Weekly: Enjoy the way
Living a happy life is, in large part, about the decisions that you make every day. But in the moment of deciding, it can be incredibly difficult to either know what to choose or remain conscious of what matters most to you.
That’s why we put together this new October wallpaper pack for you: it will help you to reconnect with your true self so that you can make the very best decisions that lead to your very best future. You can download them here — I hope you like them!
With love,
Stephanie Harrison, founder of The New Happy
This Week
Old Happy: "The achievement will make me happy."
New Happy: "The journey will make happy."
When you're working towards a meaningful goal, it's easy to get starry-eyed and think to yourself, "Once I achieve this goal, I will be happy forever."
Unfortunately, it doesn't work that way. There's no achievement that can possibly create lasting happiness. But there is a way of working towards that achievement that will, which I call 'The Three C's'.
When you pursue your goals with clarity, compassion and celebration, you experience joy along the way.
Clarity:
When you know what matters most to you, you are able to tap into your intrinsic motivation — the force that allows you to show up, day in and out.
Ask yourself, "What would I do with my time if I had no responsibilities or obligations?"
Compassion:
When you respond with compassion to your mistakes and setbacks, they don't scare you. Instead, they become opportunities for you to grow.
Ask yourself, "What would it look like to be kind to myself in this moment?"
Celebration:
When you enjoy your progress and celebrate your wins (no matter how small they might seem to you!) you create daily experiences of joy — as well as feeding that intrinsic motivation to keep going!
Ask yourself, "What am I proud of myself for today?"
All together, The Three C's will lead to those big changes that you're hoping for. But when you 'get there,' you won't be waiting for happiness to alight upon you — you'll be happy already, and looking ahead towards the next journey that you want to go on.
Tips and Tools
1. Thoughts in your head — This week's animation.
2. It will be different — Things will improve.
3. What are you assuming? — They can't read your mind.
4. How to stop avoiding your problems — Learn a new coping style.
5. You're qualified — A tip for overcoming imposter syndrome.
More from TNH
Podcast — Get a daily morning pep talk — in five minutes or less
Speaking — Book us to speak to your team about well-being, resilience, and productivity.
Articles — Read more articles on our website.
Community
What's something you want to unlearn?
"Depending on external validation (achievement in school/work/sports, judgment of a superior/elder, comparing income) to feel like I did enough and that I am enough."
"I'm trying to shift my own thoughts into a more positive sense. I don't start things because I think that I'm not good enough, that I will fail, that I am not smart enough... I want to try and shift this into: I will try this and see, maybe it will work out and if it doesn't I will re-evaluate and learn from my mistakes. I'm trying to unlearn my fixed mindset and turning it into a growth mindset."
"That confidence is a new or foreign concept."
"That I can't control how other people see me, and that their perception doesn't change who I am."
Inspiration
1. Is my toddler a stochastic parrot? (New Yorker) — This is an absolutely beautiful meditation on humanity, technology and art.
2. How John Steinbeck got his kids to read great books (HeyPop) — Genius.
3. Out-of-office replies for when you're in the office (McSweeney's) — "I am currently in the office with email access. Due to the volume of distractions, I will not get any work done. Please expect a reply between 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. when I am home from the office trying to squeeze an entire workday into a few uninterrupted evening hours."
Before You Go
No spam, just joy.
