How I did it: I sat down last night and thought about all the things that had made me happy as well as sad in the past year. Things that made me sad or mad gave me an idea of the things as I want them to be, things which would make me happy. I looked at my family and friends and the times we had shared together, the things I do that bring me joy. Along the way, I realized things that I had not thought about in a long time, remembered people, events, occasions and incidents that made me smile. :-)

This morning, I woke up early so I would have time to myself and wrote down the things that make me happy.

Lessons & tips: Do this when you have some time to yourself, when you are least likely to be interrupted. This will give you time to think and make it easier to put that list together.

The first 30 or 40 items are easy. It gets tougher towards the end which is why it is important to think of things ahead of time.

Decide how granular you want the list to be. For example - will "reading" cover it or do you want to more specific like "reading a book which makes me think/cry" or "reading a mystery/thriller"?

Resources: Carry paper and pen with you (or a PDA). Make a note of something when you remember it and add it to your list later.
Browse other people's list. They can help jog your memory by touching a chord.

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Jan 01, 2009, 06:49AM PST | 1 comment | 3 cheers