Create a Happiness Jar

It’s so easy to get caught up in the day-to-day craziness of life that we don’t take the time to do what makes us happy.  Think about that for a moment.  That is really sad – we don’t have time for happiness?  How in the heck did THAT happen?

I don’t want this to be the norm any longer, so today we are going to make a visual cue so you won’t forget to add happiness to your life each and every day.  What better way to improve your satisfaction with your life than to be enjoying it?

Now find yourself an empty jar – doesn’t have to be pretty – in fact, a Mason Jar works beautifully.

On small slips of paper, write down ALL the things on your list that make you happy.  Fold them up and put them in the jar.  If you are crafty, feel free to make this as pretty or interesting as you’d like, but it’s totally not necessary – function is enough!

Put that jar somewhere you will see it daily.  Some suggestions:  near the coffeemaker, your computer, or your toothbrush.

Each day, pull out a slip of paper.  If it’s something you can do that day, by all means, DO IT!  If it’s something you have to plan, put it on your calendar so it’s coming up soon.  If it’s something you can’t easily do in the next few days, give yourself five minutes to think about it, remember it, and how much you enjoy it.

A few examples from my list for each category:

1. enjoying a beautiful sunrise or sunset – if it’s before the sun has risen, grab a cup of coffee and go check it out.  Otherwise, make sure to pause in the evening to enjoy the sunset.
2. breakfast with my son – this one is easy for me as we have a weekly breakfast date, but if we didn’t, I’d plan one for the upcoming week.
3. walking by the ocean – not many oceans in Indiana, but I can think about how much fun we had on our last beach vacation and even pull out pictures from it.

I’d love to hear some of your ideas and how you feel after trying this for a week or so – I hope it starts adding some happiness and satisfaction to your daily life.

Want to see my Facebook Live explanation of this?  Check it out HERE.