This is Day 1 of the 21-Day Positivity Challenge held in March 2012, where we work on being positive for 21 days. The challenge is now over but you can do the tasks in your own time. Visit the overview page for all the challenge tasks.

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Hello everyone, and welcome to Day 1 of the 21-Day Positivity Challenge (21DPC)!! :D *dance*
We have over *300* official participants now!! To all of you who have duly signed up and helped spread the word to your social networks (or even via blogging about it), thank you. The challenge can only be a success through our collective efforts. The more people sign on to 21DPC, the better it will be for everyone, because hey – that means even more positive energy to go around. :D There is never a limit to how much positive energy there can be – abundance has no lmits.
For those of you whose friends / family read your message and decided to join in on 21DPC too, that’s fabulous. PE Challenges are always particularly fun when you get to do it with someone you know! You can keep each other accountable and learn more about each other in the process.
If you are doing it by yourself, not to fret. We have over 300 official participants here with us for 21DPC, and we’re definitely going to get more people joining us over the next few days before I close the sign ups. In the course of these 21 days, all of us will be doing 21DPC together as one, reflecting on the daily questions, sharing our answers in the comments section of the daily posts, and engaging each other in meaningful discussions.
This is a challenge to be done together as a community, as a group, as one Personal Excellence family, which is really the reason why PE is even here. So do not be afraid to share your answers openly and be fully honest with yourself here. There is no judgment here; anyone who tries to do that will be promptly barred from the site. The .co in the PE domain represents community, not individuality- always remember that whenever you come here to the site.
Important: Sign Up First Before Reading Any Further
If you’re new to 21-Day Positivity Challenge, or you have not signed up yet (your name should be in the official participants list), please read the announcement post and sign up first before going any further: 21-Day Positivity Challenge. All details on the challenge, what to expect, and how to sign up can be found at the post.
If you have already duly completed the 3 sign up steps, your name will be added in the next 36 hours. ♥ Thank you!
Update March 5: Sign ups are now closed now – thanks everyone for your amazing response! For those who didn’t get to sign up – you are more than welcome to participate and join us in the daily threads!
What To Expect for the Next 21 Days
1. Positivity Question
Changing Your Life, Starting From Your Thoughts
As you have read in the announcement post, I will be assigning you a positivity question every day, for the next 21 days.
The question may be simple, like asking “What is your favorite movie?” to something deeper, like “What is 1 positive thing you can share about your least favorite person?” There are days when there will be 2-3 questions combined into 1 (for example, today’s question) – you are expected to answer all the questions, and not just answer the first one and skip the rest.
The idea is to cultivate positivity in your life, via working on the root of it all – our thoughts. Asking ourselves the right questions will help us think in the right manner. And from there, the right actions, habits, and behavior will follow suit. As the saying goes:
“Watch your thoughts, for they become words.
Watch your words, for they become actions.
Watch your actions, for they become habits.
Watch your habits, for they become character.
Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny.” — Anonymous
Your Honesty Required
My request to you is to be as completely honest with yourself in answering the questions. Because the more honest you are, the more insights you will unveil, the more you will grow. Think of it as it you’re in a dark room alone, by yourself, and there’s no one there to listen, comment, or judge. What is the first thing that comes to mind? What would be your most truthful response to the question?
This challenge is not about sugar-coated answers and creating an illusion of happiness and positivity to everyone out there. You are probably kidding yourself if you think we’ll be jumping around in these 21 days, skipping merrily, laughing like little kids and forcing ourselves to smile every day.
Don’t feel that there’s a need for you to write something positive just because this is a positivity challenge, because that’s totally untrue. As I shared in Principle #1 of 10 Timeless Principles To Be Happy, part of being happy / positive includes airing out grievances, unhappiness, frustrations, anger, sadness, disappointment, etc inside of you – whatever they may be. These (negative) energies, when unaired, are merely *stuck* in your consciousness, with nowhere else to go.
In the end, they end up affecting you on a subconscious level, in more ways than you can imagine. The more (unhappiness) you release through your answers in 21DPC (in a constructive manner, of course), the more happiness can flow your way.
