The Seven Day Happiness Challenge Pt 2.

Hello! Welcome to part 2! In part one I provided a general synopsis on the key elements of happiness and began to briefly explained the steps  of the Happiness Challenge! [For your reference, here is a Link to Part 1] As promised in part one, I am going to provide a list of simple, yet over looked kind deeds one can do during the challenge in hopes to get your ideas flowing! I am also providing you with a Happiness Challenge Record Book I created for you to print out and use to track your progress for the duration of the challenge. (there's a preview at the bottom of the post)

How To Use This Record Book

Each day I have provided you with a quote that pertains to happiness, kindness or gratitude. How you chose to reflect is ultimately up to you, but I included these quotes that truly spoke to my heart  in hopes that you may spend some of your thinking time reflecting upon them. What do they mean to you in your life? What could you learn from them or put into practice in your everyday life? 

Mindful Reflection: Simply circle ‘yes’ or ‘no’ if you reflected that day. 

Act of Kindness: Be sure to record what kind deed or word you put out into the universe for the day!

Gratitude: List 3 things that you are grateful for that day. If it’s one of those days it can be as simple as ‘I’m grateful I woke up  today.’

Happiness Level: Circle a number from 0-10 that represents your overall happiness level for the day. Remember that circling ‘0’ does not necessarily mean you were depressed or sad, but maybe just devoid of any happiness. Think of ‘0’ as neutral and ’10’ as finding out you won the lottery. 

After downloading the Happiness Challenge Record Book, you can plot your numbers on the  scale and visually see your happiness increase each week!

Here is a list of kind deeds for you to implement:

Give up your seat 

Hold a door open for someone 

Give a (sincere) compliment 

Make someone laugh 

Give someone a hug 

Take time to really listen to someone 

Make someone new feel welcome 

Give directions to someone who's lost 

Have a conversation with a stranger 

Pick up litter as you walk 

Tell someone they mean a lot to you 

Let someone have your parking spot 

Read a story with a child 

Offer your change to someone struggling to find the right amount 

Treat a loved one to breakfast in bed 

Offer to help with someone's shopping 

Tell someone if you notice they're doing a good job 

Pass on a book you've enjoyed 

Say sorry (you know who to) 

Forgive someone for what they've done 

Visit a sick friend, relative or neighbor 

Buy an unexpected gift for someone 

Bake something for a neighbor 

Do a chore that you don't normally do 

Help out someone in need 

Offer to look after a friend's children 

Offer to mow your neighbor's lawn 

Donate your old things to charity 

Give food to a homeless person and  take time to talk with them 

Visit someone who may be lonely 

Give blood 

Get back in contact with someone you've lost touch with 

Organize a fundraising event 

Pay for the person behind you (toll, coffee, fast food,…)

Put a coin in an expired meter

Every time you buy a new clothing item, donate something

Send flowers to someone

While driving, let someone out/merge into your lane

Bake some healthy treats to bring in to work

Leave an extra generous tip

See what donations are needed at a local pet or women’s shelter

Invite someone over for dinner

Treat a friend to the movies or coffee

 Create motivational quote cards to leave in places

Sign up for a charity 5k

Ask for donations to your favorite charity instead of birthday/anniversary gifts

Text someone a motivational quote, funny joke, anything to show you are thinking of them

Call your parents and tell them you love them

The 7 Day Happiness Challenge

Wednesday on my half day off,  I watched the documentary "Happy" on my commute home from work and immediately knew I wanted to implement  the principles they discussed into my everyday  life. After spending the rest of Wednesday and part of today with my mind racing, reading into how to find (and keep) happiness and reflecting on what happy people do differently than those just "going through the motions" I developed a simple plan and a week long challenge that I hope will divulge the true meaning of happiness.

I am posting the challenge I created  to invite my readers to do the challenge with me! I'm starting Monday (because aren't those the days we need happiness the most !?). The challenge can be done with zero financial costs and shouldn't take more than a half hour each day.

The challenges primary focus is on these three things:

1. Mindfulness

2. Gratitude

3. Kindness and Joy

Mindfulness	Gratitude	Kindness and Joy
Do less, notice more. Many of us spend too much of our time focused either on the past or on the future, paying very little attention to what is happening right now. Practice being still for five minutes a day. When we're mindful we become more aware of our thoughts and feelings and are better able to manage them. Stay in the moment, meditate; reflect on yourself, and reflect on your compassion for others.	Be grateful: it’s about much more than saying thank you, it’s about not taking things for granted and building a sense of appreciation for all things in life. Take a minute at the end of each day and write down 3 things you are thankful for. In doing this, even on your worse days you will realize there is still positive to focus on. Express your gratitude and appreciation for the wonderful being that you are, for the many wonderful people and things that are present in your life—for being loved and loving.	Do kind things for others, as the saying goes, "if you want to feel good, do good." Do one kind thing for someone every day. This could be a compliment, a helping hand, a hug, a small gift or something else. Whatever it is, do it with a full heart. Ideally your acts of kindness should be different than the kind things you already do on a regular basis

I am attaching a template I made to track your progress on part 2 of this post, along with some recommendations for daily acts of kindness you can do. Many studies show whether it be a happiness journey, weight loss journey or academic journey, keeping records improves the likelihood of a goal's successful completion.

At the end of the 7 days, I'm going out to celebrate my accomplishment! Do you think you can make these practices part of your daily life? Are you willing to give happiness a try? I'll post a reply and let you know how I did!

Smile on!!!