After receiving the book The Happiness Project as a Christmas gift from a friend (thank you Riley), I dove into the first few pages and realized after years of 
listening to so many women that Gretchen (the author) wasn’t alone. We have so much to be happy about and have countless blessings, yet why are we still not as happy or as appreciative as we could be? After reading the first 30 pages I decided to give this a try but add my goals for the year as well. For 2012 I will put my Happiness/Goals Project 2012 out for the world to see and invite my clients, class peeps, facebook & twitter followers, family, friends and acquaintances to join me on this journey. So here it goes, me putting my personal, spiritual, mental, emotional and physical journey out there for all to see (big deal for the private person that I am).
The core of a “happiness/goal project” is to…
• identify elements of your life that you want to change
• find concrete, measurable resolutions that, if kept, will help you bring about that change
• hold yourself accountable for keep your resolutions
• decide whether you want to adjust, toss, or re-commit to a resolution
One Tip: resolutions work best when they’re very specific, so you know whether you’ve kept your resolution or not. Accountability is key!
So join in! Post your project, share this, add suggestions or do it in the privacy of your own home or with friends. Let this be the happiest year yet!
Steps:
1. Purchase The Happiness Project book so we can read it together.
2. There are no rules or a certain way to do it, it has to work for you. For some it is one big goal and you are breaking it down into 12 smaller steps, for some of us they are all extremely different from month to month. Let it be organic and flow.
3. Pick 12 areas you want to work on (one for each month, this is harder than you think, so take some time with it). Be mindful of what areas you give to what month.
4. Start right away. I know we are in the third week of January but better late than never, right!?
After each month, I will blog about the previous month and how it went – struggles and successes. Please add yours as well, love to hear how it goes!
Ali’s 12
1. January: Knowledge
Read more (daily devotionals, the bible, fitness & health journals, The Happiness Project, etc.) and listen to pod casts.
2. February: Energy/Physical Health
Work on hormones, adrenals, gut, thyroid, nutrition, sleep, etc.
3. March: Mental Health
Heal issues from the past, work on past anger, work on a light heart and figure out who I really am.
4. April: God/Eternity
What does God expect of me? Am I living for him or for myself? Do I care more about what the world thinks of me or what He thinks of me? Am I doing what He put me on this earth to do?
5. May: Work
Focus on education, blogging, enjoy the fun, ask for help, work smarter, enjoy the now.
6. June: Free Spirit/Playful/Young at Heart
Act and say what I feel and not worry about what others think. Don’t take things so seriously and have more fun. Play, laugh, and be true to self.
7. July: Friends
Spend more time with friends, listen better, give more, love more.
8. August: Lean Down/Great Shape
Journal food 5x a week, count protein, focus on enjoying workouts, try different classes and workouts.
9. September: Let Go, Stop Controlling
Be ok with others making plans or if plans change at the last minute. Roll with things if they don’t go the way I think they should, etc.
10. October: Embrace Confrontation
Speak up even if someone will get mad. Learn not to be affected by someone else’s irritation or defensiveness. Do not get defensive myself. Learn to choose my words better.
11. November: Music
Enjoy music more, mix my own for classes, listen to new artists, just enjoy it more.
12. December: Gratitude
Learn to give thanks for the ordinary and gray days, for trials and worries. Be more grateful for everything I currently have.
“Research shows that happy people are more altruistic, more productive, more helpful, more likable, more creative, more resilient, more interested in others, friendlier, and healthier. Happy people make better friends, colleagues, and citizens.”
– excerpt from The Happiness Project
Ali