2. Positivity Task
Most of the days will have a positivity task assigned. This task is linked to the day’s question, and usually comprises of a simple action that can be done on the day itself. Do complete the task as part of your 21DPC participation.
3. Positive Thing For the Day
Last but not least, you are to identify at least 1 positive thing that you got out of the day, for every day of 21DPC. If you can identify more than 1, that’s even better! The more the better! :D
Sharing To Help Yourself and Help Others
As with every challenge, I highly recommend you share your responses in the comments section of the daily posts with the other participants, to get the most out of your 21DPC experience.
If you’re not comfortable sharing your answers under your usual name/nick on PE, then create some fake, random nick (so no one will know it’s you) and post your answers under that nick (for the remainder of 21DPC, if you want). Replace others’ names (if any) in your answers with fake nicks as well. There is always something powerful about transparently writing your thoughts out there in the open, vs. keeping it to yourself in your little book.
Besides, do not underestimate the change you can make in others’ lives just by sharing your answers here. After all, have you not benefited in the past from reading honest sharings by others, be it on Personal Excellence, or on other websites? What would the world be if no one wants to share? Think about the people out there you can effect. By helping others, you are also helping yourself.
21DPC Day 1 Question
Given that this is a positivity challenge, for Day 1 today, I want you to think about how happy you are. Not just today, but as a person.
On a Scale of 1-10, How Happy Are You? And Why?

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Share as much as you want in your answers, from a few words to a few pages long. Be honest as you can. Answer both questions, and not just the first question.
And if you did not give yourself a 10/10 for your score, I have one additional question for you:
Why Did You Not Give Yourself a 10/10?
Again, be completely honest in your response. There is no judgment here at PE. Only positivity and love.
While we’re on the topic of happiness, be sure to check out the related articles on how to achieve happiness (or unhappiness, as per the second article) at PE:
…and the manifesto versions:
Your Tasks Today
- Reflect and answer today’s question(s). Write as few or as many words as needed to fully express your thoughts. There is no word limit.
- Identify at least one positive thing about your day. It may be something small or something big – as long as you deem it as something positive, it counts. If you have more than 1 thing to share, then by all means, go for it!
Share Your Answers!
After you are done, share your answers in the comments area!
If you’re doing this at the start of the day, you can post your answer for today’s question first, then return at the end of the day to answer the 2nd part, on identifying at least one positive thing about your day.
Check out other participants’ answers. Pick 1-2 participants’ answers and make a meaningful reply to them. Engage in the discussions. This is a group course, so let’s support each other in these 21 days!
Look forward to reading your responses!
Right now I am at 8/10 – I have a very loving and supportive husband, a son we are so very proud of and a job that I love. I also have a very loving and close relationship with those in my family. :)
To be at 10/10 I would like to be more financially stable so that we don’t have to live paycheck to paycheck and I can branch out and explore my creative side, and to experience less drama from certain co-workers that tends to dampen one’s positive attitude. :(
Financially stability was one of my answers that would improve my overall happiness. Money can’t buy happiness people say but it sure helps to have enough to live comfortably without the stress of bills and everyday expenses. People can tend to affect our moods. Have you read Celes article about dealing with energy vamps? It is great you have a supportive husband, a wonderful son, and that you do have a job you love. Have a wonderful day!!
Thank you for your comments. :p
I am a 7 out of 10 right now, which is up from 5 out of 10 last year this time. I have been working on the quality of my thoughts to bring myself up. My current view is that when negative thoughts come down the river of thought, and try to jump into my mind, I hit the delete button and throw them back in the river. I am not yet at a 10 because I struggle daily with 2 extreme issues. First, I have a health issue that is quite serious and painful, which impacts me daily. Secondly, my son was born with brain damage and is a quadriplegic. He cannot move or talk and is dependent on machines and nursing care for everything. We care for him at home and it is overwhelmingly sad at times, and a huge challenge to stay positive and happy while looking at that beautiful little helpless face every day. A positive thing about today is that I am reading an awesome and inspiring book that is lifting me up out of a place of sadness, and I look forward to reading more of it each night.
Dear Susan,
Some situations in life are quite challenging and seeing the positive every day can be tough. But from last year you improved and I can see you took good resolutions too…….something I should do.
