the world – start with 7am, then 6am, then 5:30am. go to the nearest
hill with a big coat and a scarf and watch the sun rise.
2. push
yourself to fall asleep earlier – start with 11pm, then 10pm, then 9pm.
wake up in the morning feeling re-energized and comfortable.
3.
erase processed food from your diet. start with no lollies, chips,
biscuits, then erase pasta, rice, cereal, then bread. use the rule that
if a child couldn’t identify what was in it, you don’t eat it.
4. get into the habit of cooking yourself a beautiful breakfast. fry
tomatoes and mushrooms in real butter and garlic, fry an egg, slice up a
fresh avocado and squirt way too much lemon on it. sit and eat it and
do nothing else.
5. stretch. start by reaching for the sky as
hard as you can, then trying to touch your toes. roll your head. stretch
your fingers. stretch everything.
6. buy a 1L water bottle. start with pushing yourself to drink the whole thing in a day, then try drinking it twice.
7. buy a beautiful diary and a beautiful black pen. write down
everything you do, including dinner dates, appointments, assignments,
coffees, what you need to do that day. no detail is too small.
8. strip your bed of your sheets and empty your underwear draw into the
washing machine. put a massive scoop of scented fabric softener in there
and wash. make your bed in full.
9. organise your room. fold
all your clothes (and bag what you don’t want), clean your mirror, your
laptop, vacuum the floor. light a beautiful candle.
10. have a
luxurious shower with your favourite music playing. wash your hair,
scrub your body, brush your teeth. lather your whole body in
moisturiser, get familiar with the part between your toes, your inner
thighs, the back of your neck.
11. push yourself to go for a
walk. take your headphones, go to the beach and walk. smile at strangers
walking the other way and be surprised how many smile back. bring your
dog and observe the dog’s behaviour. realise you can learn from your
dog.
12. message old friends with personal jokes. reminisce.
suggest a catch up soon, even if you don’t follow through. push yourself
to follow through.
14. think long and hard about what interests
you. crime? sex? boarding school? long-forgotten romance etiquette?
find a book about it and read it. there is a book about literally
everything.
15. become the person you would ideally fall in love
with. let cars merge into your lane when driving. pay double for
parking tickets and leave a second one in the machine. stick your tongue
out at babies. compliment people on their cute clothes. challenge
yourself to not ridicule anyone for a whole day. then two. then a week.
walk with a straight posture. look people in the eye. ask people about
their story. talk to acquaintances so they become friends.
16.
lie in the sunshine. daydream about the life you would lead if failure
wasn’t a thing. open your eyes. take small steps to make it happen for
you.”
| — | Sixteen Small Steps to Happiness |
Food for thought! No. 9 is especially difficult for me (my room has turned into the repository for everyone else's stuffy-stuff in the house), but I know it needs to be done.