Be Happy

Hi, my name is Justin Lizada. I will be posting happy moments on here to share.

[jclizada]

Maui Matsuri 2019

This past weekend I performed at Maui Matsuri 2019 at the UH Maui College with the Maui Dance Klub. It was a great experience. 

Our first songs was Oh! by Girls’ Generation. We had a couple more members for the MV shoot but they could not make it to the performance, so we had to fill in the gaps. I think it turned out pretty good still.

This one is our Kpop Mix for the Spring 2019. The songs used were:

Miroh - Stray Kids

La Vie en Rose - IZ*ONE

Simon Says - NCT127

Bomb Bomb - KARD

Gotta Go - Chungha

Boy with Luv - BTS

And lastly, some of the members even participated in a fashion show which was really great using clothes inspired by Kpop groups. They all did wonderful.

[jclizada]

“The Happiness Project” by Gretchen Rubin

December - Boot camp perfect: Happiness

           This is the last blog post and it will not be that long because for December, it is about trying to put all that we learned into one month. Of course, I did this within one and a half months, so I sort of did the same thing. I tried my best to keep all the tasks that I can throughout the project. Because I was pressed for time and some personal inconveniences came up, I was not able to do utilize all of them within a day or even a week.

            I honestly really liked this project, so even though I did what I could within the time limit, I plan to re-read this book and actually try it again for the year, just like she did. I might also try another type of happiness project type book or one of the other readings that was suggested. I like how even with the short time; I actually do feel a bit happier than I already was. I was not exactly happy, nor was I depressed. I felt more in the middle, still trying to figure things out but feeling happy about what I am doing now. I realized that some of the activities and tasks that I put for myself to be happy, was some of the same ones that she suggested for her happiness project, and I am happy to read that I started out already trying to be happy. It made this project a bit easier to do, seeing as I already did some of the activities that I did to be happy. I hope to post more on this blog but in my own time, with my own experiences.

           And with that, this is the end of the book but not the end of my happiness project.

[jclizada]

“The Happiness Project” by Gretchen Rubin

November - Attitude

          We are almost to the end with attitude in November. A positive attitude is what we had to have throughout this whole happiness project, but now we are going to focus on it. Positive thoughts lead to positive feelings, that lead to positive actions, back to positive thoughts, and so on in that cycle. It is what they teach you when you are a kid and it is true and it makes you happier.

          Laughing is the best medicine and what better way to feel happier than to just laugh out loud. We are not talking about the pity laugh kind of thing when you do not want to be rude, but the kind that hurt your sides because you just let go of your inhibitions and laugh your head off. Laughter is about feeling good and when you laugh, other people laugh, and everyone just feels better and happier in the moment.

          Using good manners is a good way to feel happy. Why should you find a way to make an argument of everything, even in a topic that you are not well versed in? It is better just to let people have their own opinions. It is also about common courtesy and kindness, knowing that it is a good thing to let others take your seat in a crowded bus or subway, or offering help, even if it looks like they are not struggling with anything.

          Next, we should give positive reviews. This is practically saying to say good things to people and yourself about what they or you do. Do not be hard on yourself or others. People respond well to positive feedback.

          Lastly, find an area of refuge. When you are feeling down or just need a break, a mental area of refuge is great place to think about. This is sort of like a safe space where you just think of good things that make you happy, so that you may continue forward. Rubin indicated that when we drift into our thoughts, we tend to think of things that make us feel anxious or angry. And area of refuge lets us think of other thoughts, so we do not need to feel anxious or angry from thoughts we can not control. Like I mentioned earlier, positive thoughts, to positive feelings, to positive actions, back to positive thoughts, and so on.

[jclizada]

“The Happiness Project” by Gretchen Rubin

October - Mindfulness

          October is about being more mindful and paying attention to the present. We should all understand that to be happy, you also need to be present and not worry so much about what happens next but what you can do now.

          First, meditate on koans. “A koan is a question or a statement that can’t be understood logically,” is how Rubin stated it in the book. I think that was the best way to explain it. This is about abandoning the way you think and sort of like thinking outside the box. She mentioned that it is a Buddhism meditation to abandon dependence and gain enlightenment. I do not fully understand it but I try to pick one of her favorites to understand a bit better. Virginia Woolf: She always had the feeling that it was very, very dangerous to live even one day. I thought that this was interesting because I relate to it a bit in the sense that I try not to go out of my comfort zone and that things would go wrong if I even tried, so I tend not to.