I am sure this year you will make progresses too. It is all about baby steps and keep going.
Take care and best wishes.
Hey!! I been trying since yesterday to sign up, I have done everything, I think! I hope this time is a charm!!! Ready to rock this out!!!!
How happy am I?
I would give myself 8 – my life is fantastic, and most of the time I do appreciate it and celebrate. But sometimes get my mind fixed on how it could be IF… And there usually comes something like “…I were single and in USA” or “…I had a baby”, or some other If-speak. But usually I ask myself whether I’d be happier if I remained in USA when I had a chance. I preferred to go back to Russia and marry the love of my life (which btw I’ve never once regretted), but I just hate my country (at least my hometown) and the feeling is only growing stronger with each passing year, even month. So, I just get this feeling that I’d be happier there than here. Again, grass is always greener… which only makes me more confused.
So, to cut it short – I’m a very happy person, I have everything I need and want in life, all my dreams come true pretty soon unless I change my mind, I have the husband of my dream, the work of my dream and the friends and family of my dream. To have 10/10, I need to learn to be satisfied with what I have here and now, without always looking out there what some better option which actually might never suit me, if I happen to get it. I AM happy, I just need to see and appreciate this fact 24/7.
What good thing happened to me?
Oh, this wasn’t just a good thing – it was TERRIFIC!!! One of my best friends came to my town from Moscow and we managed to catch up and spend some time together! She’s such an incredible person and I love her SOOOOO much! :love: She was like a bright star in my night sky (I’m still feeling a little sick after the food poisoning, so you know what I mean). My sweetie reminded me once again how happy I am to have such great friends, even though some of them happen to live sooo freaking far away from me (she lives in Moscow and I… hmmm… in Siberia, better known as the middle of nowhere).
Do you really live in Siberia?!
That’s crazy! I’m so sorry you don’t like where you live but I admire your determination to stay positive despite of it. If you really can’t move, I’d suggest you try to focus on what good can come out of your living situation. My country is very poor and conditions are very frustrating here (things are slow, people are corrupt, violence is high, and so on and so forth) and a LOT of my friends and family wish they lived elsewhere (our population doesn’t really grow here because if people can go to the States or the UK or somewhere, then they will) but some of them have been telling me that my pictures make the country seem more interesting than they usually find it. So, I’ve suggested they take up photography – to find the beauty in an otherwise despairing situation. If you do, you can then share them with others :)
Best of luck to you! :dance:
Thank you so much for your support! :hug: After reading your post I understood that no matter where we live, there’s always someplace better and, unfortunately, someplace worse. So we have to be happy with where we are and who we are! Thanks again for opening my eyes!
Stacy, thank you for sharing how you feel. You know, I used to get really annoyed about what’s going on in Russia myself – I studied regional politics and this stuff is supposed to make everyone in every region of the country live better lives in better conditions, but nothing is really being done, and unfortunately there is a huge gap between how people live in cities like Moscow and St Petersburg (where I am really lucky to have been born) and places in Siberia, for example. But as you know yourself, it all depends on the attitude, and if politics is something we cannot influnce directly, we can influence the energy around ourselves, expecially if we are with people that we love. I think with friends that we dont see very often there is often a much deeper connection, too. Anyway, get well from the food poisoning, and greetings from a fellow Russian :)
This is great to know that even on such forums you can meet Russian people with a good command of English and the right attitude to life. Merry Meet :) And I’m more than grateful for your understanding what I mean by my negative feelings to my country. It’s not as if I hated the land itself, or the Nature, or even the nation – probably not the case. I just don’t get it why Russians are forgetting about their roots, culture, values and becoming a bad copy of everything else combined in one?! Happy to know I’m not alone here! :hug:
Do you still live in St Petersburg? Actually, my former best friend lives there now, but we haven’t been in touch lately. I sometimes catch myself thinking that maybe I’d rather move to a bigger Russian city as well… but then again – grass is always greener, isn’t it?
For the past 3 years or so I’ve been slowly becoming more and more at peace with myself. Since the 30DLBL I’ve grown leaps and bounds and find that it’s much easier to bounce back from set backs (and to override them before they even crop up!).
