The Happiness Project Experience - December
And just like that, we have come to the end of the year. I look forward to December all year for many reasons - Christmas, my birthday, and all the reflection and planning that the end of the year brings. Appropriately, the theme for this month’s happiness project was Onward.
I love this word and this idea. In addition to using the momentum from this year to plan and strategize for 2020, I also used this theme to wrap up and reflect on 2019 - to end the year strong.
My goals for December were:
Plan out my 20 for 2020
Finish planning my business goals for 2020
Decide on my word of the year for 2020
Formulate a habits/goals plan for the year
Decide on my word for the holidays
Write a reflection blog post on my 19 for 2019 list and the best books I’ve read in 2019
Do my end of the year wrap-up
For the first goal, I did come up with my 20 for 2020 list. I’ll be sharing it on a post early next year. Some of the goals are big, others less so, but I’m excited to see how they’ll make 2020 happier.
Second, I also finished planning my business goals for next year. I decided not to include any business goals on my 20 for 2020 list because I came up with a separate (and pretty comprehensive) goal plan. It covers most areas of my business - client, revenue, and education goals. As well as marketing and social media plans. I didn’t feel like my business goals fit in the rest of my 20 for 2020 list, because even though some are actual goals, others are just metrics and to-dos that I set just for myself.
Next, I decided on my word of the year. Now, this was a bit of an easy one, because I’ve known for months what my 2020 word of the year is going to be. It is… SUSTAINABILITY.
I was first inspired to pick this word after reading How to Give Up Plastic: A Guide to Changing the World, One Plastic Bottle at a Time. I also love how versatile the theme is. I’m not only going to work on making more sustainable choices to support the environment, but I’m also going to figure out how I can establish sustainable routines, habits, and relationships. This leads me to my next goal for December…
The fourth goal was to plan my habits and goals for the year as it relates to my theme - sustainability. There was quite a bit of overlap here between this planning and my 20 for 2020 list, but this was a bit broader. For example, in each month of 2020, I am going to purchase something that will allow me to either cut down on my total waste or switch to something that will be more sustainable for the environment. I am also going to read a book about some form of sustainability each month. So I made lists of the products and books that I already know are going to be part of my progress next year.
Fifth, I decided to come up with a theme for the holidays. This was something Gretchen Rubin talked about on her podcast last year. Since Thanksgiving was so late this year, and then my cat went missing for a week, I really only felt like I had two weeks to embrace the holiday spirit! But I did want to enjoy the time I had and tried to focus all of my energy with the theme… “dashing through the snow”. Life this holiday season was pretty crazy, and even though there weren’t any actual snowdrifts in my way, this theme helped me to get past the metaphorical ones and have fun along the way.
My sixth goal, to write a reflection blog post on my 19 for 2019 list and the best books I read in 2019, was completed. Both posts are up on the blog. I also ended up writing a post to summarize the 21 lessons I learned before I turned 21. I have been pretty consistent with 2 posts a month, but I pushed myself to get 5 done this month. I know that’s nothing for plenty of people, but I was glad I did it, and it was a reminder to me that if something is a priority, I’ll get it done.
Finally, I did my end of year wrap-up. This includes scanning all cards and notes that I received that had a special meaning (those with just a signature at the bottom normally just get tossed). I also do a quick declutter of my house, closet, and car, delete old messages, apps, notes, contacts, and people that I follow on social media. I try to do a clean sweep so that everything I am bringing into the new year is something that I want with me.
And there you have it. My 2019 happiness project is complete.
I don’t plan to continue my happiness project into the new year, although I may return to it at some point in the future. I will still be doing many other things to increase my happiness and using many of the other ideas that Gretchen Rubin suggests.
I have loved my time doing my happiness project - the ups and downs, the process, and the results. And I am also excited to move into the new year with all of the knowledge and skills I have gained in 2019. Here’s to all that lies ahead.
And, as Gretchen Rubin always says, Onward and Upward.
Until next time,