Update
I went to the Paul McCartney concert! It was terrific. If you want to hear more about it, we discuss it in the most recent More Happier episode. The first encore song was “I’ve Got a Feeling,” which was the “Song of the Summer” that Elizabeth and I both chose.
Ready for pre-order! Know Yourself Better Journal: Embracing Change. Changes, big and small, are a fact of life. This journal is packed with prompts designed to help you reflect on your experiences, interests, and values so you can move forward in the ways that are right for you. Get 15% off when you pre-order by using code HAPPIERCHANGE15 at checkout.
Try This at Home
Use Halfway Day to reevaluate your “22 in 22” list. July 2 is Halfway Day, and we’re using it to review our “22 in 22” lists. We first talked about these lists for 2022 in episode 359. Anything is useful that prompts us to reflect on our lives, and what changes we might undertake to make ourselves happier, healthier, more productive, or more creative.For more ideas for catalysts for reflection, check out the Calendar of Catalysts.
Elizabeth: One-word theme for the year: STEP
1. Get a Season 3 for Fantasy Island
2. Hold a premiere party for Season 2 of Fantasy Island (now delayed, because the season will air in January)
3. Get the shingles vaccine4. Take a family trip to San Francisco
5. Celebrate Adam’s milestone birthday in July
6. Get her treadmill serviced7. Take a family trip to Disney World
8. With Adam, finish writing their will (carry-over, underway)
9. Buy a new arm for her microphone10. Get a colonoscopy
11. Go to the Electric Lake in Puerto Rico (she tried)
12. Organize a moms’ trip to see a comedian at Morongo
13. Walk from Encino to Malibu (carry-over)
14. Buy new outdoor furniture (underway)
15. Get another dog16. Visit the Capri Room at Buca di Beppo in Encino
17. Go to the Integratron sound bath (carry-over)
18. Host a moms’ party in her backyard
19. Read 22 novels (on track)
20. Walk Nacho (and now, Daisy) five times each week — I mention the Happier app
21. Send Christmas cards this year
22. Arrange for professional family photos, with Nacho (and Daisy)
Gretchen: One-word theme for the year: SALT
1. Sign up for more sensory adventures by myself and with family and friends2. Clean up my office
3. Encourage Eleanor to clear out her room – she’s an abundance-lover4. Catch up on my physical photo albums (partly done)
5. Buy a big backpack for traveling6. Create more products – take a look! Ready for pre-order: Know Yourself Better: Building Connections (I especially love the cover illustration for this journal) and Know Yourself Better: Embracing Change
7. Invite my high-school friends to my apartment8. Take a trip with Eleanor9. Delegate 22 things
10. Have a summer of re-reading
11. Figure out if it’s possible to have better soundproofing for my office12. Hang pictures
13. Wear make-up every day – I mention the Vital 9
14. Take a daily nap, schedule permitting – #Rest22in2215. Do a daily reading “review” (carry-over)
16. Have a scents party (carry-over)17. Take a watercolor class
18. Be more systematic about connecting with friends and colleagues (carry-over)
19. Review my giant “happiness” catch-all document (carry-over)
20. Keep going to the Met every day21. Ask for permission to badger: Mom with decorations, Elizabeth with night snacking, Eleanor with driver’s license [big surprise, no one wants to be badgered]
22. Add one item!
We love to see people’s lists, so if you’re so inclined, post your list to #22for22. We can get good ideas and encouragement from each other. To get a one-pager where you can neatly write your own “22 for 22” list, download the free PDF here.
Happiness Hack
Use the Fourth of July holiday weekend to set yourself up on the award-winning Happier app. You can track one aim for free, and see if the app works for you. There’s so much material there to discover.
Consider #Rest22in22. If you’re looking for other catalysts, in addition to Halfway Day, check out the Calendar of Catalysts – so many suggestions, with some good ones coming up in the second half of the year. I love taking to a daily nap when time permits. Elizabeth is struggling to rest. I also mentioned the Rest Jump-Start, which includes a worksheet to track your energy levels throughout the day.
Demerits & Gold Stars
- Elizabeth’s Demerit: She double-booked social events in her calendar.
- Gretchen’s Gold Star: I give a gold star to Elizabeth for telling me to watch the Get Back documentary.
Resources
- Wedding, graduation, moving, travel – this is the season of many milestones, which can mean lots of mementos. The Memento Keepsake Journal is made for those who want to collect keepsakes of their memories to look back on, but are overwhelmed by souvenirs or the prospect of scrapbooking. It has pockets designed to help you organize and protect your most meaningful mementos.
- Meaning to start a journal but haven’t yet? Start on Halfway Day! The One-Sentence Journal is designed for those who want to keep a record of their lives, but who can’t manage to write a long entry every day.