          Examine true rules in the sense that these rules should always be true to yourself. There are like personal rules that you should always follow, sort of like a motto. Some of Rubin’s were that her children are her most important priority and getting work done every day. These are very helpful and I made some for me too. I am not going to post all but a couple are:

·         Put myself first

·         It is okay to turn people down

·         Start early

          Stimulate the mind in new ways. You should try new things every once in a while to make yourself aware of what is going on in the present. This is about doing something not as a regular hobby but doing something that you would like to try. Drawing is one of the activities she tried to do and she showed a couple pictures of her progress. It was interesting to see how much improvement showed for a few classes. For me, I like to try new crafts that I have not tried. I mentioned in my last post that I actually tried using resin for the first time. I am still not that good using it but there was significant improvement from my first try, so that is a good thing and it made me more aware of what to look for next time.

        Last is to keep a food diary. This one is actually just her being mindful of what she eats. Though I may not be mindful right now of what I eat, hopefully I remember this for when I am older and try my best to eat healthier.

[jclizada]

“The Happiness Project” by Gretchen Rubin

September - Books (Passions)

          September is about pursuing a passion. Rubin’s passion was books so her goals for this month are not going to be the same for mine. I also have a few different passions that I would like to pursue or at least work on a bit more.

          The first goal for Rubin was to write a novel. Of course, this was over the span of one month and she wrote 1,667 words a day. Writing is not my passion, nor am I going to write a book, especially when I did not even if I started when I began this project, I barely would have made it. For me, I decide to use dancing as a passion. It is true that I never danced before I joined the Maui Dance Klub, but since I started, I really enjoy it. I do not see myself in this profession, but it is a really fun hobby to do.

          Next, is to make time. School has been kicking my butt this semester, but I still find time to practice here and there. When I am at work and it is slow, walking to class, or just waiting in my car at a stoplight, I try to commit my moves to muscle memory. I do not have to go all out, but at least know what comes next, this way when I go to practice again, I am able to know the moves better. It does not help my dancing, but it does help me identify what to work on when I am there.

          Forget about results is what is next to pursue a passion. I like to dance to my own things as well. I do not always get to dance at practice because I am not in a lot of them, so I try to do something on my own. This helps me feel like I am able to learn on my own without worrying about what I look like or getting better. I do this for myself and do not necessarily have a time stamp on when to get it done.

          Lastly, master a new technology. Dancing does not require a lot of technology. So, I am using this last goal as a master a new craft. I always love making things and when I see something cool that anyone can make themselves, I like to try it myself. Recently, I tried using resin, and it was a bit of a disaster. It is hard to get rid of all the bubbles, especially the really tiny ones if you do not have the right tools. It also did not help that my printer was out of ink and I did not have a replacement cartridge, so I was not able to print more images. Luckily, I was able to get a few prints of something and I had three tries. The first had many bubbles and I looked up tutorials on how to get rid of them. I tried a couple but there was still a linger of really tiny bubbles that I was not able to get rid of, but I made the other two and chose which is the best to give to my friend. Hopefully she likes it.

[jclizada]

“The Happiness Project” by Gretchen Rubin

August - Eternity

          August is about contemplating the heavens; it is about eternity. This month is talking about understanding your life spiritually and being thankful about all that is in your life.

          The first task she writes about is read memoirs of catastrophe. This sounds a bit morbid to actually read these types of texts, but it is actually a way to make you feel more grateful about what you do have. The authors of those readings want you to know that things could be worse and that you should know what you have before it is gone. They wrote them so that you may be more grateful for what has not happened. I have read some types of reading and I do think that it makes me feel bad but also allows me to appreciate what I do have and the people that care about me. A lot of things could be worse for me and I did not realize it until reading those.

          Next is to keep a gratitude notebook. Keeping track of what you are thankful for helps you be more appreciative towards it. One setback Rubin encountered was that writing something everyday made it seem more like a chore. She found that writing in it a couple times a week rather than every day when there is something grateful to write about makes you think about it more and feel happier. I actually started one this year. It was actually one of those prompt books from Barnes and Noble that I picked up and wanted to try out. So far, it does help me. However, I do have to write in it everyday and Rubin was right about it feeling like an annoyance. I do cheat a bit by skipping a few days and writing something from each day for each prompt. That way it is still on schedule but I do not have to worry about writing every day. This is the book I got.

