My Happiness Project

One of my goals for my 30th year is to live my life to the fullest and enjoy every second. One of my fabulous gifts at my surprise party was a copy of Gretchen Rubin’s The Happiness Project from my sassy sister. Rubin wrote the book chronicling year-long journey toward happiness. While I am just beginning the book, Rubin has already inspired me to start my own project. Each month, I am going to try to achieve a new goal centered on the main goal of becoming “happy”.

The first thing Rubin did was set some personal commandments. So following with that, today, it’s time to set my personal commandments:

1. Always be real – to myself and to others.
2. Tell the truth…always!
3. Do good, feel good.
4. Don’t sweat the small stuff!
5. Count my blessings & enjoy the little moments in life!
6. Don’t worry, be happy!
7. Stop being so self conscious. Be true to myself and not worry what others think!
8. Relax!
9. Make time for me; don’t be afraid to say no to others!
10. Eliminate the negativity – be it attitude, people or things!

These are not individual goals but more a philosophy on how I want to live my life- a new attitude for a new decade! Thursdays seem to be a good day to reflect so each Thursday I am going to try to blog about my progress. Next week, I will be talking about the goal for the upcoming month that will center on increasing my energy and overall vitality.

Until next time,
Fabulous KT

Learning how NOT to be perfect

Reading has always been my escape – my way to relax and head off to another world. That being said, I tend to look for works that inspire me or make me feel something while still being fresh and enjoyable. However, every so often I also try to read something with a little more substance that can help me grow or learn something new. Super Girls Speak out: Inside the Secret crisis of Overachieving Girls by Liz Funk was the latest book that really made me think about myself and my journey toward personal acceptance. This ethnographic-memoir-self-help book talks about the increasing number of girls who are striving to be perfect in every sense of the word. From overbooked social calendars to chart-topping grades to having the perfect hair color, girls (and grown women) are placing high, sometimes unrealistic expectations on themselves and feeling the pressure. The book is probably geared more toward college-aged girls than my more “mature” self. But I found the book fascinating. Even though I am a bit older than most of the girls covered in the book, I could totally relate to the feelings of insecurity and self-driven pressure to be the best. Whether it is having the “perfect” body or the “best job”, perfectionism spans the generations. The stories of harried high school life brought me back to my own teenage years when being popular, smart and beautiful were top priorities. I could still relate to many experiences even in my post-collegiate “grown up” life. I’d like to say I’ve “grown” out of the perfection model, but that would be a lie. Perfectionism is something that lives deep within me. I am working on accepting my flaws and learning to love the life I live instead of coveting a “better” one. Funk gave some interesting insight to a world I know too well and reminded me that I am not alone. While being the best is not always a bad thing to strive for, it is not the end-all, be-all of life. Our flaws and mistakes are what shape us and make us individuals. There is nothing wrong with striving to do more, but sometimes it’s good to stop and breathe. This is a definite recommended read for any woman who’s ever struggled with what it’s like to never be satisfied.