Happiness Project

Sasha Pivovarova for Club Monaco 2012

"I had everything I could possibly want - yet I was failing to appreciate it.  Bogged down in petty complaints and passing crises, weary of struggling with my own nature, I too often failed to comprehend the splendor of what I had." 

"What a wonderful life I've had! I only wish I'd realized it sooner." - Colette  

"How could I let go of everyday annoyances to keep a larger, more transcendent perspective?" 

"One of my goals for the happiness project was to prepare for adversity - to develop the self-discipline and the mental habits to deal with a bad thing when it happened. The time to start exercising, stop nagging . . , was when everything was going smoothly.  I didn't want to wait for a crisis to remake my life" 

"Exercise for sanity not vanity" 

"If you do it for other people, you end up wanting them to acknowledge it and to be grateful and to give you credit.  If you do it for yourself, you don't expect other people to react in a particular way."  

"I have an idea of who I wish I were, and that obscures my understanding of who I actually am" 

"You've always had this desire for legitimacy, and you'll have it forever.  It's probably why you went to law school."  

"I ignored options that, no matter how enticing they might be for other people, weren't right for me." 

"Challenge and novelty are key elements to happiness" 

"People don't notice your mistakes as much as you think" 

"One reason that challenge brings happiness is that it allows to to expand your self-definition.  You become larger. . .  Research shows that the more elements that make up your identity, the less threatening it is when any one element is threatened" 

"Between the ages of 20 and 40 we are engaged in the process of discovering who we are, which involves learning the difference between accidental limitations which it is our duty to outgrow and the necessary limitations of our nature beyond which we cannot trespass with impunity" - W.H. Auden 

"I was confident enough to take criticism graciously and able to respond without attack or self-justification."   

"There are times in the lives of most of us when we would have given all the world to be as we were but yesterday, though that yesterday had passed over us unappreciated and unenjoyed" - William Edward Hartpole Lecky 

"Knowing what you admire in others is a wonderful mirror into your deepest, as yet unborn, self" 

"The things that go wrong often make the best memories"

Favorite quotes from "The Happiness Project"  

Be Parisienne

Last week I found this article that I've been meaning to share, as it relates to this whole Project Happiness of mine:  http://www.cnn.com/2011/12/07/travel/five-paris-lessons/index.html

Five Lessons Learned From Living In Paris

"Before I lived in Paris, I would go through life on autopilot. . .

Paris taught me not how to just exist, but to thrive and make every small moment meaningful."

1. Live a passionate life

2. Cultivate an air of mystery

3. Look presentable always

4. Don't forget the simple pleasures 

(and do not deprive yourself)

5. Make life a formal affair

I thought this was wonderful because I had spent 5 weeks in Paris studying abroad, and I barely took the time to appreciate it's beauties until I started reminiscing about it.  I remember the first time our tour guide took us to see the Eiffel tower from the Palaice de Chaillot, where the view was breathtaking.  I remember the gorgeous view of the city from the Sacre Coeur atop the Montmarte Hill.  I remember running down the streets of Paris to class, holding big sketch boards, and dropping by the same cafe to pick up the same strawberry tart and cafe latte each morning.  I recall people enjoying their lattes and staring at me, probably scoffing "Ah, un-notha Ah-meh-rican gurl en Pah-ri."  I recall shopping around the Champs-élysées and purchasing my first Chanel purse.  Paris was also the place where I developed my love for wine.  If I could slow it all down, I would relive those 5 weeks with more passion.  And that is the end of that for now.

Fast forward a couple years later, I stumbled onto this link and sent it to all my sisters as my "bridal shower inspiration."  I still love it.  So bookmarking it here.  Vintage Paris and Peonies. 

http://www.heavenlybloomsblog.com/2010/08/french-inspired-bridal-shower.html

And the whole point of this, was just to say that I wanted to add another thing  to my to-do list: Project Remodeling: redecorate my vanity table area and office - parisienne inspired, on a budget!  Meaning, I will try to paint, reupholster, and all that fun stuff.  Limited to these 2 areas because those are the only places I have jurisdiction over, everything in our apartment has to be androgynous.  It will be something fun and mindful to do this break.  It'll get my creative juices flowing after such a long semester of brain wringing!  

Au Revoir!

yoga

via Pinterest

After 9 hours of sitting at my desk and stressing over finals today, I took a breather and tried out my new Yoga DVD that came in the mail earlier today.  I laid out my yoga mat in front of the TV, closed the curtains, and turned off all the lights so only the glimmer from the string of Christmas lights wrapped around our cute 4 ft noble fir modestly lit up the room.  As I started with the sun salutation pose and paid close attention to my breathing, I started to inhale the aroma of pine and felt the warmth of Christmas sink deep into my core.  The stress in my body slowly evaporated from my heart. . .