          Lastly, imitate a spiritual master. By this, Rubin means to try to live the way that they did and find the happiness that they found. Honestly, I could not find a spiritual master to imitate because I am not a very spiritual person. I do believe in God and was raised in a Catholic family, but I believed in just being a good person and choosing what I believe was right and wrong. There was one entry from one of Rubin’s blog readers that they follow nature as a spiritual teacher. It was short and she explained that she felt we can learn a lot through nature if we listened and watched from them. I thought this was a really interesting thought and would try this. I could go out hiking and just listen to the trees and animals and try to learn from them rather than a person.

[jclizada]

“The Happiness Project” by Gretchen Rubin

July - Money

          We have reached the half way point in the book. Yay. July is about how money can buy happiness. Of course, there is that saying, “Money cannot buy happiness,” which Rubin does acknowledge in this chapter, but Rubin figures that it can buy happiness if spent wisely.

          The first is to indulge in a modest splurge. The modest part meaning that you can buy things that make you happy and to know what is enough to buy. Do not just buy material thing because you want them but buy them because you know you will get something out of it. One thing that Rubin mentions is that she bought a combination glue/sealer/finish for her crafts but she never had time to start. Another note is to buy things that make you happy. Rubin bought a series of books that give her joy, even by looking at them so, splurging for yourself is not that bad either. Just as long as you do not try it all the time and spend wisely. I bought myself a camcorder not too long ago for about $200 because I wanted something that has a long battery life and capture a lot of memories and is easy to use. It is a great purchase for me and I would also like to get a DSLR camera for great pictures when I have the money for it

          Next is to buy needful things. Rubin identifies two types of people being the underbuyer and overbuyer. Underbuyers usually buy things based on short term use but overbuyers like to buy a lot at once. I am an overbuyer as I tend to enjoy knowing I have something I could use in the future. Rubin also found that if you overbuy, you go to the store less frequently. That is the reason for me, I do not like to go shopping often, so going to Costco and Walmart at least once a month is usually good for me. Another two categories are the satisficers and maximizers. Satisficers are okay with purchases as long as they fit their needs and maximizers like to weigh many options at once. People are often a mix within different topics, and I am mostly a maximizer because I like to be sure I get my money’s worth for the item. Especially if it is something I need and do not want to buy another.

          Spending out is about making use of your time and money. It means to make things worthwhile. Rubin found items in her house and knew it would be cheaper to just replace them than to fix them or to use them when they do not work properly. The other thing is when she was watching a movie, she debated if rewatching a scene would be a waste of time but knew that it would be enjoyable for her and worthwhile. I think I should try this more as I like to rewatch my favorite show and episodes but always think I should try watching newer content. They are my favorite for a reason.

          Lastly, is to give something up, as in give up a habit or buying something, not in the give away something. Something I am trying to give up is getting take out so much. It is fast and easy to buy, especially when I do not have time to make anything or have place to keep it if it needs refrigeration. I do have a lunchbox cooler but that keeps it cold for so long and sometimes I am out all day. Another thing is soda. I actually have done a great job in this, as I have good self-control with sugary drinks because I enjoy cold water instead. I do enjoy a soda or juice once in while though.

[jclizada]

“The Happiness Project” by Gretchen Rubin

June - Friendships

          Friendships contribute a lot to happiness. When you are around other people that you get along with, bonds become stronger and you are happier. Friends share your interests and opens you to new experiences.  Friends are a big part of my life and I always cherish them.

          A small way to strengthen friendships is to remember birthdays. You do not need to do something extravagant for everybody, especially for those you do not keep in close contact with, but something small like sending an email sending wishes and a positive message for their birthday. Facebook keeps tracks of birthdays, so it is easier to know. I usually thought it felt impersonal to write, “Happy Birthday!” on Facebook but I understand that even that makes people happy. It is actually a close friend’s birthday in a couple weeks, and I plan to throw a small party for her with some close friends.

          Being generous in general is a good way to be happy. People say that even when you do something for someone else, that you still are doing it for yourself. You do things to make yourself feel good. There is nothing wrong with that because what is wrong about also feeling good about doing something for someone else. It is not like I expect anything materialistic, I just like to feel good and happy that I was able to help, which is why a lot of people enjoy helping others, it is a source of happiness for themselves.

