INSIDE: What makes a person happy? What causes happiness in life? And more importantly, what makes YOU happy? Not sure? It’s time to find out! In this post, I’m sharing a fun and simple exercise you can do to discover what makes you smile.
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What makes you happy?
Do you know what makes you happy? The things that lift you up, make you smile and cause happiness in your life? Never really thought about it? Well, today is the perfect time to start!
Why? Because knowing what makes you happy is key if you want to create a life you love. After all, how can you make a change for the better if you don’t know what makes you happy in the first place?! Find out what makes you happy, do more of those things and watch those happiness levels increase.
But what if you don’t know what makes you happy?
How do you find out? How do you figure out what makes you smile and what causes happiness in your life? By doing the simple journaling exercise I’m sharing in this post! Easy and fun, not only will it help you to get to know yourself better, it’ll help you become more intentional about the way you live your life. And when you’re more intentional about how you live your life, you’ll be happier too.
Discovering what makes you happy…
A few months ago, I was challenged by a fellow blogger, Holly from Vintage Courage, to share a list of 50 things that make me happy. Fifty things that make me smile, add a little happiness to my day and make life worth living. A post that was a LOT of fun to put together, more than six months on, it continues to be one of my most popular posts.
And so today I thought I’d share with you how to do the exercise too. Let’s dive in!
Figuring out what makes you happy…
First, set aside some time where you can give the exercise your full attention. If you like, take yourself off somewhere quiet where you won’t get distracted. My favourite place to do my journaling exercises is my local coffee shop – with a hazelnut latte and a playlist for company of course!
Armed with a piece of paper and a pen, think about all the things that make you happy and write down whatever comes to mind. No matter how big or small, if it makes you smile, add it to your list.
Try not to judge what you write or worry about what others think – it’s YOUR list remember, so can put on it whatever you like. If it makes you happy, no matter how silly it might seem, add it to the list! The more honest you are, the more you’ll get to know yourself better.
Struggling to come up with things?
Ask yourself what makes lifts you up, what you like to do, the places you like to go. Think about the things that make your day worthwhile, the things you do when you have a few moments to yourself and the people you like to spend your time with.
Don’t feel you have to stop at 50!
You might think that coming up with 50 things that make you happy is a bit of a challenge. But once you start writing, you’ll be amazed by how many things you come up with! In fact, you’ll probably find it hard to stop at 50 – I certainly did.
I found that each time I wrote something down, it made me think of even more things to add! And so, if when you get to 50 you still have more to add, keep going! Grab another piece of paper and keep writing!
It’s all about the little things…
In doing this exercise you’ll probably discover that a lot of the things on your list that make you happy and are quite small, simple things. And that’s good! Because happiness is all about life’s little pleasures, right?! When I wrote my original list, I discovered the exact same thing. I’d added things like driving in my car, crisp winter mornings, listening to thunderstorms, hearing my youngest’s giggle and life’s little luxuries like dry shampoo. And I’m sure it’ll be the same for you too!
Repeat the exercise regularly…
Don’t just stop at doing this exercise once. The more you do it, the better you get to know yourself. So, try to repeat it as often as you can. Keep your list somewhere safe and each time you think of something new, add it to your list.
Better still make it a monthly journaling exercise1
At the end of each month, set aside some time to write a new list of the things that make you happy. Then, at the end of the year look back over what you’ve written. You’ll be amazed by what you learn about yourself – and by how much you’ve grown over the year too!
A great feel-good technique…
Doing this 50 things exercise isn’t just about discovering what makes you happy. There’s an added bonus too. Your list also serves as a great reminder of all the things that are good in your life. Whenever you’re having a bad day, simply pull out your list and read through it. It’ll instantly make everything so much better – no matter how tough a day you might be having!
So, what makes you happy?
There you have it! The simple journaling exercise that will help you to discover what makes you happy. Why not give it a go and see what you find out about yourself! And if you enjoy doing it (which I know you will!), be sure to repeat it as often as you can.
Why?
Because the more you do it, the more you’ll discover about what makes you tick and what makes you truly happy. And when you know what makes you happy, you’ll find it a whole lot easier to be more intentional about doing the things that make life worth living!
50 (more) things that make me happy…
Before I go, whilst writing this post I thought it’d be wrong of me to not share a few more things that make me happy…and so here are 50 more things that make me smile so that you can get to know me better too!
In no particular order:
-
- Walking along the beach of my home town.
- Going on roadtrips – and planning our next roadtrip!
- Listening to rain hammering down on the conservatory roof.
- The smell of freshly ground coffee beans.
- A cup of tropical green tea.
- A tidy house.
- Lighting my candles.
- Being up at 5am and the quietness of the house.
- The first cup of coffee of the day.
- Days out at English Heritage and National Trust properties.
- Holidaying in character cottages.
- Dark winter evenings.
- Doing Facebook lives in my Facebook group.
- eMailing my subscribers.
- Cooking for my boys.
- Snuggles with my French Bulldog, Arthur.
- Browsing stationery stores like Paperchase and kikki.K.
- Baking cookies and cakes with my youngest, Harrison.
- Reading time with Harrison at our favourite café.
- Reading books about criminal psychology.
- Getting dressed up to go out for dinner.
- Writing lists.
- Date nights with my Hubby.
- FaceTime with my in-laws.
- Antipasti.
- Trying new cocktails.
- Taking Arthur for a walk.
- Using my favourite coffee shop as my office.
- Mumsie hugs from my mother-in-law.
- Spring cleaning.
- Breakfast in the garden during the summer months.
- Writing new blog posts.
- Running a long hot bath full of bubbles.
- Driving by myself whilst listening to podcasts.
- Planning events and special events like birthdays and Christmas.
- My Hubby asking for a hug and always being the last to let go.
- Reading Harry Potter with Harrison.
- A really hot curry.
- Salt and vinegar flavour Kettle Chips.
- Pork crackling.
- The smell of a roast chicken cooking.
- Video calls with my blogging Bestie Sareeta.
- All things Christmas.
- Playing loud music when no one else is home.
- Being a published author.
- Losing time in a bookstore.
- Evening cuddles on the sofa with my Hubby.
- Hearing my stepson tell me he loves me.
- Date weekends in London with my Hubby.
- Doing wordsearches with Harrison.
That’s it for this post! What will you add to your list of 50 things? Let me know in the comments!
Until next time…
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About the Author
Hey there! In case we haven’t met, I’m Sarah. A wife, mum, fur mama, certified master life coach and goal success coach, founder of a Simple and Contented Life and your mentor for making a change for the better.
Incredibly passionate about helping mums declutter and simplify their lives so that they feel more organised and have more time for their families AND themselves, I‘m here to help you become the person you want to be and create the life YOU want live.
A cross between Hermione Granger and Monica Geller, I’m also an introvert and a HUGE bookworm. I love cocktails, hazelnut lattes, true crime and all things pretty stationery, especially notebooks and planners!
When I’m not helping my coaching clients and Club members create a life they LOVE, you’ll find me in my office designing new printables for this Store, hanging out with my youngest in Starbucks or attempting to walk my somewhat lazy Frenchie pup, Arthur!
I’m absolutely thrilled you’re here…I know that you have the power to become your BEST self and live your BEST life, and together, we can make it happen! 💛
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