I have a goal to become a more positive person.
By nature, I struggle with this.
My over-analytical, critical, goal-setting-competitive-wanna-be-the-best-but-I'm-not-quite-good-enough brain makes it difficult for me to just be content and happy with my circumstances. Even when they are wonderful, I can always see how they could be better. (I really don't like this...) I really just want to see the good, always be grateful, and just enjoy each day, each moment, and each person I come in contact with. I want to be a positive, uplifting influence for good. It is a goal of mine and I work on it and pray for help with this every day.
On a whim, I decided to participate in the #100happydays challenge.
Little did I know how much it would impact my life.
Instagram already is a place to document things that make us happy. Most pictures are of things that make us happy, proud, excited, or things we love, are grateful for, or make us laugh. That is what I love about Instagram - my feed is full of positive, uplifting vibes in the form of pictures and short captions. It's wonderful.
But when I saw my friend's hashtag #100happydays under her pictures, I decided I wanted to do that too - to take a couple minutes each day to find something that makes me happy and share it with my friends. For 100 days (and a couple more, cause I had trouble counting :)) I posted a picture on Instagram of something each day that made me happy. I absolutely loved it.
The 100HappyDays website asks "can you be happy for 100 days in a row?"
My answer to that question is no.
I hope someday I can confidently say yes, but right now my answer is no.
I cannot commit to being happy for 100 days in row.
I cannot predict what will happen each day and I am a very emotional person and saying something like "I will be happy today" when I'm not feeling so happy tends to backfire.
BUT - I did feel like I could commit to finding something each day that made me happy. Even if I couldn't blanket each day with a statement like "I am happy today," and even if that happy thing didn't magically, instantly change my mood, I knew this goal would be a good thing for me.
I loved that on even the unhappy, hard days I was able to find something that made me happy and something to smile about. Usually I could find more than one thing. And you know what? It helped. I really think looking for the happy things helped me generally feel more happy, more content, and more grateful on each of those 100+ days. I really do.
I found myself searching for those small moments to capture. There definitely were the more obvious things - my family, activities, holidays, things like that - but I tried to look for the subtle things, the small moments and little things that make each day so sweet. And it had such a positive effect on my life!
Even though the 100HappyDays challenge is over, I still find myself looking for those little things each day that make me happy. After 100 days it has become a habit and a habit that I love.
Because even amidst the very hard things life has to offer, there are so many things to be happy about. Taking a few moments to reflect on those things and express gratitude to God is what turns those happy moments into feelings of joy and can absolutely change the way we experience life.
I really believe this.
P.S. we've had a good laugh about how the picture of Husband on the right is positioned perfectly under First Daughter's leg so it looks like he has a forever forehead. It wasn't worth it to me to rearrange the pictures because it's just so funny!
If you wanna see all my #100daysofhappy pictures, find me on Instagram _mrsjensen_ .
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Thanks for stopping by!
1 comment:
haha! His forehead does look huge!! :) I loved your 100 days. Do it again if it makes you "Happy!" Love you.
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