          There were a few sub-tips on how to be generous. They were to help people think big, bring people together, contribute in your own way, and cut people slack. You can help people think big by just encouraging them to follow their dreams. Bring people together by introducing them to others with similar interests. Contribute your own way by using your own skills to help others. And understand that you do not know what goes on in other peoples lives. Cut them some slack and think of why they would do something rude or mean and know they might be going through a rough time right now.

          Just the act of showing up is a big way to maintain friendships. As we grow up, it becomes harder to have free time and to just relax. It is even harder to be able to find time to hand out with friends as schedules are too different from work, school, or having a family. It is understandable that we are not able to be there for everything and stay the whole time, but just showing up for a bit to catch says a lot and gives the chance to be able see those we have not seen in a while. Once in a while, I try to find a bit of time to even just stop by my parent’s house for a few minutes before work and the same goes for friends.

         A big part of for happiness should be to stop gossiping. Rubin points out that traits that we gossip about other people may have them attribute those back onto us. That means that if we were to say how someone may have a negative trait, the person we said that to may unintentionally associate that kind of trait back to us, this also applies with positive traits. We all love some kind of juicy gossip, but we should instead be trying to talk positively about others. This is hard for me as well and I will try my hardest to talk about the better traits of others instead.

          This last one is a bit harder to do, this is to make three new friends. Of course, I make a few new friends every semester through classes, but it is a bit difficult to try make new friends on my own. It is easier to be in a place where I can see them often, like school or work. This month however, I have not made any new friends due to being busy, but that doe not mean I do not stop making friends. I enjoy getting to know people through school and work.

[jclizada]

“The Happiness Project” by Gretchen Rubin

May - Leisure

          May is all about taking the time to have fun even for just a moment and take time for yourself to do thing that you enjoy. It is about having the free time to do whatever you want to do. This was a good chapter, I really enjoyed it.

           One way is to find more fun. This is about figuring out what you like to do for fun. It should not be what other people find fun. In the book, Rubin asks for advice on her blog and realizes that even though the activities that other people do are indeed fun, that does not mean that it particular fits into her idea of fun. And that is okay, everyone is different and people enjoy different things. Some people even struggled to know for sure what they find fun because they do what others expect them to enjoy. That is fine, but they need to sit down and really do something that they enjoy and that they genuinely feel happy doing without worrying about some kind of reward or recognition. I enjoy playing video games, especially with friends. I love to play party games and multiplayer games so that everyone can join in. I also enjoy sleeping, even though that does not seems like an actual activity, I enjoy when I dream. And I also love to craft and make things with my hand. I give them as gifts to people once I finish if I do not have a place to put them but making them is the fun part.

          Second is to take the time to be silly. My friends and I already tend to do this a lot. We love to joke and do weird things when we hang out that it just feels like a great way to have fun. We are silly with each other because we have a safe, no judgement kind of place where we can be who we are. I am sure a lot of people are like this and I am glad that we live in a place where it is not very judgmental.

          Going off the path leads to exciting adventures. I have to admit that I was not able to complete this, but I do this every once in a while, with good company when I have time. When friends or family that are out-of-state come back to visit, we try to do things we never did before so that they have something to remember until next time. We go hiking or go on a road trip somewhere we have not been or eat at a different restaurant. It is a great way to keep things fresh and have new memories.

          Lastly, start a collection. There are a lot of things that people collect. Some like to collect for completing a set and then there are others who just have the desire to have them. I am the second one as I collect a couple of things and I would like to have more. The pictures below show I have tsum tsums, which are a kind of Disney plush in various sizes. These are the small ones that I have shown but I also have a big pillow sized Stitch, from the Disney movie “Lilo and Stitch.” And the other picture is of my amiibos, and they are collectible figures that you can use on certain Nintendo games to help you through the game or just to unlock cool items. I do not really use them, I just like having the characters I like because I think they are cool.

[jclizada]

“The Happiness Project” by Gretchen Rubin

April - Parenthood (Kids)

          April is another month to deal with family, specifically kids. I do not have kids of my own, but I visit my nieces and nephews all the time. And sometimes, I am visited by them as well when my older siblings bring them over to my home. I actually do some of these things with them already.

          First, is singing in the morning. This one is not just in the morning, but a way to make a kids’ argument more fun. When you sing to them, they respond to them a bit better and are more likely to do what is asked of them. Singing is just a fun way to talk to them.

