal effects in my new car. It's always been on my mind, but like our room, I needed to find the energy to start and see it through. As always, circumstances forced me to finally transfer my things when my laptop bag became missing from the old car. I knew then that I had to act urgently. I fixed my glove compartment, replenished my makeup bag and perfumes. I fixed too my shoe box and got rid of too many bags from my old trunk.
My new car was now functional and personalized. I felt a huge weight off my chest. Next on my list: apply for RFID for both the north and south expressways.
Act more Energetic
Tackling both the physical and mental aspects of energy results in a mindset: to sustain momentum we must believe in the impact of these changes and act the way we want to feel. Keeping the positivity and the energy brought about by healthier habits and cleaner spaces starts from having an energetic and optimistic mindset. To have more energy, I start the day with morning affirmations and happy drive music. This helps me keep an Aja! spirit to keep my resolutions on track.
New Concepts I Learned:
"One Minute Rule" - If it only takes a minute to do, do it immediately.
"Evening tidy-up" - Clean up at least 10 minutes at night, before calling it a day
"All truly great thoughts are conceived by walking"
"An empty shelf meant possibilities: space to expand; a luxurious waste of something useful for the sheer elegance of it."
"The Secret of Adulthood: if you cannot find something, clean up."
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There is wisdom in tackling energies at the start of the year. Energy impacts our ability to be effective in our daily grind and to be fully present to our relationships and to the challenges at hand. I think that creating space for positive energy to flow, and supporting our body's capability to use high levels of energy are good start to January, as we tackle more happiness projects for the rest of the year.
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