Happiness Project December: Money

By: Unknown on 12/01/2012

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I'm probably not going to be able to make molasses cookies this weekend. :( We are just so busy! I might make some peppermint bark. We'll just see how it goes.

On to the post.

This December, my focus on the Happiness Project is Money. But before I get into that, I'll highlight some of the things that happened in November. My resolutions for every day are as follows:

• Be Olivia
• Go to bed at 9:30
• Count to 10 when I'm mad or walk away
• Act the way I want to feel
• Enjoy the journey
• Relish moments
• Make impulsive decisions
• Be polite
• Give random acts of kindness
• Don't judge
• Love everyone
• Be persistent
• Write EVERYDAY

I didn't hit all of them in a single day. Not once. Sometimes it's really hard to control my temper (especially when I'm around my sister), or be polite to others,or enjoy that long, never-ending journey. But even though I hardly hit some of them, others I did everyday. I was always myself, I always acted the way I wanted to feel, and everyday I persisted in my writing and my health journey. I'd say that's pretty successful.

With each month I do the Happiness Project, I had specific goals for that month. November's topic was Passions, so my goals were:

• Write a novel
• Blog at least six days a week
• Spend more time creating recipes
• Take more pictures

I did manage to write my novel (except for a few loose ends here and there), I tried to blog as often as I could, I tried to spend more time creating recipes, and I took lots of pictures. I think the only goal I really managed to achieve, though, was writing a novel, but I did pursue my passions more. Which is what last month was all about. Writing that book made me feel so elated and proud of myself. I'll probably tell everyone I know that I wrote a novel, now. Will they care? Probably not, but I'll feel accomplished.

So this month's topic is Money. How can money be a part of happiness? you might ask. Doesn't everyone say "money can't buy happiness"? That's true, however, haven't you ever felt pleased with yourself after you made a really good purchase?  I remember when I bought myself my iPod Touch. It was almost $200 (and, yes, I did pay for most of that), yet I felt so happy. I still do feel happy when I use it and amazed at how advanced the technology is. It allows me to connect with my friends more, which always makes me happy.

And, besides, what better time to do this than the Christmas season? My goals aren't all about just spending on myself, they're about spending on others, too. Nothing makes me happier than seeing someone's eyes light up at the gift I gave them. Money doesn't always have to be the enemy.

Anyways, my goals this month are:

• Indulge in a modest splurge (after Christmas)
• buy meaningful gifts
• donate to a charity that means something to me

See? Money isn't all bad. It can help others in need, too. It's how we chose to spend money that can be bad sometimes.

I decided that I probably won't be able to leave my novel alone for a month, so I'm just putting it away for two weeks. It's weird that when I'm writing, I don't want to write, and when I'm not writing, I want to. It's a strange love-hate relationship we have.

You're probably wondering when this post will be over, so I'll close it here. I'm going to continue my everyday resolutions and work on this month's. I'll make more recipes, revise my novel, and spend wisely. I wish you the best this holiday season! Remember to enjoy the little things and indulge in a modest splurge. Everyone needs one every once in awhile. ;)