          With kids, it’s important to understand that they also need their feelings to be heard and validated just like adults. Rubin has found that we should not say “no” or “stop” and instead it in a way that shows you understand what they want but that you do not know have a reason to do it. Another thing to do when they are upset is that you do not always need to say anything, and actions speak louder than words. So, giving them a hug helps a lot without saying anything. I tried this before and sometimes my nieces are too upset and they struggle a lot but they still enjoy a hug every now and then.

          Being a treasure house of memories makes it easier to remember good times. It is hard though, to keep track of a lot of things and Rubin wanted something more convenient and inexpensive to keep them in. Files boxes are what she came up with and I think that is a great idea. When I have time to actually sort through my photos, I am thinking of also grabbing a box but I do also have a few photo albums that I have. Photo albums are a good solution too but I understand that not every picture makes it into one and not all pictures should be kept in a photo album, so file boxes are a great way to keep all pictures and it is a great storage saver as well.

          Last tip is to take time for projects. This is not about school projects but family projects, such as planning for birthday parties and keeping up with traditions. Kids grow up so fast and time together become shorter. From the last month, I learned to enjoy the process, and that is what I should do with this. The time spent planning and doing the project should be enjoyed as well because the party or tradition will last for a few hours, but we could have more fun leading up to it as well. I did not have any kind of project this week but I will keep this in mind when I helping my family with events.

[jclizada]

“The Happiness Project” by Gretchen Rubin

March - Work

          The focus on March is work. Work is a big part in life, and it should be an area that you could feel happy with. What you do should be a place you could feel like you can continuously improve without feeling overwhelmed or tired from it. Work is something you should work hard at yet it should be able to make you happy a lot of time rather than some of the time.

          The first task Rubin did was to launch a blog. Rubin was looking for a new job after law and she wanted to be a writer. Launching a blog was so that she can get a bit of practice of getting her writing out there and opening herself up to criticism. I started this blog for school but I also thought it was a great way to get my own feelings out there and share experiences from my life. I plan on continuing this after my project is over, but I will probably be posting less frequently. For Rubin, launching a blog was for work, but I am unsure what I want to do after I graduate. I think a blog is a great way to just reflect on yourself.

          Enjoy the fun of failure seems like a weird saying, but Rubin says, “In order to have more success, I needed to be willing to accept failure.” I thought this was a great quote to include because it sums the section to me. We should be understanding that not everything will be a success and we will have a lot of failures yet if not trying at all will guarantee that we fail. I will do my best to keep this in mind in what I do and even in hobbies that I take up because I will not always be good at it, but I should do it for me and accept criticism from others.

          Asking for help does not seem that hard, although some of us might be too proud or believe that we can do things on our own. I, personally, have no problem asking for help. Sometimes, I just do not want to bother anyone with my problem or those I ask do not want to help me. A family member of mine in particular, I would ask if they could help me, but they usually would tell me to look it up or something which really hurts me because I feel that it would go smoother if they could help me in case I have questions or something. If they do not want to, I do not want to force them, so I try to figure it out or I ask someone else. There is other people who might know how to help.

         Next, is to work smart. Of course, a lot of us want to be able to make work feel less like work and to spend less time worrying about it. One of the tips were to basically spread out the workload. We tend to overestimate the time it takes to do something. Rubin found that doing a bit throughout the week makes it easier to get work done. She even gives a bit of extra time each day to do a few easier work tasks, such as replying to emails or making phone calls. I did this and it did make my workload feel smaller at the end of the week when something was due. At the same time, I was not able to finish everything but that is my fault as unforeseen circumstances happened and I forgot about what was due. I will work a bit better on this.

          The last one is to enjoy now. This was about the fact that we usually think that our goals is when we will be happy. It is not just about the goal, it is also about the journey to the goal that we should enjoy. My goal right now is to graduate with a degree. School has been hard and I cannot wait when I am finished, but that does not mean that I do not enjoy getting there. I have a great group of friends to get me through, I never would have joined the Maui Dance Klub, and I would not have the knowledge of the subjects I have taken. The journey might be hard now, but I know I will most likely miss it when I leave.

[jclizada]

“The Happiness Project” by Gretchen Rubin

February - Marriage pt. 2 (Family)

          The next half of February has two more sections. That is no dumping and give proofs of love. The first tip seems a little more towards romantic partners but still has good advice to relationships. By no dumping, she means that we should not dump our problems onto our significant other. While researching, she found out that men and women have different approaches to intimacy. The gist of is, women want to talk in face-to-face conversations and men just want to have someone close as company. So, when her husband asks her to watch a show with him, it doesn’t seem all that romantic until they get comfortable and snuggle together while watching. And by him not wanting to talk about her problems, she understands that maybe it is because he just does not wish to see her upset and thus, avoids it all together so that he sees her when she is happy.

