Taking Stock: Happiness Resolutions Progress Report

It's that time of year already!  Time to take stock and see how I did in keeping my New Year's Resolutions for 2010.  Here are the happiness resolutions I made this year, along with my progress.


MY HAPPINESS RESOLUTIONS:

1. Learn Something: Read in Spanish at least 15 minutes 5 times per week. -  I only partially met this resolution.  I did well with it for a few months at a time, but not consistently.  I did find other ways to learn Spanish throughout my week regularly, though, including doing online Spanish verb quizzes  when I had a spare few minutes, reading easy books in Spanish (like the Little Red Hen, the Three Billy Goats Gruff, and others from this series) with my daughter, listening to the Pimsleur language series in the car on the way to and from work, and listening to Spanish/English music CDs like Hop Skip & Sing Spanish.  I'm still planning to take a Spanish class this coming spring semester, because I'd really like to perfect my past-tense use and just generally improve my comprehension of fast speech.  

2. Be social: Start a girls’ night by June. - I did have a girls' night with my neighbors.  And I've definitely made some good friends this past year.  So, even though I don't have a regular girls' night, I do have pretty regular playdates and fun outings with friends, so I think the spirit of this resolution was met.  

3. Really listen: Interview at least 5 past clients about happiness amidst struggles. - This one is partially met.  I've interviewed 3 past clients and chatted with several other clients about interviewing soon.  I've really appreciated those interviews, and love learning from the parents of the children I work with.  This project has been really inspiring to me, making me more attentive to the quality of life of my clients, and adding a greater sense of purpose to my career.  

4. Cut the chaos: Tidy up the house for 10 minutes each night, every night. - This continues to be an ongoing battle for me.  But I do have to say that this past year has been the most tidy year in my home's history.  (Yikes, what does that say about my home's tidiness history?!)   I think the ideas of having my home be a reflection of things I truly love, of making my home organized to reduce stress, and of having regular times to sort/clean-out different areas of my home (which I was inspired to do by my friend Dianne's 100-day clutter challenge) made a big difference for me.  

5. Exercise: Dance with Flannery on Mon, Wed, Fri afternoons. - This one was met for about 6 months.  And then, not so much.   I think I sense a New Year's Resolution in this area for 2011!

6. Eat Well: Bring a lunch on Tues/Thurs. - Finally, I can say a goal is met.  I typically bring my own healthy leftovers each day to work, which saves me both money and calories.  Yay!

Overall, I think just working toward these goals made me happier this year, even if they weren't all completely met.  And seeing little bits of progress throughout the year inspired me to try new things and learn more.  I'm mulling over ideas for new resolutions for next year.  I've really got to think about my top priorities and areas of my life that I most want to change.  I also think that next year, I'm really going to keep up with a resolutions chart regularly.  







How did you do with your New Year's Resolutions this past year?  Any ideas for new resolutions for 2011 yet?

Be a Know It All

It's what you learn after you know it all that counts.
~Attributed to Harry S. Truman

Learning new things is fun for me. Not exactly the whole process--I actually really hate the hard work it takes to get started when learning something brand new. But once I'm on my way to learning something new, when the ball gets rolling, and I start seeing a little progress, it really boosts my happiness!

I enjoy a challenge. Not everyone does. But the moment I stop feeling challenged, is the moment I get bored and am ready to move on. (Which is probably why I've changed jobs every 2 years since I graduated! I'm working on that!)

Maybe it's also why I love working in early intervention, with those tiny clients who are such a puzzle to figure out. And why I love working with children with autism so much. These complex kiddos teach me something every time I'm with them, and I'm constantly having to scramble to figure out a new way to do something when the old way stops working.

Here's a website I've been learning a ton of information from: Autism Games. I also like to watch videos on the Autism Speaks website, especially the personal stories from families of what has worked for them. Oh, and have you watched any of the amazing videos on TED about "ideas worth sharing"? Here's one by Temple Grandin that's pretty interesting.



What are you learning right now?