Happy Thoughts List | Searching for Happy

Happy Thoughts List: Great Weekends

Apr 292013

One of the experiments that has worked the best, even after all the ones that followed it, was my experiment in writing a happy thoughts list. So, I try to write one on a fairly regular basis, even if I don’t publish it here. It helps remind me of all the good things that happen, and keeps my focus off the bad ones. Basically, it’s an exercise reminding me to be grateful for the good things in my life.

So, after a really great weekend, I have a quite a lot of things to be grateful for. So, here is my happy thoughts list for late Sunday night.

Getting Things Done: Despite the fact that I got out and about a fair bit this weekend, I still feel like I got a lot done AND I had time to relax. Lately, I’ve been ending weekends thinking of how much extra I could have done, so this is a much better mindset in my opinion.
Seeing Friends: We went to a house closing party for friends of ours who are moving this week. It was a great chance to reconnect with friends who I haven’t seen in a long time, and to meet a few new ones. I stayed out far later than I had intended, but I had a fantastic time.
Naps:It’s funny how life comes full circle. We start off napping as a kid, then we grow to hate naps when we’re growing, then we grow to adore them later as we grow older. A great afternoon nap on the weekend just feels spectacular!

Happy Thoughts List: Long Weekends

Ponderings 1 Response »

Mar 292013

Well, it has been a hugely productive week, but a hugely busy one as well. I’ve dealt with technical issues, felt a bit under the weather, and I seem to have finally caught up on sleep just in time for the weekend. After weeks like this, I need to take time to focus on my happy thoughts more than ever.

So, without further ado, here’s my list of happy thoughts for the day:

1. LONG WEEKENDS!!!!: The capital letters were required. This week feels like I fit 6 or 7 days of work into 4 days of time.

2. Productivity: I can look back at this week and know that I got a lot done. That makes me feel like my busy week wasn’t wasted time.

3. Simple things: My cat running down the stairs to see me, a good book, and all the other little things that make life a better place. I don’t always take the time to appreciate them as I should, but they do make life a happier place.

What has been helping you to keep smiling this week?

Happy Thoughts for the Day: Puddles and Slush

Ponderings 1 Response »

Feb 282013

As part of my quest to become happier, I’m trying to focus on happier thoughts, rather than the “problem anticipation” mindset that I tend to occupy at work. This led to my happy thoughts list experiment. This reminded me about the benefits of staying positive. So, here is my happy thoughts list:

Buying something before you need it: About a week ago, I caved and bought the first pair of boots that I have owned in years. This was a part of a hard fought battle against denial. For years, I haven’t owned boots because I haven’t needed them. If it was a horrible day outside, I would either stay indoors or spend as little time as possible outside. Now, taking public transit, I don’t have that luxury. Too often, I find myself buying something I need after I needed it. This time, I bought the boots before all the snow and slush of this week. My dry, warm feet are happy, and I feel satisfied and well prepared!
Craving healthy food: I haven’t had the healthiest relationship with food in my life. My mother often reminds me that at age 3 I gave up on all foods involving the colour green, and it was only in adulthood that I really started eating my vegetables regularly. Now, I find the occasional craving for healthy foods popping up. It’s not the end of my journey towards eating better, but it is a big step.
Weekend Plans: For the last few weekends, I’ve been playing things by ear. I’ve had a good time, but now that I have set plans for the weekend I find myself definitely looking forward to them. It’s a happy feeling.

So those are my happy thoughts for today. What are the happy things keeping you going right now?

Happy Thoughts List: Lazy Day Sundays

Ponderings 1 Response »

Feb 242013

Now that I’m in my second year of blogging, I’ve tried a lot of things in my quest for happiness and to become a better person. Some of the experiments have failed dramatically, but others have been fantastic successes!

One of the experiments that has worked the best, even after all the ones that followed it, was my experiment in writing a happy thoughts list.

I had a beautiful, lazy-day Sunday today. I very much needed it, it was a good chance to relax and finally catch up (though not too quickly or it wouldn’t be a lazy day Sunday *grin*). So, seizing on the positive momentum, here is my list of happy thoughts for the day.

1. Getting Things Done: Wow, does it feel good to be knocking things off the list like this. I’m actually getting ahead of myself, which feel fantastic. I feel the stress starting to melt away!

