On my laptop, I have taped, a little piece of paper that came from a fortune cookie. It reads, ” Don’t pursue happiness, create it!” It has been there for a few years, and what is funny is that I don’t read it every day but somehow the words have pulled it into existence. I create happiness!

Many of us seek happiness through other people’s actions. We sometimes seek it in unhealthy ways. We also live a life where most of the outcomes are out of our control and so with that mindset, we feel that happiness is so far from our grasp. But my dear lovely ones, happiness is closer than you can imagine.

One of the biggest things I struggle with on a daily is the fact that I put out so much effort and expect people to rise to the occasion. For example, as a teacher, I create amazing lesson plans, spending hours of my personal time writing these plans only to hardly get through it because of behaviors and lack of motivation. I feel defeated most days but then I realized, my happiness isn’t dependent on how others take what I do for them. I do it because I love it despite the end results. Thus the epiphany:

Happiness is not the end goal but happiness is in the process.

Cicely Carr

Knowing that happiness isn’t an end goal and it does not come from others, will help free you of unrealistic expectations, and will help jumpstart the creativity in happiness.

So this week’s challenge is all about Creating Happiness and enjoying the process.

As you go through this challenge, make sure you are reflecting in a journal or some other medium. Capture feelings, thoughts, process and results. Focus mostly on the process, not the end result. What I am working on is not RUSHING, so join me on that.

Create Happiness Challenge

• Day 1: Back to the Basics- Focus on the simplest of things that make your heart happy. Is it sipping coffee in the morning? Is it getting cozy with your pillows on the sofa with nostalgic movies or soothing music in the background as you sway your hips back and forth. Basic can be beautiful and healing as well! Don’t force it, embrace it.
• Day 2: Childlike– Remember no cares in the world, the world revolves around you! Use this day to put yourself on that pedestal, grab that candy bar, whine a bit, embrace the childlike mentally and be okay with it!
• Day 3: Bragging Rights-I don’t know about you, but I struggle with tooting my own horn and you should be your biggest champion! Take the time to boost your own ego. Every time you pass a mirror, say something amazing about yourself! Check yourself out and just stare with the biggest smile!
• Day 4: Letting Go- Holding on to stuff both negative and positive will block new blessings. Letting go of notions, people, habits and more can help you be open to new and more profound opportunities. Take this time to focus on things you want to let go and enjoy and respect the process.
• Day 5: Live LAUGH Love– As a teacher, I feel forced to be strict and always make sure students are on their best behavior but many of them are so funny and sometimes I have to just let my guard down and laugh even if it is at an inappropriate time or just inappropriate period! Just laugh, be human. Take advantage of funny moments throughout your day. Reflect on what made you laugh!
• Day 6: Perfect Experience– I love looking into the future and painting my ideal situations! Take today and picture yourself at your happiest, who is around you? What are you doing? Where are you? What do you see? What do you look like? Write a letter, make a collage, etc to activate the plans and make sure the universe knows!
• Day 7: Eff the BS- Realizing that we don’t control others and many things are out of our control will allow you to take a step back, breath and let things slide. I try hard to CONTROL my students, but in reality, they control themselves and I just have to deal with it. I can either stress myself over it, or just let it go because at the end of the day, I go home to me, I have to take care of me and they do them regardless. So I literally just have to shake my head and move on. Practice not being connected to others and what they do. Be cognizant of when you should just move on in situations.

So try these challenges every day, you don’t have to do it day by day, you can do it all in one day or out of order. Reflect in a journal and let me know how it goes!

Peace and Blessings
Cicely Renee

Check out last week’s post!

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