Wow, I can't believe it's already February. (P.S. My birthday is just around the corner - February 4th!) I hope you all are having a great 2013.
In January I started my Happiness Project based on Gretchen Rubin's book of the same name to kick of my new year. (If you missed my first post on the subject, click here for a more detailed description of happiness projects, as well as my January resolutions.) I think my project is going well so far. I remembered to keep track of my resolutions in an Excel document most every day, and when I forgot, I often remembered the very next day, so everything was still fresh in my mind. How often did I keep each resolution? Here are the results:
1. Get enough (but not too much) sleep: 21/31 days. I started off strong, but then lost my motivation to go to bed early as the semester wore on. This is definitely something I want to start working on again. I felt amazing at the beginning when I was actually getting enough sleep!
2. Act energetic: 20/31 days. This resolution was harder to track, since it is more abstract, so I mostly ended up checking the box if I worked out that day, especially if I had to convince myself to workout.
3. Track what I eat: 29/31 days. By far my most successful resolution. And I lost 5 pounds this month.
4. Drink enough water: 11/31 days. Ouch. However, I did drink more water this month than usual, so that is a plus.
My average happiness score out of 10: 6.16 Not bad, but things could be better.
So for February I am going to be attempting to keep all four of my January resolutions plus four February resolutions. My February resolutions all center around the idea of love.
1. Have weekly date nights. When we were newly married, Jesse and I were really good at having weekly dates, but we have since stopped planning these nights together. I want to start doing this again, and I hope to schedule the dates on the calendar and alternate who plans each night.
2. Acknowledge feelings and take responsibility. It is really easy to tell someone that what they're feeling is "wrong" or to blame someone else for starting an argument. What's difficult is seeing the other side and admitting your mistakes. I feel that these two resolutions can be smooshed into one, because they both promote awareness of the reality of a situation, that is, that there are two people with two minds, two hearts, and two sets of actions leading up to said situation.
3. Don't keep score. Again, it is really easy to make the argument that "I did the dishes, so you should do the laundry." If all is fair in love, why keep track of each little thing? Act because you love, because you know something should be done, and because you are just so awesome like that. This also reminds me of practicing generosity, a skill that Jesse is much better at than I am. He often reminds those around him that "friends don't owe friends."
4. Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good. This resolution might look familiar if you read my last blog post. After I wrote this post, Jesse pointed out that I am really bad at not letting small setbacks or bad days get to me. What does this have to do with love? Just as it is important for me to work on my marriage, I also need to work on loving myself.
So there you have it. Most of these goals are a little more abstract, so I think this month will be interesting and different from the last. I'll keep you updated on how my happiness project is going, and hopefully we'll have more fun and insightful posts up soon!
How are your new years resolutions going? Leave a comment below!
Until next time,
Amy
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