What’s Up Wenzday – A Bloggiesta Fail!

What’s Up Wenzday 10-03-12

 

• WHAT’S UP WENZDAY POINT #1: A NOTE OF CLARIFICATION —

I was a  fail!

 

But it’s not totally my fault. I mean, I failed in that I neglected to put together an actual list of tasks. Like, in a written-out format. It doesn’t matter, though, because we had a pretty clear idea of what all needs to be accomplished.

 

And also, my hubz worked all weekend, and since he’s the guy who does all that coding and updating and fixing shizzle, there’s not a lot I could do on my own.

 

I’m just the writer here. My hubz is the brains of this organization. Don’t tell him I said that. Oh hellz, go ahead. He deserves a pat on the back.

 

So we didn’t take part in Bloggiesta after all. And I actually feel really crappy about it, because there is *SO-SO-SO* much I want to change! I’m thinking I’ll go ahead and put together a list anyway, and mark off stuffs as we go along. Maybe it’ll be our own “unofficial” Bloggiesta and we’ll try to take care of items throughout the month of October.

 

We’ll see! (That’s code for, “Not bloody likely, bloody git!”)

 

• WHAT’S UP WENZDAY POINT #2: MY HAPPINESS PROJECT—

This is the eighth week of Andi-Roo’s Happiness Project, based on Gretchen Rubin’s blog.

 

Happiness Project Assignment #8:

Read THE HOW OF HAPPINESS: A SCIENTIFIC APPROACH TO GETTING THE LIFE YOU WANT, by Sonja Lyubomirsky.

 

*YES* — another cheat for me! I’ve already gone through this interesting read and even took some notes. It was actually pretty freaking shocking how much into I was able to glean.

 

Here is Gretchen’s take on what the book is all about:

 

Purchase this book from my Amazon store. Click the image for more details!

“…it’s the PERFECT book

if you’re starting a happiness project.

It lays out the different strategies to pursue

to boost happiness

and provides the scientific rationale

behind each of them.”

 

 

What I found most intriguing is that there is actually a large portion of our own happiness with which we ourselves are responsible for curating and maintaining.

 

While half our level of happiness is a “given” based on genetics (what the author refers to as our “Set Point”), only 10% of our happiness may be attributed to circumstances like financial status, health, appearance, or other seemingly pertinent situations.

 

I found this truly shocking — only TEN PERCENT of my personal level of happiness will be impacted by major changes in my life?! That is… dumbfounding! I would have thought that surely a pocket full of money, along with a prettier face and some nice sexy curves to go with it, would surely impact my happiness level by more than 10%. I’d like to take that bet!

 

Even more shocking was the discovery that a full FORTY PERCENT of my personal level of happiness is in my own hands! This is phenomenal, because my first Personal Commandment states, “Happy is a choice, so pick it and get there!” It means my instruction isn’t some pie-in-the-sky, New Age, goofy piece of fluff. Happiness is actually attainable.

 

The best part of the book, though, is the last two-thirds, which offers activities and advice toward grabbing your share of joy. Most of them go hand-in-hand with things I’ve already decided to pursue, which serves as a great pat on the head. I love me some validation! If this book did nothing else, it served to feed my shallow ego.

 

I’M RIGHT, BITCHES! There go some happy for you. Have it!

 

If you missed the first few weeks of my Happiness Project, or want to catch up on the Assignments so you can create your OWN Happiness Project, here are the links:

 

1. Create a list of Personal Commandments.

 

2. Choose a Personal Symbol representative of you and your Happiness Project.

 

3. Think about ways to Have More Fun.

 

4. Find a Place of Refuge to visit when you have to count to ten.

 

5. Go outside.

 

6. Find your own Koan.

 

7. Choose your own Theme Song.

 

 

• WHAT’S UP WENZDAY POINT #3: MY WORK IN PROGRESS,

OR AS I LIKE TO CALL IT, MY WIPPY-DOODLE!

 

The first two chapters of my book GREEN MARKET are still trucking along in the Top Ten in the writing contest sponsored by StumbleUpon. Thanks to everyone who has voted so far.

 

If you have not done so yet, would you consider giving GREEN MARKET the “thumbs up” now? You will need to create a StumbleUpon account — which is free — and visit the link. I’d really appreciate your support, as it could eventually lead to a book deal of some nature.

 

Also, I’m still looking for feedback, so if you’ve read it and have suggestions, advice, or other “friendly” comments, please feel free to let me know your impression.

 

My dear friend  takes the cake as far as “BEST CRITIQUE PARTNER”!

 

• WHAT’S UP WENZDAY POINT #4: BONUS MATERIAL —

I accidentally roped myself into a month-long challenge to clean up / organize / minimalize my office. The way it happened was this…

 

I visited my favorite blog (one of the first I ever started reading!) which used to be called The Dao of Doing, but which has since undergone an AMAZE-BALLZ transformation into the gorgeous Women Making Changes.

 

Kel Wilson wrote in “Kel’s Decluttering Saga Continues – The Paper Purge” about her self-imposed challenge to get her paper messes under control, and I commented there that I’d been contemplating a similar idea in my own home office.

 

So I went through this room and found 30 — THIRTY — small 15-minute tasks I can conquer once per day throughout this month.

 

Kel + Tracy promote taking “Baby Steps” in any change, whether it’s adding something you love to your daily routine, or getting rid of things that no longer add value to your life. This idea appeals to me, because too often I tend to bite off more than I can chew by diving into the deep end — and then drowning in shock when I realize the water’s too deep. And then, of course, I follow up by abandoning the pool altogether.

 

There is nothing wrong with quitting, if it’s for the right reasons, but self-sabotage is NEVER a good reason to avoid self-improvement.

 

I challenge you to find 30 small tasks in one room of your home, and join me in cutting the crap. Here’s what I’ve accomplished thus far:

 

Oct 01 (Mon) = office book case: top shelf (what on earth is even *up* there now???)

Oct 02 (Tue) = office book case:  second shelf (get rid of knick-knacks; sort boxes of papers)

 

And that’s what’s up Wenzday.

Hope your Hump-Day is full of hump-ish good times.

I’d love to hear what’s up with YOUR Wenzday!

Or, please tell me how *YOUR* Happiness Project is coming along!

Don’t forget to give GREEN MARKET the thumbs up —

and do join me in my 30 Days of Cutting the Crap!