Today I’m a 10/10 but, in general, I’d say I’m 7/10. Why? Because I’m happy almost all of the time but when I crash it’s still pretty hard. And I still dwell way too much on the negative than I should.
A positive thing for today/why I’m a full 10: I started a blog last October and it’s been slow goings because the aim of the blog is share my country, Guyana, with others not just through my own pictures and writing but by the work of fellow Guyanese. As you can imagine, lots of people are too busy to contribute which was a bit of a bummer. Anyway, I revived it in the middle of Jan with a resolve to post as much as I can and hope that others would share their work with me along the way. I’ve been super happy with it cause I post regularly now. Anyway, I posted on it today as planned and then I stumbled on an awesome piece of poetry a friend of mine of facebook wrote about the rain (it’s raining cats and dogs here at the moment!) and I asked if he minded if I shared it on the blog and he was more than willing – he was very happy about it! So, I got to enrich my blog’s content and make someone happy which makes me ridiculously happy :D Today is awesome!
Btw, if you want to see the poem, it’s here:
http://notafrica.wordpress.com/2012/02/29/the-rain/
Hi there!
I just wanted to drop a quick note and I admire your contribution to your homeland – this deserves only respect! You’re doing a great job by trying to get all the creative and talented people from your country together in one place and share their gifts with others!
Oh and I loved the poem! English is not my native tongue, but this verse made me feel the rain on my skin! Say thank you to your friend! :angel:
You’ve just made my day even better. Is it possible to be 11/10? Cause that’s how I feel :D
Thank you so much for your thoughtful comment, Stacey. I really appreciate it.
Will convey the message to my friend :)
Thanks again! :heart:
1. Today, I am about a 4 to be honest. My daughter is going through a breakup and It’s very, very hard.
2. I am alive.
Paige, the thing that made you feel good today (being alive) could actually work for you every day, and for all of us as well! This is awesome to be alive, isn’t it? :dance: Help your daughter to see the beauty of the world, maybe it’ll distract her from her broken heart…
Wishing you and your daughter much strength and happiness :( Breakups are harsh…
;) 8/10
2 remaining points to be completely happy:
1. Stop doing what I hate and focus 24h/24 on what I love
2. Find my soul mate and Get married
I’m working on these 2 points and very soon…I’ll be 10/10 happy.
I rate my happiness at a 7 level. I have set goals in my life that are falling into place. This makes me happy to begin the day in a positive mood. I do have more work on my emotional relationships with my life partner (not married, together for 11 years) and my children (grown and gone). I smile every morning and evening knowing have achieved more to that goal and all the goals. It takes one day at a time and a positive attitude to achieve your goals.
I feel I at at a 7 because of the work I need and want to do, to achieve my emotional goals. Love life and live it.
I would say my happiness on a scale of 1-10 is a 5. I know I have many reasons to be happy these days. I have worked hard for the past year and a half to improve my life situation, by doing such things as making friends, volunteering, and learning more about the world. And yet I am not at a 10. It feels to me like there is something missing, but I cannot figure out what it could be.
Something positive that happened today was that I could kind of sing along to a Japanese song that I like. I usually can’t quite hear the words right, but today it was different. :D
Hi Jerrica,
I think that this challenge is going to help us get from the 5/6 to 10s! Keep your head up!!!
Hello all! :)
As of right now, I feel I am about 8/9…I am very happy and blessed to be having a very loving, challenging (personal growth wise) and inspiring relationship with my fiance, with whom I have grown so much over the years…on the other hand, we are waiting for our visa to be processed so that we can get married (he is an American) and that has been hard at times (we also have a long distance relationship). Hence, the challenge :)
I am also very glad to be blessed with good health, high spirits, supporting parents and friends but professionally, I have taken a step back, in waiting for the visa, and I am wondering about the ways and means I will start all over again in the new country I will be living with my loved one.
Today, I am extremely grateful for my parents, my beloved and because it was a very productive day! I managed to do all things written on my agenda! :) I am a 10/10 happy about that! :D
Love and inspiration to you all!
