As the New Year gets underway, most of us plan and make lists of all of the things we’d like to achieve, accomplish or change.
But what we don’t often think about is pausing to celebrate when these things have occurred. It’s so easy to move along quickly to the next thing – the next idea, the next project, the next goal without stopping to really feel and appreciate those great moments.
I work with an incredible team of Coaches that, day-in and day-out are driven to help and support their clients. And I get to see how happy our clients are after a session!
With that in mind, I came across an awesome idea from one of my favourite go-to’s – Elizabeth Gilbert, author of “Eat, Pray, Love”.
She said “Understand that without marking special days through rituals, humans can become lost — to the point where every day, or even every year, can feel exactly the same.”
She has a wonderful ritual that I thought I would share with you.
The Happiness Jar
“I have a HAPPINESS JAR. You’re looking at it, right here. Every day, at the end of the day, I take a scrap of paper, and I write upon it the happiest moment of my day. Then I put it in the jar.
That’s it.
Takes 30 seconds.
So simple.
There’s always SOMETHING to put in the jar. Even on the crappiest day, there’s a happiest moment. (Or at the very least: A LEAST crappy moment.) I’ve felt moments of grace and happiness at funerals, in hospitals, in the midst of pain and loss and hard times. A moment of kindness from a stranger. Somebody hands you a cup of coffee. You finally get to take off your shoes. It stops raining. There it is: a flicker of light. Write it down. Throw it in the jar. Keep it forever.
Because what is a happy year, but a year full of small good moments, strung together on the lightest thread…?”
So here at Change My Life Coaching, we have embraced this awesome idea! For ourselves personally, and in our business! We have set up a Happiness Jars in our office and they are filling up quickly! Each Coach has one in their office and we also wanted one for our reception area. Now our clients can participate while they wait and some have already used it on their way out – a great way to end their session!
As one of Elizabeth’s readers said: “It takes seconds…it makes you notice the small things in life and as it fills up it makes you realize life is good and even on a bad day makes you look for that moment of good.”
What an awesome visual and beautiful reminder. We hope you will get your own Happiness Jar!
May your jar runneth over!
