Project Grown Up Intro

Recently, I have read a book called The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin. This book has completely inspired me. Gretchen took a year of her life and filled it with resolutions and goals so she could be happier. As she put it, "the days are long, but the years are short" so she wanted to start living happy!

While reading her book, which I highly recommend, I learned more about myself. You start thinking about the things you do to be happy and whether or not they truly do make you happy. I have a problem with getting "addicted" to things. I start spending all my time with certain people, causing us to get annoyed with each other. I find a video game I love and play it everyday until it becomes something I hate. I eat my favorite food everyday until I don't enjoy it anymore! While they may have started out making me happy, my behavior to the things I enjoyed were making me unhappy. Does anyone else do this?

While reading Gretchen's book, for which she also has a blog for here, I was instantly inspired to start my own happiness project but while I was thinking of the resolutions I wanted to keep, I realized they all shared a theme: being a grown up! This may sound pretty funny, but let me explain...

A lot of things make me happy. I am one of those people that, even though I am driving to work at 6 in the morning, I can appreciate the sunrise and the nice weather. Even if it's raining, I think, "Great! Everything will be so green!" Now, I'm not saying I'm the most happy-go-lucky girl in the world. I'm definitely not. So instead of thinking what makes me happy, it was much easier for me to think of things that make me unhappy, and how I can fix them!

Being a perpetual procrastinator, the things that were making me the most unhappy and giving me the most stress were things any reasonable adult would have taken care of. I would let things pile up into these unapproachable disasters that I felt I couldn't deal with or I would put things off, all the while thinking about them and having the worry eat at my well-being.

This is where my resolutions come in.

These resolutions are basically my areas of focus in this project. These are the things in which I want to improve in order to make my life more simple and less stressful.

I am constantly worried about money. Dealing with some stuff I have been putting off will definitely help out my stress levels! I have been needing to make a budget for a while now. This is the perfect opportunity. I am also going to look into selling things I no longer need or want and making a couple extra bucks. I will also be researching ways of buying smarter, something I never really spend much time looking into but I know I would get so excited if I was able to save money on something I needed. (yeah, I'm dorky like that.)

I often use the excuse of being too busy or too tired to cook so we often end up eating out. We do it so often, I get bored of the food we eat and I start craving yummy, home cooked meals. I look forward to cooking more often, not just for me, but also for William. I will be scouring the internet for quick and easy dinner recipes and smart snack ideas, all the while focusing choosing more healthy options. It would be nice to have fruits and veggies lying around to snack on so I foresee a lot of grocery shopping in my future!

I have so much clutter and disarray in my apartment, it drives me crazy! They say a cluttered house means a cluttered mind and I am sure there is some truth to that. Along with trying to sell the stuff I no longer need or want as I said before, I am looking into completely organizing my closet, craft table, make-up table, desk and even my computer! You would be so ashamed if you see how I organize my pictures (there really is no organization what so ever).

The people in my life who are most important to me effect my own happiness so much! If they are moody, so am I. This is where I am going to focus on strengthening my relationships with William, my family, my friends, and with my co-workers/bosses. I also hope to branch out and try to meet new people and make new friends.

This is similar to my organization resolution. I would like to really deep clean things I have been putting off like my cars, both of them, the sofa covers, the carpets, pretty much anything I may overlook on a regular basis. I also want to work on keeping things generally tidy and forming new habits (like not throwing clothes on the floor or on top of my dresser...)

I spend a lot of time on my phone, in front of the computer, or playing video games, so this resolution is a reminder to enjoy living healthy. I am looking forward to finding new activities to do outside, walking Chloe more, and exercising. I've realized there are some days where I barely walk at all! It's pitiful really. I am also going to do research on the best sunscreens and other healthy things I can do to to add to my life.

Probably the most boring resolution, but a necessary one for a procrastinator like me; this is for me to focus on basic maintenance such as taking Chloe to the vet, renewing my drivers license, going to the dermatologist to get my moles checked out, and getting some things around my apartment fixed. It's oh-so-boring but oh-so-necessary.

I get really stressed when people start asking about my plans. Why? Because I have no idea what they are! I am going to start focusing on my future and the things I would like to accomplish within the next few years. Also, within the immediate future, I need to figure out how my summer schedule is going to be changing with both of my jobs and how to work things out between them. Looking at big picture stuff like health insurance and planning for a family are also within this resolution.

As you can see, my resolutions are all part of being a normal, functioning adult, there in-lies the name Project Grown Up. While some of the things I will be focusing on are dull, some are things I know will really take some weight off my shoulders once I accomplish them. I will be posting about different projects regarding my resolutions.

If you would like to join me, be my guest! I would love to hear how you guys are learning to grow and be more responsible. Otherwise, what are some things you could work on to make you a happier person? I'd love to know. Also, if you have any blog posts touching upon any of these subjects, whether it be simple dinner recipes, planning a budget, or organizing a make-up table, I would love to see them and maybe link over to your blog in upcoming posts. If you don't have a blog but would love to give me some helpful hints, email me at thesetlist@gmail.com.

I'm not sure how long this will last but I'm hoping at least 3 months. Instead of the summer of George, it's gunna be the summer of me growing up! (and it's about time!)