If You're Happy and You Know It...

Today is the day of the week that is adored by most people...today is Friday. Back in the day, it was the day where I seemed to have the most energy because I was anticipating the occurrence of fun during the weekend. Yet today, several years later, my energy level is zero and the thought of going to sleep at 8pm sounds like a fantastic idea!

What did your week look like? Mine consisted of a doctor appointment, physical therapy, two separate car pool arrangements each day, leading a Bible Study, attending a Mom’s of Teens group, a conference call, parents night at school, Skyping with colleagues in Atlanta and Australia, cheering for one kid at two different volleyball games and driving the other to work, a tweet here and a tweet there, RSVPing to a child’s birthday party, reading a self-help book to learn and grow and writing a blog. It’s no wonder that I forgot it was picture day at school on Wednesday and had to run to the mall the night before and spend exactly 42 minutes finding a cute shirt only to fly back home with the kids for them to complete homework. Newsflash for everyone...I’m TIRED!

Now, I'm not complaining because this IS the life I chose. Things could be even more crazy if I had a 40 hour a week job in addition to the above items (God bless those of you who do!). There did seem to be a theme throughout my week. Let me explain....during my social media time, I read a blog from a woman who is implementing a 3-day a week 10pm bedtime for herself because she is not getting enough sleep and it is making her cranky. Then I read an article that said studies are showing that women are less happy today than they were in 1969 even though we are achieving more than ever thought possible.

Ladies! What is going on? Are we less happy? Are we more tired? Is our calendar too full? Are we working ourselves too much?

I really don’t know the answer to these questions, but I do believe that happiness is a choice. Some will agree with that and others won’t. Either way, I’d be interested to hear what YOU do to find/maintain some level of happiness in your life. Maybe if we each shared one or two things we could accumulate a list that could reach a generation of women! What if? Let me get your think tank started:

1. Surround yourself with favorite things – I have 6 brightly coloured plastic coasters with Mickey ears all over them that we just picked up at Disney World. They remind me of our great times and make me smile.
2. Set a timer while blogging – If there is a set time with no outside distractions then I can write more efficiently and effectively. The trick is to actually set aside the time. But when I do, I feel good about my accomplishment and smile when I lay my head on the pillow at night.

Okay…now it’s your turn. Send me your thoughts. Tell me what do YOU do to find/maintain a level of happiness in your life? Together, let’s see if we can ‘turn up’ the happiness meter in the crazy lives of women.