Following the Golden Road to Happiness in 10 Steps: Part 1 of 5

This week , I want to take you on a journey.  An interactive journey to find your happiness.  People who are happy are more likely to naturally take the actions to meet their goals.  What I mean by finding your happiness is to choose to surround yourself with the things that make you happy every day.  

First, you start by focusing on your journey.  I don't mean that day of the journey when you meet your ultimate goal.  I mean the steps it takes to get there.  What good is the end result if you aren't enjoying the ride? I remember the first time I took the stairs at work by choice after surgery and how freeing it was to know that I had already come so far.  Every step I took, I smiled a little brighter and the top step didn't make me any happier than the first.  Every time I made a healthy food choice in the cafeteria I smiled because I knew it was getting me one step closer to my goals.  Every time I joined a friend in the gym at work and walked on the treadmill for 10 minutes or 30 minutes, I smiled because I knew I was getting stronger and it meant future play dates with my kids.  Every time I stood with my family in line at the amusement park this summer, I smiled because this was where I wanted to take them when I reached "my goal" and I had just begun the journey.

Second, I learned to find something that makes a tingle in my heart every day.  When you make a conscious effort every day to find a celebration, your mind will start to do it automatically.  Before you know it, you'll be your own cheerleader of your journey.  I can tell you that every ride I fit into, I celebrated.  I celebrate getting up in the morning and having life. My children's school programs, volunteering at their school, helping at a food bank, going out with friends, date night with my hubby, walking down the pier at Lake Michigan, family dinners, playing in the yard and even cleaning my bathroom. I celebrate it all.  All of those things fill my heart with happiness. All of those things are important to me in order to have a fulfilled life.

Today's journey and every day after: 

1.  List out the things that made you smile in your journey today. How many can you find? 
2.  What did you celebrate today?