Happiness Jar
Coming back home for summer break after my first year of college, I was surprised to find a jar on my desk that reminded me of a habit I had in my senior year of high school. I used to take a moment, at the end of each day, to find one thing that genuinely made me smile, and then mention it in a note. It could have been something as little as a stranger smiling at me on the street. As long as it sparked that happiness light in me, I was writing about it. The jar is called “Happy Jar”, and it is filled with short notes talking about a thing that made me smile in that specific day when I wrote them.
In my rush to prepare for college, I never got the chance to open the jar, but a few days ago I finally found the time to start reading all my notes and see what this whole “everyday happiness” was about. After I finished reading all of them, I was overwhelmed by so many emotions. The notes made me laugh, smile, and even cry. They shared stories of adventures with friends, life events, or even simple details such as enjoying a cup of coffee and a good book on a terrace on a sunny day. Rocking an outfit that used to be my mother’s when she was my age. Finding out that my check was paid by some extremely nice guys that had already left the cafe. Getting my first car. Making a cinema in my own car. Being surprised with a beautiful rose. Having meaningful conversations with strangers. Buying donuts for my girlfriends. Going to a really good yoga class. And the list can go on…
At the end, I was sure about one thing: I was feeling completely grateful. For life and the moments that come with it. I was looking at all the notes scattered on my bed and my mood changed from having no motivation or energy to “Hell yeah, I absolutely adore life!”
Isn’t that how we should feel every single day?
Many times, at the end of the day, people’s tendency is to focus on what could have been done better or what was supposed to be done but was not. This leads to the idea of being “not enough”, and it makes you end your day in a discontented manner. However, by forcing yourself to look back at your day and find one reason to smile, you start to focus on the good, and slowly see and appreciate life’s myriad beautiful moments. You can think about this habit as a different kind of gratefulness. At the beginning, it might be a challenge to ask yourself, on a daily basis, “what made me smile today?”, but after a while you actually become excited for the moment when you have to write about that one thing, because it instantly boosts your mood. I remember that’s how I was, and now even more excited reading all the notes.
Another thing that I found on my desk was this book called “Everyday Happy”, which made you aware of the small things you could do daily to enjoy the 24 hours in front of you. From wearing something you love to saying “I love you” more, or lighting up some candles to boost your mood, I was encouraged to do something unique every day that will transform that day from ordinary to special. And guess what? It worked! Another thing to fill up my Happiness Jar with. Before reaching the conclusion, let’s see what today’s happiness tip is.
What better start for your day?
Developing this habit will prove as an amazing way to become more aware of how your days go and of what makes you happiest. Sometimes we need to reflect on the things that bring us the most happiness in order to know what to focus on in the future. Also, sometimes we need to push ourselves to have a personal approach to life that nurtures happiness both inside and around us, as this will bring us closer to a lasting happiness. Gratitude is important and I think it should be practiced daily, so why not create your own “Happy Jar”? This can be the first step. For me, I know what my end goal is: create a “Happiness Wall” with all my notes!
