Enjoy Your Happiness

I've been struggling with something a bit lately. I know exactly what I need to do in order to be happy. And I know what I enjoy doing. And those things are not the same. I was talking with my mom on the phone about this and she told me about my dad's goal chart for this year. He had made a column of things he enjoyed and a column of things that make him happy. And his goal is to focus on the happy. That struck a major chord with me. One of the biggest enlightening experiences of my adult life. Enjoy your happiness. Enjoy the things that make you happy. The things that make me happy are having a clean kitchen, getting out of the house, putting my family as first priority, reading my scriptures, being on top of finances, exercising, looking nice, eating healthy and being kind. {among other things.}

The problem is, I enjoy a host of other things. Social media, TV shows, eating poorly or "vegging" as Cam and I call it, being lazy, etc. So it is easy to see where the disconnect is. This idea of Enjoy Your Happiness has completely changed the game recently. I got up and decided to take advantage of the beautiful day we were having. I put my hair up in a ponytail and headed to the park with the boys.

Since we played so hard, I needed to go grocery shopping. I put together a meal plan and shopping list and organized it in the car because the boys had fallen asleep in their carseats. Making do. And not using their sleepiness as an excuse to be lazy myself. This was big.

And then the boys were getting nice and clingy around time to make dinner. Normally, I would stop and use that as an excuse to eat poorly that night. Microwave nachos or bean burros or snacks. Not taking care of me and Cameron. That is a big issue. Instead, I brought them in the kitchen with me and let them "help". And it felt great!

They whined and whined, so I just laid down on the kitchen floor while dinner was cooking and we wrestled.

And it was a blast!

One of the biggest things that makes me happy is having a clean kitchen sink. It makes me feel like I can do anything else in the house I want. It's like making your bed. Everything else isn't as overwhelming if your bed is made. It's a trigger. So I created a vinyl saying to go over the sink and remind me of my focus. I love it. It's also a reminder to me to allow myself to enjoy it and be proud on the days I do the things that make me happy. I am so very far from perfect. The days I do these things aren't even the majority of the time, but the days I do it, I can't beat myself up for the days I don't! I have to celebrate it or changes will never be made. I am here on this earth to progress. And this insight from my wonderful Dad really helped me take two major steps forward. He gets me.