It’s a helluva start, being able to recognize what makes you happy.

— Lucille Ball

Ever find yourself wondering how could you be happier? Have you looked for a “how to” guide, or perhaps a list or two? Have you ever, in a moment of desperation or curiosity, turned to the internet for answers? Well, you’re not alone, because that’s exactly what I did as I stared down the barrel of a new decade. Philosophers, writers, and therapists can’t agree on what happiness is, yet we are all trying to find it, whatever it is. I’m not a scholar of happiness, just a curious person who loves to find, read, and create lists. 

So what did I do? I found lists. I found hundreds of lists. Habits, tasks, behaviours, mindsets, and attitudes, all claiming to make me “happy”. From “have a bubble bath” to “avoid negative thoughts” (gee, thanks), bloggers, writers, academics, and your average humans have all contributed to the collective search for happiness. 

So, I found the best, most interesting, most ridiculous, and most personally challenging lists and dropped them all into a spreadsheet (my love of lists most certainly extends to the wonder that is Microsoft Excel). 

Eventually the wisdom of the internet started to become a tad repetitive, so I narrowed my results down to five key lists. This is by no means an exhaustive survey of all relevant literature and scholarship on happiness (I do have a full time job) but I decided that I wanted to focus on things that just about anyone can do, regardless of budget (therapy, while undeniably powerful, can get pretty pricey!). 

Then I had to figure out a plan.

Being that this January marks the beginning of a brand new decade (New Year, New You and all that) I thought that I’d give myself the year to figure out how to be “happy”. I took all the lists, removed all repeats (who would have thought that “go outside”, “get some sleep”, and “have a nap” would appear across the board!) and condensed my list to 52 ways to be happy: one new way per week. 

So join me, as I figure out “how to be happy” in 52 weeks, 52 ways, and a whole lot of thoughts!

Sources

The five key lists:
45 Things You Can Do to Get Happy No Matter Where You Are
Courtney Johnston | @CourtRJ | ( http://www.rulebreakersclub.com/) on Lifehack.org
15 Simple Things to Do to Be Happier Today
Quincy Seale, Keepinspiring.me
9 Things You Can Do to Be Happy in the Next 30 Minutes
Gretchen Rubin | @gretchenrubin | ( https://quiz.gretchenrubin.com/ ) on Real Simple
48 Little Things You Can Do to Make Yourself Happier Now
Elyse Gorman | @notesonbliss | ( https://elysesantilli.com/ ) on Thought Catalog
How to Be Happy: 25 Habits to Add to Your Routine
Ann Pietrangelo, Healthline