Hello Friends! September is over and October is upon us.
If you’re unfamiliar with this series, I’m currently reading The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin. And while our months and goals don’t match up all the time, I am thoroughly enjoying her exploration about happiness and what it means to her and others.
I have to admit, I am pretty proud of myself for September. September’s motto was: Less Is More.
I did clean out all of my closets, donating a bunch of items to Goodwill. I feel… lighter!
I am still in the process of cleaning out digital junk, mostly my older magazines. I only have six issues left to go!
I went through my graphic novels and I’m in the middle of selling a few of them.
Most days, I did go to bed at 1030pm. I woke more rested and refreshed, the puffy eyes disappearing. In many cases, I woke up earlier than I normally would have and felt better too!
After going through my physical books, I realized how many I won’t ever get to read or did not have to keep. I am more conscious of what comes into the house and what I spend my money on.
We did clean out part of that extra room, and got rid of a lot of stuff we don’t need! Success!
Overall, September was a great success and I’m really excited about focusing on other things in October!
October’s motto: Love Better (Gretchen’s February)
She focused her month on love because of Valentine’s Day. I’m going to focus it on that too because it shouldn’t be only February that you let your partner know you love them! It’s also our wedding anniversary month so it’s fitting that this is about our happiness, as a couple.
I’m a pretty impatient person. And my husband is a very patient person. He moves at his own pace, and no amount of prodding, pushing and pulling will force him to go in a direction until he is ready.
This month isn’t about my happiness but also about my husband’s happiness. What can I do to make him happier? To love him better? We’ve been married 10 years and it’s easy to take each other for granted. To nag and expect things, to fight and bicker and take stuff out on each other.
New Goals for October:
Be patient. I don’t want to be a nagging wife anymore than he wants to have a nagging wife. And the main challenge for me is patience.
Don’t make him my dumping ground. I come home and the house is a mess, a disaster, there’s no food in the fridge, there’s no water in the bunnys’ dish. The worst part? Any of these things is cause for a major meltdown if I’ve had a bad day at work. I will count to 10 and remember it is not his fault (entirely) that the house is in disarray. We’re in it together. (Side note: Hubby works from home so it’s extra challenging because sometimes, when I come home the house is in a very different state to what I left it in.)
Dial down the expectations. We all have expectations of our partners, some realistic and some not so much. He can’t read my mind. So why am I annoyed at him that he didn’t pick up the milk today when it’s obvious we’re out? This is crazy talk!
Hug! We went to a picture book signing last month of Hug Machine by Scott Campbell. It is a fantastically fun book and reminds me to hug him a little more. (We hug a lot already but you can’t get enough hugs!)
Continuing goals from last month:
Get to bed at 1030 – this worked all month. Why quit?
Yoga, Walk and Run!
Be more conscious of what I buy, why I want it and if I need it. (Sadly this includes books.)
What do you think of my happiness project goals this month?
Kimberly majored in Songwriting and currently works full time in the music industry. When she's not listening to music, knitting or writing, you can find her outside reading her favorite genres: Young Adult, Adult Fiction, Mystery, and Romance.
Sounds like you did well in Sept so congrats! And good luck with Oct. It’s definitely easy to take those we love the most for granted. I hope he feels the same about you and that mutual love and appreciation happens this month.