A Happiness Project Update and Books 28 and 29 of 2012

Month One of My Happiness Project: Lessons Learned

So here’s the thing — after my first month of this happiness project, I’ve discovered I am terrible at keeping up with a daily resolution chart. Big, colorful tracker? Totally neglected.

But that doesn’t mean I haven’t been working on my resolutions. Over the last 20 days I’ve:

• Exercised regularly – running three times a week
• Tweaked my eating habits – whole wheat bagels with cream cheese for breakfast, walnuts back on my cereal, even switched to natural waffles
• Cleared and reorganized – tossed and stored things I no longer need, including some paperback books I’ll never read (gasp!). I even moved a bookshelf so those “someday” books aren’t staring me down every day. Turns out constant guilt doesn’t make me happy.

I’ve also tackled some long-overdue tasks, like bringing home the last of my mom’s things from the care home.

The one thing I haven’t done so well? Going to bed earlier. But I have been more energetic — and acting like it — so I’m counting that as a win.

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Book 28: The Evelyn Wood Seven-Day Speed Reading and Learning Program — Stanley D. Frank

I found this in the 75% off bin at Barnes & Noble for $1.86 — which made me happy before I even opened it.

The theory: reading faster could help me get to some of those relocated bookshelf titles. The book leans heavily toward study skills and would be most useful if I were still in school, but the speed reading tips are solid. With practice, I think I can boost my reading speed. Whether I’ll ever hit the 800–900 wpm range? Probably not. But I’ll be happy trying.

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Book 29: Your Playlist Can Change Your Life — Galina Mindlin, Don Durousseau & Joseph Cardillo

According to the authors, the right music can boost memory, organization, alertness, mood, and more. Using some of their ideas, I’ve already built a few playlists:

• Calm Me Down – R. Carlos Nakai, Gary Burton, plus a little contemplative folk
• Pick Me Up – Greensky Bluegrass, Ten Years After, Faces
• Memory Boost – Songs with deep personal connections:
  • Bridge Over Troubled Water – Simon & Garfunkel (our wedding)
  • Morning Has Broken – Cat Stevens (our wedding)
  • The Stranger Song – Leonard Cohen (our first date)
  • Elvira – Oak Ridge Boys (our oldest son dancing as a little boy)

It’s a library book, but between the ideas and the results so far, I’m tempted to grab a copy with my Amazon birthday money.

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Takeaway: If you’re stuck in a rut, try building a playlist around a mood or memory. It’s a quick, inexpensive happiness boost — and you might just dance in the kitchen.