Books that have guided my Feelings Fitness journey!

After my son entered the world I felt like life was extremely overwhelming. He brought so much joy into my world & rocked it at the same time. No longer did I have the schedule, organization & space that I was once accustomed to. Several years later I stumbled upon The Happiness Project. I realized that in order to get back to my calm & organized self, I needed to map things out better. The Happiness Project helped me do just that. 

I started my own happiness project by choosing a focus for each month. I even had the focus start with the same letter as the month in order to make it easier to remember.  Joyful January(focusing on gratitude in the midst of winter, a season that can tend to drag me down), Friends & Family February, Make-over March, Active-exercise April, Meditation/yoga May, Journaling June, Joining(getting involved) July, Stylish(back to school clothes) September, Organic-living October, Nutrition research November, Diet plan December. Clearly, there are always other obligations & focuses throughout the months, but this at least gives me a goal that I can successfully achieve by the months end. I adjust it from year to year as needs & goals change. I no longer feel as overwhelmed as I once did!

Then my daughter entered into the world and with two little ones in the house, I felt like there was always a tornado brewing.  I longed for the home that I once would have described as peaceful.  Life was fast-paced, messy & overwhelming again.  I wanted to change that & Happier at Home really helped.  

Piggy backing off of The Happiness Project, Happier at Home once again helps to add structure & achievable goals to each month. So, I once again created a focus for each month, an attainable goal that would make my home a little happier. Junk-clearing January, File-cleaning February, Money March, Appliances April, Media May, Juniper(gardening) June, Jewelry-cleaning July, Automobile August, Supplies September, Office space October, Nesting November, Donation December. This makes me a much happier & more calm person which in turn creates a more peaceful home for my family!

By the time Better than Before came out, I had established a much happier self, but still felt like there was something that I was missing.  I was happy, but felt like I could be happier.  Better than Before helped me reflect back on my life & look into my future to understand that when we do what suits our nature it creates happiness & peace.

Better than Before helped me gain some enlightening insight into my own nature & to realize now why some things that I tried in my past never really made me happy.  I felt like a failure for not following through with certain things that I had started when in fact they just didn't suit my nature. For example, a career in acting did not suit my introverted nature. Reading Better than Before and finding out my tendency was helpful. I have found comfort in knowing that simply owning my own tendency can bring happiness & peace into my daily life. 

I encourage you to read The Happiness Project, Happier at Home & Better Than Before.  I encourage you to to start your own happiness project & to find out your own tendency. I also encourage you to pick a meaningful focus for each month so that the tedious tasks in life don't become all consuming.  Focusing on the meaningful & inspirational things in life helps to put you one step closer to true happiness!