           I understand this a bit better now. Not all men and women are the same though. Though, I am male, I would rather enjoy talking to someone than just working or playing with someone. I like to get to know someone and I enjoy talking. My brother and I do not get along that well because we are very opposite from each other and this is just another reason why that is. I always feel like talking to my siblings, but my brothers barely open up. But we always get along when we play games or watch movies together. If that is the case, I might not try so hard to talk to them anymore and just try to find things we have in common to bond over instead.

          The last tip of this month is to give proofs of love. This should be a given. You need to show love to those you care about, not just say it. No one can see the love you have inside you, so you need to express it to them. One of the proofs of love she did was plan a party for her mother-in-law and was thoughtful about what her in-law would want rather than what other people wanted to do. I am not very good at planning parties but I do my best and I think my friends and family appreciate the thought. I would just ask what they would like to do or what kind of theme and build around that. It is one of my best friends’ birthdays soon, so I am planning a small party for her right now. Hopefully it all goes well. I have no problem with this as I am an affectionate person and hug my family and friends, be sure to wave and say hi when I see them, and just do little things to show that I care for them. This is a picture of my parents and I after lunch.

[jclizada]

“The Happiness Project” by Gretchen Rubin

February - Marriage pt. 1 (Family)

           February’s virtue is marriage, but the title is to remember love. I am not married or have a partner right now, so I am going to focus on family for this chapter. It works out quite well as I think the notes she gives about this chapter works quite well in different types of relationships.

          First, is to quit nagging. I live with my brother and we always argue about who should do what and everything. I do not like to fight and one of the tips is to not force them to do something they do not want to do. It should be that I do something because I want to do it. Though, telling yourself that you want to do it will not change the way you feel about wanting help from the other person. I would clean a bit and hope that he would help but he does not and I just end up leaving it at that. But I did get the house cleaner, so that is something to be happy about.

          Next, is to not expect praise or appreciation. Sometimes, it is hard to do something you are proud of and no one shows gratitude for it. I show my family a dance that I learned with my club and they would criticize me a bit because I do not dance like the rest of them. I only started to dance a little under a year ago and I have made some improvement for someone who has never danced before, so I just thought they would let me know how good of job I have been doing. They did give me a little but I understand that they are trying to also give me constructive criticism.

           The next tip is hard to keep up, that is to fight right. Through Rubin’s experience, she also had a hard time fulfilling this pledge. This section meant so be sure to not take every fight so seriously and with anger. Do not snap at a person and be a little more lighthearted during arguments by being more joking and affectionate. That is hard to do when you do not want to feel like the bad guy or it is your fault. Even those little annoying habits could be a subject they do not want to talk about. As I said, my brother and I argue a lot but I try to make it more lighthearted. This is one of the tips that I think can see myself working on in the future with my family.

[jclizada]

“The Happiness Project” by Gretchen Rubin

January - Vitality pt. 2

           The next two sections for energy are more about getting organized, so that there is nothing that nags at you and feel too overwhelmed. It is about going through everything a little bit at a time rather than all at once and breaking big tasks into smaller pieces. The last is about how you act. Altogether, with the first two tips, it should help with having more energy for the rest of the chapters.

           First, toss, restore, and organize. My room used to be a mess. It still is a mess but now as much as before. I already did the decluttering of my room before this project, but this has helped in identifying how to organize my clutter and decide myself what to throw out and to keep. My closet is pretty organized right now but as I cleaned my floor, I found that I have just thrown them onto my desk. I used to just throw everything on my floor because I had no space or I felt a bit lazy to put it away properly. My desk has a bunch of cabinets that I utilized to organize everything, but once school started back up, I started to leave more on it and started to ignore putting things away. I will work a little bit more each day to put things back together and make it look cleaner.

This is my organized closet.

Vs. my messy desk.

           Next, is to tackle a nagging task. Trying to make a to-do list is not that hard but for me, it is more about remembering to write it down. Usually, when I think of a task, I’m either at work or driving and have to make a mental note to write it down. Once I get home, however, I tend to forget all the tasks I need to write down. I put my list on my phone because it is always on me. Sometimes I do remember to put the tasks down on my phone but there is always one or two that I know that I forgot and I try so hard to recall.

