Stop and Celebrate
Today is Day 27 of my Happiness Hacks series. At the end of last year, I wrote about the concept of a “reverse bucket list” in an article about year-end reflections. For me, it was a novel concept to take time to stop and reflect on what’s already been accomplished rather than focusing on future goals. I enjoyed the…
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Listen to a Podcast
Today is Day 26 of my Happiness Hacks series. Today I found out that my husband has been placed on a jury for a long case, possibly until January. This was not good news for me and produced some decidedly unhappy emotions. Fortunately, this morning I took my dog out for a run and listened to an…
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Two “To Do”s
Today is Day 25 of my Happiness Hacks series. My simple happiness hack for today was having a realistic “to do” list. This morning, I looked at my schedule and knew that I would not have much time to get anything done between my scheduled meetings and commitments. And so, I only put two, very…
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Inspirational Quotes
Today is Day 24 of my Happiness Hacks series. Ever since I can remember, I’ve enjoyed inspirational quotes. As a young teen, I started a journal where I collected my favorites. Now I save them on Pinterest and create graphics for my website using the ones I like best. For me, a happiness hack is reading through…
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Go to a Party
Today is Day 23 of my Happiness Hacks series. This afternoon is a reunion party for my summer camp, and I’m looking forward to connecting with campers, parents, and staff. We’ll be doing crafts, playing games, eating, remembering last summer through videos and slide shows, and having an assembly, just like we have at camp, complete with…
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Remembering
Today is Day 22 of my Happiness Hacks series. I’m visiting my parents this weekend, and today’s happiness hack was working on my dad’s autobiography with him. About ten years ago, inspired by a friend who had written a book about his life for his kids and grandkids, my dad decided to do the same.…
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A Strong “No”
Today is Day 21 of my Happiness Hacks series. Although today’s happiness hack sounds negative, I’ve found that part of getting my happy mojo back requires shedding tasks that are weighing on me and no longer fit with my priorities. As I look back over my life, I see the continual adding of new responsibilities without the…
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Happiness 9-1-1 Playlist
Today is Day 20 of my Happiness Hacks series. I’ve been really enjoying listening to podcasts lately, and one of my favorites is Happier with Gretchen Rubin. Yesterday I listened to Episode 87, which was a live recording in Seattle featuring people’s “Happiness 9-1-1” songs as well as their “manifestos” about life, work, family or…
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Create a “Refuel” List
Today is Day 19 of my Happiness Hacks series. One of my over-arching reasons for doing this series was to get myself back on track and feeling more positive after a season (decades?) of too much work and not enough rest. I’ve been much more mindful about how I’m feeling. I’ve also been thinking a lot more…
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Celebrate my Daughter
Today is Day 18 of my Happiness Hacks series. October 18 is a special day for me, because 21 years ago, my beautiful daughter was born. Today’s happiness hack is celebrating her! Because she’s away at college, I’m celebrating her from afar today (but visiting tomorrow to take her to dinner!). The celebration started with an…
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Walk my Dog
Today is Day 17 of my Happiness Hacks series. An upside to the flat tire currently being repaired on my car is that I’m at home all day today getting several small projects done. Although I felt like working non-stop, I took a quick 15 minute break to walk my dog Kate. The air was fresh after…
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Two Minute Activities
Today is Day 16 of my Happiness Hacks series. Today’s hack came to me via my Facebook feed. Big Brother Facebook knows the kind of articles I like to read, so tempting links conveniently pop-up as suggestions and side-track me from other more productive things I could be getting done. This one, titled “Do these exercises for…
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