Monday, April 1, 2013

How I'm changing the world

My first Happiness Challenge update.

Remember that post I wrote about My happiness challenge?  You know, the one I'm doing for 21 days?  Well, here is the first update on the challenge and my happiness.

One of the first things in the challenge is to write an appreciative email to someone in your support group.  Someone like a family member, a co-worker, a teacher, a friend, an employee, you know, someone like that.  On the second morning of the challenge I wrote an email to my son.  Remember, these emails are short and positive.  There is no need to write a novella to brighten someone's day.  My email went something like this:

Good morning (my son's name). This is just a quick note to let you know that I am proud of you and proud of the way you've taken responsibility for your house, your classwork, your job, and your future. Remember when you said that thing a while back about me not thinking much of you and I said you just hadn't done anything to be proud of yet, but you hadn't done anything you couldn't return from either. Well, now you know what accomplishment feels like. I am very proud of you and I hope you are proud of yourself, too. 

Love,
Mom
My husband and son had lunch together today.  (we're home from our vacation and my son needed to use my husband's truck to take his trash to the dump.  we like to help him out, sometimes.)  My son told my husband that the email came to him at just the right time.  He was having trouble with a problem for a class he's taking and he felt like giving up.  This email gave him the confidence he needed to continue to work on the problem and he solved it.  BooYah! 

I've got to tell you, yesterday I didn't work the challenge.  I was traveling home from vacation and I just didn't work the entire challenge.  I did do the smiling and saying "hi" in the airport and I was friendly on the plane, but I didn't do any of the email or journaling.  But you know what?  I'm ok with that.  Today I'm journaling my one positive thing to you, dear readers, in this blog post.  Even though my son may never tell me to my face that my email made his day, I know it did and that makes my day.

Here is my encouragement to any of you out there in the blogosphere wondering how you can change the world.  Write one positive email each day to someone you know.  I think we can change the world and make it a happier place, one email at a time.


259.  A day in the mid-Atlantic that could almost be called spring-like
260.  April Fool's day  (it's just a fun day, isn't it)
261.  The airline lost my luggage, but then the airline found my luggage and they will send it to me tomorrow and I didn't get upset about it
262.  Daffodils EVERYWHERE!
263.  Sleeping in my own bed (why is it better, even if you need a new mattress?)
264.  Being home

10 comments:

  1. It sounds like a happy time. I'm glad that it was good.

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  2. smiles...changing the world one email at a time...and so cool he said it came in just the right time as well..we need to send things like this more often...

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  3. I'm sending one every morning for 21 days. This just may become a habit. :)

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  4. I loved this encouragement to your son and how it made a difference. I think you're on to something powerful!

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  5. So awesome that your email came at such a crucial time for him.

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  6. I love that email to your son!

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  7. I think a note of encouragement goes a lot further than we realize!

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  8. It's a wonderful thing when a bit of encouragement can do so much. I like the way you're changing the world right where you are.

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  9. You are on to something very important that the world really needs!

    ALOHA from Honolulu

    Comfort Spiral

    ~ > < } } ( ° > <3

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  10. Aloha back atcha. Thanks for reading. :)

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Comments from my readers bring sunshine to my day. They make me so happy.