The Happiness Jar

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As soon as November hits we start seeing the blogosphere blow up with posts about gratitude or happiness. While I certainly love to celebrate Thanksgiving as much as the next person I also think it is absurd that we seem to reserve these sentiments for just one month out of the year.

Instead, I propose that you use November and the impending Thanksgiving holiday to create a happiness plan for all year round. And to do this I suggest creating a Happiness Jar.

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Women for Living in Community: Plan for Joy

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When I first read Martha Beck’s “Plan for Joy” in O Magazine I was immediately engaged. This is what I had always imagined as I planned for my own life. I firmly believe that planning for the worst but hoping for the best is a defeatist attitude that will likely only lead us directly into our own worst case scenarios. While knowing how not to panic in an emergency is an important life skill, so is knowing how to cultivate happiness in our lives. Rather than reinventing the wheel I thought I might share with you my insights on Martha Beck’s own ideas.

Beck’s blueprint is:

  1. Have a vision.
  2. Let go of what doesn’t work.
  3. Don’t be afraid to fail.
  4. Pay attention to what really matters to you.

Here is my take on these four steps.

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Women For Living in Community