Can you remember what made you happy yesterday? Or the day before? Not things that just made you satisfied, but things that made you truly happy. I’m talking about the things that made you laugh out loud, or smile from ear to ear. I suspect a lot of people find it more difficult than they initially imagined. We spend so much time looking forward, at what we’re going to do, or what we should be doing, that we often miss what is happening in the moment we’re in.
#100happydays is a campaign happening on various social media platforms at the moment, in an attempt to get people to quantify what makes them happy each day for a hundred days. It can be anything from a good view on your way to work/university, to a good cup of coffee from your local café, to something bigger such as getting concert tickets. That’s the point – it could be anything! The aim of the project is to get people focusing on the little things that make them tick, rather than just letting these moments pass them by and forgetting them instantaneously.
To take part in the challenge you can visit 100happydays.com to sign up, or if you don’t feel like doing that, just do it yourself! Make note of one thing every day that makes you happy, take a picture of it so you can save it to your memory. You can share it on a social media platform if you wish, or it can be just a little private project for you. I’m on day four at the moment and so far my happiness has come from my pet, a magazine, a hair-cut and an opportunity that arose for me. What will you start noticing in your life?
The orchestrators of the challenge suggest that those who successfully complete the challenge start getting more enjoyment out of their day-to-day lives, as they take note of what makes them happy. They become more optimistic, due to the fact that in almost every day you can find at least one thing to make you smile; they start being in a better mood due to getting more enjoyment from things; and they also start getting more compliments from other people – as upbeat, happy people tend to do!
This challenge is not about one-upmanship; nobody’s bothered if you’re posting that gold Patek Phillipe you got for Christmas, followed by the Dior dress, and the tickets on a space ship etc. it’s about you. What makes you happy, not what you think other people think should make you happy. If a Patek Phillipe really did make you happy that’s great – but if you’re including it just to make other people jealous, you’ve already failed the challenge. I’m just hoping that I can remember to do it every day for the next ninety-six days!
So, if you fancy the challenge, go forth and try and find a little something that makes you that little bit happier each and every day!