2. Connecting with People: No man is an island. As much as I might feel like running off to be a hermit at points, we are (in part) a product of our interactions with other people. I spent a lot of this weekend with other people, which was a big change from the past few weekends where weather, illness, or other factors kept me largely at home.

3. Room with a View: I’m kicking myself for not taking a picture, but while I was catching up on my work and writing today I had a beautiful view of the snow falling in my back yard. It was a peaceful view and I felt really content whenever I looked out.

Things I’m reading this weekend

Modest Money: A collection of favourite blog posts from February. I always love the blog posts I find in posts like this from Modest Money. I also really feel his pain about the Google search and PPC battles. I’ve been in that same position!

Edward Antrobus: This is a great post about places to find free e-books. I don’t know about you, but I have a smartphone and a tablet, so I can always have something to read on. However, I don’t always have anything good to read (and I might not want to buy an e-book). Getting into a good book is a true pleasure of mine, so finding them for free is a double pleasure!

Thirty Six Months: “How to Get Your Dream Job: Preparation for Resume and Interviews” – While I don’t know exactly what my dream job is yet, this is a very useful post for anyone on the job hunt!

List of Happy Thoughts for the Day

Ponderings 4 Responses »

Feb 062013

Well, to start off on a happy note, I’m feeling better than yesterday. I guess a night of good sleep, eating healthy, and moderate exercise can set the stage for a much better next day.

However, I don’t want to only think of my happy thoughts for the day on bad days, I feel that any day is a good day for simple happy thoughts. So, without further ado, here’s a list of happy thoughts for the day.

1. The link between wine and sleep: In a previous experiment, I found that wine (both white and red) had a positive impact on my sleep when consumed in moderation. While this isn’t a sleeping aid I plan on using every day, it’s nice to have a good tasting glass of wine on occasion, and the better night’s sleep doesn’t hurt.

2. Returning to Experiments: It’s been a while since I’ve done a happiness experiment, and I have one I’m planning for next week. I’m actually pretty excited about it as this one will be a big kitchen challenge for me. I’ll keep you posted – if all the pieces come together, you’ll see the details for it in my Sunday post.

3. Mac and Cheese: Okay, it just tastes awesome. The fact that they have managed to keep it tasting awesome while making it slightly less bad for you is a great bonus too. It’s only an occasional thing to eat, but once or twice a year I enjoy it.

Do you have any foods you associate with being happy? What is your “happy dish”?

Happy Thoughts List: Battling a Funk

Ponderings 3 Responses »

Feb 052013

I’m feeling in a bit of a funk today. I’m not sure if it’s coming off a period of stress and little sleep, or something else entirely. It was a rough day, and I’m feeling a bit beaten up and in need of a rest.

As part of my project to be happier in the new year, I’m trying to focus on happier thoughts, hence my happy thoughts list. This reminds me to stay positive. So, especially after a day like today, here is my happy thoughts list:

My cat: I came home feeling a bit worn out, and I just flopped down on the bed. My cat just jumped onto my chest and started licking my hands until I started smiling again. After I started smiling and laughing at how silly my cat was, he walked away and had a nap. Pets are amazing sometimes in how they can respond to our feelings and help us when we need them.
Taking time for yourself: It’s a crazy and busy world. Sometimes taking a few hours just for yourself without pressure or expectations can be the greatest gift you can offer yourself.
Awareness:As part of writing this website, I’ve not only become attuned to my happy thoughts, but also my unhappy ones. With awareness comes power, and in my case it means the power to change. So tonight, even though I had little energy and little urge to do so, I got some exercise, ate reasonably healthy, and am trying to get to bed at a reasonable time. Being aware means I can take action, where in the past I might have zoned out in front of the television for hours.

SO, those are my happy thoughts for the night. What do you do to get yourself out of a funk?

Happy Thoughts List: On days where nothing seems to go right…

Ponderings 4 Responses »

Jan 232013

Have you ever had one of those days where nothing seems to go right? Yeah, I think we all have. Today was one of those days for me. Problem after painful problem.