Roxi
Good luck with the visa, Roxi! I know what a nuisance it can all be, and the frustration of waiting is sometimes unbearable. I’ve had some experience with long-distance relationships, and it takes a lot of love, understanding and sheer bravery to make them work out. I’ll keep my fingers crossed for you!
Thank you, Bazik! your encouragement means a lot, we need it! so sweet of you, thank you! :)
I would give myself 8-9. I am almost always in a good mood.
The most significant factor causing such happiness is love. I went through depression in 2006-2008 (when I was 12-14) when I was living away from my family. Now since I’ve been back with them, everything seems so much better. I wasn’t ready then to be separated from them, though I do feel that I will do well in university. Also, since then, I’ve fallen in love and my boyfriend and I have been together for 3 years. I also love my friends. I don’t have too many that are really close but the ones I have are awesome. :heart:
It isn’t higher than that because of math and english work, the tedious nature of the last semester of high school, the IB program (all my friends are taking it) and the lack of opportunity to spend time with my boyfriend and my other friends because of the IB program.
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The highlight of today was the expression on my newest friend’s face when I gave her a drawing I did based on a mental image she had this morning. She was so happy and was showing people it. It made me feel all warm and happy inside :hug:
Hey, I just wanted to ask – is IB programm really so hard? You see I will be going my IGCSE exams and I’m not sure if it’s worth to do IB. Any advice?
It really is very difficult. Not only is the work load strenuous, it is required to be done while completely sleep-deprived. There’s no such thing as a social life; eg. I haven’t really spent time with my boyfriend outside of school since mid-December and when my sister was doing it, I almost only ever saw her at mealtimes (her room was next to mine). Some schools have varying difficulty for the IB and the school I go to is I think either the top 3 or 4 International High School in the world (so I’m told)
It is a very good program in that once you complete it, everything seems easier. You can almost guarentee that you will get accepted into a decent quality school (I know very few IB graduates who have got rejected.
I have to catch my bus, I hope this was helpful.
5/10 – I’m not unhappy, but I’m kinda bored with stuff. I’ve become fairly complacent with my job, my social life, my family life. In realizing this, I see that my complacency has led to my boredom. It’s easy to get into the habit of doing nothing. The good news is that I realize this, and am now consciously deciding to have more fun. And I think this challenge is a great way to help.
Positive for today: I’m having dinner with one of my very dearest friends tonight – just to catch up!
Hello!
I just wanted to share: whenever I start feeling bored, it’s a sign for me to change something in my life immediately! I hate being in my comfort zone – as if I had died already! You need to always move, to pursue something great! Maybe you need some goal, don’t you think so? Life must be an incredible story – every day and every moment :)
Yes, I know how you feel. Its like everythings fine but you are bored and you don’t know whats really wrong because everything seems to fall into the right place. And i agree with stacey – you have to bring something new in your life, tickle the unknown. Good luck ;)
On a scale of 1-10? Honestly, 9 will do for me. I’ve learned from my experiences that happiness is a state of mind- you choose to be happy or you don’t.
Yes, happiness can and does exist if you really want to. Whatever situation you’re in, whatever social status, wherever you are, all of these don’t matter at all, if you choose to.
I choose to be happy with what I have, who I’m with, and what I do, because that’s when happiness sits still in your heart- when you cease to long for things that you can never have or never do.
So why make things difficult for me? I just live each day at a time, and just live the life I choose.
I choose to be happy! Period. :dance:
Why didn’t I give myself a 10/10 reply?
The 1 percent is for the time when I shift from a very distressing state to one of happiness. Each one of us goes through the “blues” at one time or another. That is my one percent. And hey, I’m only human, LOL! I’m made of flesh, too!
Yes, I do feel pain, and sadness, and loss, and boredom, and anything and everything else that you can think of, but that’s all there is to it- I limit them to my thoughts. I don’t let the troubles rule my life- I’ve got so many of them!
So, why bother? Even if I strip my clothes off (heaven forbid), or cry my heart out, nothing’s going to change. These are the times when I allow myself to be unhappy- then I quickly set my mood back to a pleasant one…otherwise, I’ll be a total wreck.
