Happiness Planning // Guest Post

This is a guest post from the lovely Becky who blogs at A Beautiful Space. and is the co-author of Create Your Own Happy.

Coming into a New Year, happiness is on everyone’s mind.

We all want to be happier, don’t we?

Rather than wishing and hoping and waiting for a happier day, we need to understand we absolutely have the power to make each day happy – or at least a good bit of it happy.

‘Most of us are just about as happy as we make up our minds to be.’ William Adams (Adventurer)

Even if the day ahead seems gloomy, you must remember you are the designer, the painter and the sculptor of your own life to a large extent and it is super helpful to know this. If you have kids, teaching them this is really going to be very powerful.

The power of planning

As you plan your day think about balance – some of your happy activities might be social, some sporty, some might be relaxing. Do try to get a good balance of things in your day, Also plan when you are you going to do these activities rather than leaving it open and vague. Having definitive time slots and a thought out plan will stop you putting things off and make sure you get things done.  It may not sound fun but be being organised will definitely make you happy as it ensures you get the happy things done!

Activity

Each morning for the next week, try sitting down and plotting in your diary your happiness goals for the day. Planning in 3 things every day that you KNOW will make you happy and commit to doing them. Ideas could include phoning your best friend, playing your happy music playlist,  taking your dog for a long walk or watching your favourite TV show.

Why happiness planning works

Paul Dolan has spent a lifetime studying happiness. After lots of research he has come up with a brilliant happiness formula. He has found out ‘happy people pay attention to the everyday experiences that give them pleasure and purpose, then organize their lives so that they are doing more of those things. So there you go – simples, you just plan a day with lot of stuff in it that you know will make you happy and it will totally balance out any unhappy stuff you have to deal with!

Create your own happy by never just leaving it to chance or other people. You always have the power to create your own happy so start every day with a happiness plan. You are SO worth it.

You have the power to make every day have some HAPPY in it!

Becky Goddard-Hill who blogs at A Beautiful Space is the co-author of Create Your Own Happy a happiness boosting book for kids. Create your own Happy is full of activities and is a fun, interactive book. It was published in September 2018 by Harper Collins and is available from Amazon and all good bookshops.

Becky firmly believes that the principles of being happier work whether you are 5 or 105 and showing your kids you are in charge of your own happiness is brilliant role modelling!