However, it’s rare that EVERYTHING goes wrong. It just becomes easy to focus on the negative things. Sometimes, it’s a lot of work to find the good things in your day

Monkey Bread: On Work Save Live, I found the recipe for something called Monkey Bread. It sounds weird and it looks odd, but from the looks of the recipe it could turn out like a full pan sized cinnamon roll with butterscotch pudding in it. I’ve never tried anything like it, but just the fact that it exists makes life a happier thing for me.
Bus Timings: As anyone who takes public transit knows, cold days are the enemies of public transit waiting. So, when you luck out and everything connects almost perfectly, life is pretty amazing. So, Toronto was VERY chilly today, but I spent a whole day hitting buses with very little wait, and it made me happy!
Laser pointers and cars: Okay, it’s not a big thing, but I’m incredibly entertained with how passionate my cat is about chasing that silly red dot. It makes me smile to see how excited he gets about when I pull out the laser pointer.

Small things, but all things that made my day a little bit more bearable. I hope your day went better than mine and you still can focus on finding your happy thoughts!

Happy Thoughts List: Feeling Healthy

Ponderings 1 Response »

Jan 152013

As part of my project to be happier in the new year, I’m trying to be more regular with writing a happy thoughts list, or even just focusing on my happy thought for the day. This reminds me to stay positive, which is the exact opposite of my job where I anticipate and resolve the negative.

Lately, I’ve noticed that with all my exercise is coming happy thoughts and happy cravings, so that’s my topic of the day.

1. Improving my posture: I’ve noticed that with all my abs work, I’m sitting straighter in chairs without even realizing it. It’s a small thing, but it’s incredibly exciting that I can see my results this quickly.

2. Healthy Cravings: While I still have sweet tooth cravings, I’m craving healthy items again. I’m really enjoying consuming more and more spinach. I’m making a salad for lunch tomorrow, and I have a craving for swiss chard chips, so perhaps I’ll need to do some grocery shopping!

3. Planning for bed: I’ve been sleeping VERY poorly this week. Not just in my usual poor quantity, but poor quality as well. For some reason, I’ve been sleeping VERY lightly, and since we have a cat that plays at night, it doesn’t make for quality sleep. I’ve got my night planned out though, so I’ll hopefully be getting quality AND quantity tonight as I head to bed quickly.

Sleep well everyone and stay positive!

My favourite experiments so far

Experiments, Ponderings 6 Responses »

Jan 072013

Well, I’ve been working my happiness experiments for more than a year, and I’ve come a long way.

What have I learned?

Both a lot and nothing at all. Some experiments were incredibly effective, others were completely ineffective – which was an education in itself.

Now that I’m on my 38th happiness experiment, which ones have stuck out for me? Well, here are a few that were particularly memorable.

The Health Benefits of White Wine on Sleep: Sometimes, you unintentionally discover something awesome. This experiment was inspired by a study I read that talked about red wine improving sleep. I decided to try white wine since I prefer it, and the results were still effective. Now, I know that the occasional glass of wine at night will help me sleep incredibly well.

Clutter Busting: I’ve always heard that a cleaner house makes for happier people, and that physical clutter weighs down on your energy. I didn’t believe it until I started really clearing out my own clutter. Once I started moving out clutter I found that I couldn’t wait to keep cleaning!

Eating Paleo: This was an incredibly effective experiment, but also the first experiment that I consider myself to have failed on. When I read up on the timeline for going on the paleo diet aferwards, I found out that my discomforts were not uncommon for people going onto the paleo diet. I might go and try this again in 2013 – I can’t deny how much weight I lost in the first few days, but the stress and discomfort were significant. Maybe I should take a long holiday so I don’t have to go through carb withdrawal at work!

And the most effective experiment of all, the Happy Thoughts List: I read an article about adding gratitude to your life and how it can make you a happier person. I didn’t walk into the experiment thinking it would work. Now it’s one of the few experiments I stick with and still make part of my regular life.

I’ve learned a lot in this last year. I hope by my documenting my experiments, you’ve had the chance to learn from my experiences as well. Hopefully I’ve given you a few good ideas and saved you from making many of my mistakes.

Happy Thoughts List for Today

Ponderings 1 Response »

Dec 182012

It’s been a mixed bag of a day. A VERY mixed bag of a day, but there’s more than enough good so that I can’t complain. I need to focus on the positive.

So, in the tradition of this website, it’s time for a happy thoughts list.

Here are three things that I am grateful for today:

1. Being incredibly lucky, and being able to share the benefits of that luck with others.

2. Succeeding at work. I have earned it with all the hard work I put in, but it doesn’t mean I’m not grateful for it and the hard work of the rest of my team.

3. Friends: They help the world become a better place. It’s as simple as that.

Older Entries