My boyfriend totally lives that attitude too, it makes me a bit envious sometimes ;) He’s simply happy because he CAN.
Glad to see so many people here with such an admirable attitude to life and being happy :)
“The best vitamin for being a happy person is to B1” :)
Hi Ffion,
Actually, you can do it too- I used to wallow in self-pity, envy, and loneliness, too, just like so many people. But then, what did I gain from doing so> NOTHING. Just more loneliness, self-pity and envy.
It does take a little effort at first to strive to be happy mainly because some people either see you as trying hard or downright crazy…lol! Oh, but what the heck! Throw your caution to the wind!
Just be happy! Be confident of yourself and what you can do for yourself and others as well. Pick up a task that you believe would make you happy. Just make sure that in your pursuit of happiness, nobody gets hurt in the process- otherwise, you will be defying the very purpose of your actions, for how can you be happy when at the back of your mind, you know you have made someone unhappy
Thank you so much for your inspiring words :D
I’m loving this challenge already. So many people spreading positive thoughts and attitudes…
The funny thing is… I have done it. When I was around 16 I changed my life around completely and was on top of the world happiness and healthwise. Simply by changing my attitude…
At the moment I’m still recovering from 2 1/2 years of an unhealthy and emotionally draining relationship. But I’m definitely getting better and trying to cultivate the attitude you speak of, because you’re totally right… negativity gets you absolutely nowhere. :)
I’m not so happy than the last 3 years but only in my professional life – This lack of happiness in my job is because it doesn’t turn like I would like. but I’m optimistic and I take this change like a new challenge to become better and give a new jump in my carrier.
Today I can say I had give 6/10 of myself and I will give more in next weeks
In private I am happy with my wife and my son and that’s why I can say that I am on level 7 in life happiness
I also have been not so happy for the past years. As the saying goes, “Change is permanent”. It is a good way that you see the positive things behind the lack of happiness. There is a silver lining. Goodluck on your Positivity challenge :)
On a Scale of 1-10, How Happy Are You? And Why?
I would give myself a 9/10 as a happy person. Why? I’m happy most of the time because of the love I have from my family and friends, also I have the love from my inner heart too. :)
I can fall asleep easily, and so my friends always say that I don’t have anything to be worried about, that’s why I can fall into sleep so fast, within 5 minutes. XD Yes, I appreciate the time I have. I always tell myself, “Who knows, I might be leaving this world in the next second? So I have to do whatever I like before I leave. I’m going to ensure that I’m enjoying my life as much as possible. ^^
Why Did You Not Give Yourself a 10/10?
I would say, when I’m enjoying my life, I wish to try out new things, new experience. So I always challenge myself, I want to see how far I can go. Sometimes, I ended up giving myself a terrible mood because of my own failure in the challenge.
For example, I know that I’m not good in working with people in a group, but I would like to see if I can go with it, so I took up the president position in a community club. Now, I’m suffered from the president position, especially when I meet people that doesn’t really wish to contribute. :( I feel the pressure, although I’m doing my best to ensure the club is operating well. From there, I learned the pressure, and I learned new things, new experience, and I feel grateful that I have seniors guiding me. That’s the reason that I still feel some happiness with my own decision.
The last task: identify at least one positive things about my day.
Today, I gave a test to my students. I know that my question is not too hard, but the question is not easy though. I felt happy when I see them managed to answer my question. And I heard that they have started to do their assignment question, which is to create a game system. As comparing to the last batch of students, their attitudes are not bad!! At least, they are not doing last minute work. :D
One more thing, a student of mine failed my subject last year. Because of my subject, he was retained one year and couldn’t further his study to a degree course in my college. I can see that his attitude has changed a lot, he is very hardworking this round, and he did the whole assignment question by himself, without grouping with other students. He prompted me a lot of questions about the difficulties he faced while doing his assignment, and he learned to search information online efficiently. Today, he shared with me about his working experience last year before retaking my subject. I could see that he learned a lot from his work. I felt really happy to see him changing so much!
The last thing, after I came back from college, I had dinner and chit chat with my parents. I always appreciate the time chatting with them, knowing what they thought, what they do everyday. Even though they are retired, but their lives are not dull at all. They plant a lot of fruits in the garden, take care of the plants, they hang out for dating :heart: , and they meet up with friends, etc… I’m glad that they are still healthy and happy all the time!
