My Challenge

Last year I struggled with feelings of depression. I was dissatisfied with my life and felt I needed to be doing more with it. I think I cried more in the last six months than I have in my entire life. As 2010 rolled around, I decided that enough was enough. Seriously. I have a great life and it is time that I start appreciating it. If I want more out of it, I have to stop wallowing and start doing. So I got over myself and started trying to figure out what makes me happy.

The first thing I realized was that I have to stop looking at the glass as half-empty, which really is a lot easier than most people think. Two mantras that are really helping me: "Keep calm and carry on" - a British saying from World War II, and "It is what it is" - something that my husband's boss is always saying. I decided that I need to laugh more and look at the joy surrounding me.

My work recently started a 100 day wellness challenge and I felt that since being joyful was my goal for the year, that I could start it off with a 100 day happiness challenge. How much happiness and joy can I find in 100 days? How much of an impact will this have on me and those around me? Well, that remains to be seen. Each day I pledge to find something to be joyful about. I also plan to challenge myself, my family, and my friends with random acts of happiness. The more happiness and joy that we share, the better the world will be.

So here we go...100 days to a happier me!