On the path to greatness

I am on the path to greatness... well, I am trying to be!  Though I have many goals that I am trying to tackle, i.e. loose the extra weight I gained while pregnant with my daughter, buy a house, etc.  The most important of them for me is continuing on my path to be a better version of myself.  I am one of those crazy people who really gets a lot out of self help books.  No, not the ones where you meditate and listen to some Yoda guy babble on about spirituality... Though I am sure those work for some people, I much prefer a book where you get tangible tools and examples to work from.  And, I should point out... as my Mother would say, "Does it really count as reading it if you listen to the book?"  I don't have an answer for that, but I am obsessed with Audible.com and "read" so much more when I can listen in the car, at the gym or while doing dishes.  

So, long story short, I have been "reading" a book called the Happiness Advantage by Shawn Achor.  One of the key topics in the book is about cause and effect.  We often say to ourselves things like, Once I loose the weight, I'll be happy; or, once I get a new job, I can focus on my family.  The author of this book encourages us to look at it from the opposite perspective, and I think he has a great point!  Rather than waiting to loose weight to be happy or feel good, find ways to be happy and you will feel more encouraged and motivated to accomplish your goals.

I am going to test this theory.  I want to feel happier every day and in order to do that I need to feel like I am making a difference in the world.  I can't control all the areas that I want to change, but I can always change me.  So, here's my plan...  I am going to make it a priority each and every day to reach out to one person and tell them how I appreciate them.  Shawn Achor says that it takes 21 days to form a life habit, so for each of the next 21 days I will reach out to one person and share with them my gratitude.  It will be a different person each of the 21 days and as suggested I am going to give specifics.  i.e. not just "Thanks for being a good friend" but a detailed reason as to why each person is special and important to me.  Then I can report back to you and let you know how it goes!  

I already know where I plan to start.  Today I am going to reach out to my Aunt Angela and let her know how incredible I think she is for caring for my Aunt Jeanne in her final days (months) and for taking in my young cousin now that my Aunt is gone.  Wish me luck, and feel free to experiment with me!  As always I love getting comments and hearing your feedback.