Lighten Up

I am taking a break from I Found This Funny to read The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin. I picked up this book because I have been struggling to find the "happy" in my everyday life. I am certainly not depressed and  I am looking forward to the future, but I am constantly complaining about living in Fort Wayne, attending school, and being bored. My problem is that I do not find enough joy in the daily grind. In the words of Gretchen Rubin, "what you do every day matters more than what you do once in a while." I picked up The Happiness Project because I wanted to be enlightened.

Gretchen Rubin breaks down her project month by month. Each month she chooses a topic of her life she wants to work on (i.e. marriage, work, energy) and sets specific goals. Although some of Rubin's insights do not apply to my life (I'm not married or have children), some of the chapters in the book hit my life spot on. For example, one of Rubin's goals is to "lighten up." This is perfect for me. I take myself too seriously in school, tennis, and social situations. I was thinking about the concept of "lightening up" today at tennis practice. Sometimes I get so into the game that all that matters is winning or losing. I've noticed that when I lose a point, I mentally scold myself. Interestingly, when I win a point, I feel relief but do not reward myself for a job well done. Therefore, to be happier, I need to reward myself for what I do right rather than punish myself for my mistakes. In fewer words: I need to "lighten up."

Gretchen Rubin's personal happiness experiment is teaching me how to relax and live in the moment.

I hope you have a very happy day!