Happiness Commandments

There are a number of amazing blogs I follow, when I make the time to sit and read through the recent posts. One is called The Happiness Project and is run by Gretchen Rubin, author of a book by the same name (I may have mentioned this blog before).

Recently Gretchen posted about levity, which really means a sense of lightness. She was talking about having a sense of lightness and fun in the workplace and in the home. But, she referenced a previous blog post about her personal Happiness Commandments.

As posts like this often do, it made me try to think and apply the topic to my own life. In this case, what are my personal happiness commandments? Gretchen talks about "What words repeat themselves in your ears? What was the offhand comment you found unforgettable?"

She suggests not making rules. Your personal commandments should not be a to-do list. And you don't have to do them all all the time. They should aim high but not be overwhelming or set too high expectations. She also talks about taking time to reflect on them and that sometimes we can get inspiration from other people's commandments.

Anyway, given all that (and ignoring, to some extent) the idea of reflecting on them for a while, I decided to do a quick list of my own personal commandments. These are nuggets I take with me on a regular basis when I'm living my daily life, struggling to find balance, and just trying to be happy. It is not a comprehensive list, and probably will develop over time. But this is a start!

1. Breathe
2. Be gentle/patient with yourself.
3. "Be Still and know that I am God."
4. Progress, not perfection.
5. We're only as sick as our secrets.
6. Pay it forward/be of service.
7. Stay in today.
8. The greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return.
9. Feel your feelings, then move on.
10. "We will become mature responsible individuals with a great capacity for joy, fulfillment, and wonder."

So I started this post some weeks ago and am just now finishing it. So I guess I did take some time to reflect on these commandments! It was nice to come back to and re-read and see what still felt to me to be my go-to inspirations. Reminding myself of these commandments is already helping me have a good day. :)