Ahhh. . . this is my Ashram.  

Project Happiness: Exercise

Chapter 1: Boost Energy

Goal: Find a daily exercise regimen I enjoy 

Lately, I've noticed my diet consists of a lot of binge snacking, unhealthy big meals, and wine and beer drinking after a long day, resulting in weight gain, resulting in lack of energy, resulting in moodiness.    

So yesterday I decided to work out to the 20 minute Jillian Michael's DVD, starting all over at Level 1 (mind you I had already progress to Level 2 months ago).  After 5 minutes, I wanted to quit.  I realized aerobics or anything that involves intense movement is not for me.  I managed to push myself through it, but this was not going to be a routine I can naturally build into my schedule.  I just dreaded it too much.  Bikram Yoga is too far of a drive, too expensive, and I was just too out of shape to withstand the heat.  So I ordered a Yoga DVD on Amazon to arrive Monday.  We'll give that a test drive.     

Every Saturday morning the BF and I would laze around and eat breakfast and then watch HGTV until I fall asleep again or until I feel ready to go into the office and study the day away.  Today, I decided that we take advantage of living near the beach and near downtown and take a walk to have breakfast.  It was so nice!  We walked 2.25 miles and stopped by a Jamba Juice to take a shot of wheat grass (because it's supposed to be a good form of detox or something) and then ate outdoors at La Creperie.  We walked back another 2.25 miles and here I am enjoying my nice cup of homemade espresso latte to study the rest of the day.  We've decided to make this part of our routine!

Long Beach @ 10am

2 shots of wheat grass

Perfected the art of espresso making

It's a start :)

the Happiness Project

via Pinterest

I am finally in the midst of finals and have put away the stress of juggling part time work, a full load of classes and interviewing and networking to land the ideal job.  It feels good to have won that uphill battle and start the new war of acing my finals and really wrapping up the semester with a bang.

As the warmth of Thanksgiving has passed and the coziness of Christmas music and lights is starting to blanket the cities, I have really been thinking about how extremely fortunate to be exactly where I am at this point in my life.  Although I sometimes feel as though I have been running around like a headless turkey trying to survive each semester (not only to stay alive but to lay out the rest of my future), I have gone to bed each night feeling blessed in so many ways.  I do feel that I am where I want to be career-wise because of all the energy I put into planning and implementing.  But where have all the years gone?  1% of the time, I make plans with all the ambition and enthusiasm of an uninhibited child and then I spend  98% of the time implementing those plans inhibited by the pressures of life. . . holding my breath, trying not to sink, swimming for my life until I finally reach the next island . . . all so I can catch my breath for air and spend the remainder of that 1% celebrating on that island; all this so I can start over and plan how to get to next island.  What happens in the end is I have managed to "travel the world" yet I have lost my youth along the way.  Yes, the cliche "it's the journey not the destination" is what I'm getting at.  So my point is this:  This new year, I plan to learn how to old my breath underwater and enjoy the view :)

I stumbled across this website: http://www.happiness-project.com/happiness_project/ via Forbes Woman and ordered the book and the journal so I can start this growing process.  THIS is the manifestation of my attempt at implementing a resolution of building myself personally and spiritually.

I have 2.5 weeks before the semester is over and I am 83% of the way through law school!  Then comes a wonderful month long of doing anything I want!  No work, no school, no anything!  I really plan to soak up this me-time!

Winter Break Plan
1.  Read more
2.  Blog often
3.  Bikram Yoga                              
4.  Bar Prep Plan
5.  Mini Getaway with the BF
6.  Plan Graduation Vacation
7. (@12/10) Remodel Vanity and Office area

I'll add on to the list as it comes to me. . .
Nonetheless, what comes after this wonderful break is 2012 : the end of my professional student life and the beginning of my professional career!

A.  (Jan-May) Final Semester + Graduation!
B.  (Jun-Jul) Excruciating Pain of Studying for the Bar + Taking the Bar!
C.  (Aug-Sept) Vacation + Lazing around in Freedom
D.  (October-...) Start of my Career!

I can see all this just flash before my eyes!  Next thing you know I'll have a list of things to do before I turn 30!  I am slowly blossoming out of my cocoon.  However, this coming year I plan to be mindful of each day because "the days are long, but the years are short."