A Glass is Half Full Kind of Week & The Power of Lists

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So last week, I was in a very bad, blah mood. In fact I wrote about it here. But for some reason, no matter what I did I couldn’t shake off the bad mood. I’m not going to lie: I was acting very glass is half empty and that’s not like me at all. I’m humiliated to admit that in fact, but it is indeed true. I was one of those people, a Debbie Downer of sorts. 

However, this week my mood has changed drastically and I’m absolutely high on life. Yes, even though my legs still kill from my 10 K, I am getting over a terrible cold (bad case of the sniffles) and am PMSing (sorry for TMI), I am still having a positive, happy week. I can’t pinpoint just one reason for my change of heart (er, attitude) but I think the #1 factor is that I set myself up to have a good week from the beginning. (And I guess it doesn’t hurt that I’m seeing all my  best college girls this weekend in NYC.) You see, late Sunday night, after I had finished my 10 K and was exploding with endorphins, I told myself I was going to make this week a good week. In fact, I even wrote it down. And when I write things down, I’m pretty serious about them.

Yes, I was one of those girls in college who made lists every day so I could see what needed to be done, and cross them off as I went along. Who are we kidding? I still make those same old lists every day, except now they are a little more sophisticated. Instead of “finish math assignment, study for Journalism test, buy handle of Burnett’s,” my lists entail “Work on the intro to your book, run 5 miles, buy pumpkin for pumpkin muffins, join a club.” You see, when you make lists life just seems a little more doable, and you get a whole lot more satisfaction when you finish something. I think that’s where some of us get stuck sometimes in life. We see others doing so much, whether it’s being the most amazing mother, running marathons or being the most active woman volunteer you know. It’s hard not to feel a little bit shitty about yourself when you see everyone else doing all these incredible things as you are simply drifting through life.

But let me tell you something: YOU are doing all these incredible things as well, even if it is in a smaller, less obvious way. You don’t have to save the world or be 100% perfect when it comes to eating healthy. You are You and that’s what makes you so freakin’ fantastic. So do the you things, and feel good about doing them. Make a list like I do if you have to, so that you can visibly see all the little things you are accomplishing day by day. And don’t  be afraid to do the things you love. I just joined a meet up group for a book club in my area because I love to read and found myself letting that slide lately. Well, that was on my “to do” list so you bet I joined one. Yes, some of my friends called me a “dork” for doing so, but that’s me for ya. I also plan to drink a little less on the weekends and do more things for me that I feel good about. I’m letting all the “relationships” in my life that aren’t working out go so that I can move on and be happy. 

You see, everyone is different and we all have different things we need to do for ourselves in order to live the happiest, most fulfilling life possible. So go ahead, make a list and write down every darn thing you want to do for you, and go ahead and do it! I promise you once you start doing more and feeling sorry for yourself a little less, you’ll live the most happiest, glass-is-half-full kind of life! 

What are some things you want to do that’ll make you more happy? Do you make lists? If so, what kind of things do you put on them?