The massive debt load we're carrying just seems to put a damper on everything and I think it takes away my feeling of being in control. I follow The Simple Dollar regularly and a recent post called "Finding the Fire: Nine Things I do to Make Each Day Great," kind of lead to my inspiration to find things I can control and that would help me feel happier and got me started on my "It's a Wonderful Financial Life" project.
I love lists. The guys out there who hate "Honey do Lists," send them my way. I'll hook you up. The longer the list the better. Checking each item off gives me such a feeling of accomplishment you have no idea. Another inspiration for the project was "31 Days to Build a Better Blog" from the ProBlogger himself, Darren Rowse. Items on a list are tasks and Darren's ebook has a daily task for 31 days straight, which is right up my alley. Having lists helps me to focus and the feeling of accomplishment leads to the feeling of happiness.
Besides assigning myself taks I've decided to start working on areas I can improve my life in besides my financial life because there is more to life than just debt. I've taken interest in a study by Dan Buettner of people living to be a hundred years old and longer. Throughout the world Dan has identified areas he calls "Blue Zones" where the population lives on average to be 100 years old.
Dan has identified 9 characteristics that these people have and has categorized them into 4 main areas:
- Move Naturally-Focus on activities you love like gardening, walking and playing with your family.
- Right Outlook-Know and be able to articulate your sense of purpose.
- Eat Wisely-Eat 20% less at meals and stay away from meat and processed foods. Have 2 glasses of wine a day.
- Belong to the Right Tribe-Surround yourself with the right people.
So by taking the core principals above and breaking them down further into 5 things you can do to be happier will be at the core of my project.
- Invest in my health- I have begun to drink water regularly again and have dedicated myself to start walking at least 20 minutes a day. An improved diet will soon follow.
- Create Quality Friendships- I have so many great friends, many of which, I have known for 20 years or more. Everybody has seemed to be caught up in their own lives that we've lost are connection. Time to start re-connecting.
- Explore your religion- I used to attend church and pray or meditate regularly. The praying has already begun and will continue to work on being at peace with my life.
- Spend More Time with Your Hobby- I have a huge vintage toy collection and write about it on another one of my blogs. I have some restoration projects on hold and need to start working on them.
- If You're Unhappy, Move- I love my hometown and my home. I don't want to move, but I would like to get out of town once in a while. I am going to start working on taking more trips. Who knows, maybe I will find somewhere else I'd like to live.
[This post is written and copyrighted by Financial Elite (http://financialelite.blogspot.com/ ).]
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