What are the top ten things that make you happy (or you really enjoy) on a weekly basis?
Go ahead…take a moment to think about this and write it down.
In his book, Playing with Fire (Financial Independence Retire Early), Scott Rieckens asked his wife this very question. Now, just in case you decide to read the book (which I strongly recommend), I won’t go into detail, but half the things on her list didn’t cost a thing. The main point of this exercise was to help identify what she valued the most.
So, what’s on your top ten?
My list includes things like spending time with my family/friends, reading, good food, coffee, wine, quiet time, and music.
Interestingly enough, I recently came across the Harvard Study of Adult Development, which concluded that it’s the development of good, close relationships with others that keep us happy and healthy, not material things. Also, one of the directors of this study, Dr. Robert Waldinger, did a TED Talk expounding on the three main lessons learned about relationships, which are:
- Social connections are good for us
- The quality of your relationships is more important than the quantity
- Good relationships protect both our bodies and brains
Moving forward, I’m going to try to be more engaged, in order to increase the quality of my relationships with those closest to me. I’m a bit of an introvert, so this may be a little challenging for me. However, I do realize that in order to grow, changes must be made and 2019 is my year for self-care and growth!
After hearing the results from this study, are there any relationships in your life that could use a stronger connection? If so, what are you going to do about it?
Side note: In my recent post, I mentioned utilizing free materials from the library. Well, there’s an app called hoopla that I use to download ebooks and audiobooks to my tablet and phone. Hoopla also has the above-mentioned book available for check out.
“Only through our connectedness to others can we really know and enhance the self. And only through working on the self can we begin to enhance our connectedness to others.” -Harriet Goldhor Lerner