            Lastly, act more energetic. This one is really easy that you basically need to put it in your mind set to do tasks. When I feel tired about thinking of a task, I like to just lie down. At the very least, I lie down for a bit, then I get up and try to act more energetic to do a task. It does help once I start doing something.

            This was just the first chapter. It does help a bit with my energy, but I feel like this was meant to really be done throughout the year, so keeping all of these tips up, including the other chapters, will prove to be a bit difficult weekly instead of monthly, but I personally enjoy this and will still use these tips but slowly incorporate them after the semester ends

[jclizada]

“The Happiness Project” by Gretchen Rubin

January - Vitality pt. 1

           For the first week of my reading project, I will be splitting January in half. January’s subject is vitality. The term vitality means the state of being strong and active or energy. The first two tips for the month of January is to Go to sleep earlier and to Exercise better.

           Sleeping earlier makes it easier to wake up in the morning, especially if you wake up before your own alarm. Alarms make annoying sounds to wake someone up, which puts people in a foul mood at the start of the day. Though, with sleeping earlier, I have been waking earlier in the day, even if I do not get the full eight hours. It does help as I am more awake in the morning and full of energy. I have also been eating breakfast because I have been awake before the time I would have needed to leave the house. One thing that has not been working for me is that I still get tired during the day time but that might be my internal clock still adjusting to sleeping earlier, same goes for why I still may wake up before getting a full eight hours of sleep. A tip that really helped in going to bed earlier is to block off all lights and essentially make the room pitch black, even from lights of an alarm clock. Another tip is to do the nightly bed routine early, which I often did before, as I usually did homework before going to bed. Also, do not do anything that uses alert thinking, so doing my homework may be why I am usually awake at night.

           Second, exercise better. I do dance for the Maui Dance Klub at University Maui College at least once or twice a week. (See video above. Sorry, tumblr only allows me to upload videos through a video post.) This was during a public Kpop dance workshop to the song La Vie En Rose by the girl group IZ*ONE. Each practice is also about 2 to 3 hours. Through, Rubin’s studies in the book, she says just twenty minutes of walking a day or 10,000 steps should be enough to keep the body healthy. Like I said, I dance but on my full days off, however, I tend to stay inside to finish homework and may not get the exercise I need for those days. I believe I am doing fine with that at the moment. This could boost stamina and energy as it goes on. Another point is to even go outside and get some sun. Natural light is able to help keep someone awake.

           So far, this is going okay. I have more energy, but I am still adjusting my body to waking and sleeping early and struggling not to take naps, so I am able to sleep at night. I still have a few more tips to use this month to help on energy and I will talk about them in my next post. Hopefully, those will help more.

[jclizada]

“The Happiness Project” by Gretchen Rubin

Getting Started

This section is about Gretchen realizing one day that she would like to be happy. Though she has a great life, she believes that she could be happier than she is right now. It is the story of how she started to assemble this “happiness project” and how she can utilize it through out the year.

She has done a lot of research and reading and has come up with two important questions before starting. 1) Is it possible to make yourself happier? And 2) What is “happiness”? Of course this will be different for everybody. Not everyone will agree on what it means to be happy but can agree that everyone can be happier. That it is not about having depression so that you can be happy, but that you are able to make yourself happier than you are now. 

She started with Benjamin Franklin’s autobiography and his chart of thirteen virtues to cultivate. She knew that his will not be the same as hers so she adjusts them to her liking. She added and deleted them until she had a list. Then, she wanted to focus on a different subject each month, and her tasks would fit in each month. For the first month, she wants to boost energy so that it will be easier to do the tasks throughout the year. I think that would be great cause I could use it as well. Towards the end of the book, she states that though she did not realize it at first, but she wanted to do this to prepare. Prepare for the fact that one day she might not be able to do all things she wanted to do. She did not want there to be a negative reason to remake her life.

“The Happiness Project” is something that I am excited to tackle. She does note that not everyone will have the same definition of happiness or the same types of virtues. So, even though she will have great ideas for this project, I will change, add, or delete things as they pertain to me. The book also divides up each chapter by month. And this is reading project, so I will be going through this book fairly quickly. About 7 weeks to be exact. I will just go with the flow and see how this works out though. I also want to try put visuals up to go along with it but since I do not have one for this one because it is more of a narrative than a task, let me start with this picture of a puppy.