A Joyful January

Hey World,

We are now more than one week into January. December came and went with my #20DaysOfWonderful challenge (you can find my snapshots here on my Instagram!), and now in line with The Year of Cultivation, I thought this graphic is particularly nice :)

Less than three years ago, you could find me sitting on a couch in my beautiful Harlem studio apartment in New York City, crying to myself almost every night. After months of not knowing what I was doing wrong, I decided to figure out what I could do to make it right. 

Yes, I had honest conversations with others about my unhappiness, and I sought other changes to my situation (including applying for and getting my current job), but I also sat myself down and wrote out 5 things that made me happy, and resolved to do at least 2-3 of them every. single. day.

And my bar for happy was simple: buffalo sauce, meeting up with a friend, going to kickboxing class, making a smoothie, hosting a fun activity while babysitting, indulging in a JustSalad, reading fifty pages of a book for pleasure, making it to subway train on time, taking a walk in the sunshine, and finding a penny on the ground.

Then, in the evening if I had achieved those checks on my "happy list", it was to be considered a good day -- it was as simple as that. Turns out, there are a lot of pennies laying around New York City. And I cooked my own meals. And it was easy to take a walk, read a book, or get to the station on time. 

I created a world where happiness became a choice I could make, rather than a responsibility I felt I had to live up to. I looked for the joyful. I searched for pennies like my life depended on it, and I grabbed happiness for the day, just like *snaps* that.

So make today, and every day this month, Joyful & Exuberant. 

xoxo,

M 

Image source is directly from www.marcjohns.com. You can visit his website to see more prints and artwork!