Hi Jaleen, from the first time you joined us in the later part of 21DHL, I already felt you have a very beautiful heart and soul. Call it intuition. Reading your responses in 21DFC (last month) and now 21DPC has shown me that I was right in my initial vibes. Thanks for being a part of 21DPC – your participation will be such a great asset to those in this challenge. :hug:
Hi Jaleen – I totally agree with Celes’s comments. It’s been great reading your journal in the forums and your comments are really encouraging. You really are an angel :hug:
I agree :) The comments you’ve left in my journal, and other people’s journals, have been so inspiring. I’m so glad you’re doing 21DPC too!
You must be a fantastic teacher. It’s a wonderful skill to have :)
Hi Celes, Ish and Sarah, thanks a lot for your comments. :)
I enjoy reading all your posts, and I learn new things from you all too! :D
Thanks for all of you guiding me indirectly from your posts~!
Such a wonderful post, Jaleen! I can really feel how open you are, and this encourages me to share more. I smiled also when I read about sleeping, because I fall asleep very quickly too, and I always sleep very soundly – used to think it’s just chronic sleep deprivation, but now I am going to take the positive approach of your friends and say that’s cause I have no worries :D
As for what you write about your teaching, I wish all my teachers were like you! Cheers – I salute you :bow:
Hi Bazik, yeah, having a good and deep sleep is very important to keep ourselves energetic in doing work. So it is not a bad thing to fall into sleep easily. ^^
Thanks for your compliment about my teaching. I’m still in the way of learning to teach as I just changed into education line for about 2 years. :) I wish to be a successful teacher like my father! He had been doing so great in the primary school teaching life, and now I’m teaching some of his students in college. They praised about my father so much! ^^
My father is always my role model~!
I would rate my current happiness at about 5/10. I’ve been having a very stressful last few weeks and have gotten very discouraged about money and the future.
As for positive things today, it’s morning so not a lot’s happened yet, but the birds are singing spring songs!
I love listening to birdsong. It was a lovely, sunny, warm day here today, too – it made me feel like spring had arrived and made me so happy :)
Hmm, i think it would give myself 7/10
I usually don’t like to complain and can find enjoyment in whatever I do. I have good job, have good friends, financial and health are great :D.
The lacking 3 points are
1. I’m not doing what I’m very passionate about. I like it, very much, but not s.thing i get up felt excited about, or can so proudly tell people about what I do with spark in my eyes :D
2. I’m oversea and staying away from all my good friends & family, working alone. So as muhc as I tried to get new friends, I still do miss them a lot
3. I don’t have boy friend, broke up last year, and as much as i enjoy my single life, its still good to have s.one for me. And social pressure does have some impact.
alright, this is at the end of my day, so today, 1 positive thing is that I took Thai Boxing Class. It is super, tiring, but just so cool to learn new thing. Every punch counts :D. So yay ^^, very happy about it
Great to hear you enjoyed your Thai Boxing Class Huong. :D I just finished my Kickboxing class and it feels really awesome too. Like you said, every punch (and kick for me) counts!
(By the way, a matter of semantics – but Day 1 is supposed to start on March 1st, given it’s a March challenge. I suppose those of you doing Day 1 on Feb 29 can either continue to do the tasks 1 day ahead, or time yourself to do the tasks on the day itself.)
Huong I can relate. I live abroad and I don’t work in what I deeply love.
Happiness can be found in different aspects of our life but sometime some things / situations are more difficult to deal with.
Surely this challenge will be a great help for us all. Enjoy your evening too.
I would like to say 7 out of 10 ! time to work on it :-) the next 21 day’s it can only get better !
7 – I’m pretty happy with how my life has been changing for the better professionally and personally. There’s always room for improvement. : )
I’d give myself 5/10. I have had a very tough emotional battle going on over that last 6 months which had been brewing for the previous 18 months. However, I have been having some help and do generally feel better than I did. I still have some days when I feel fragile and low, but, thankfully, they are rarer these days. I am feeling positive about the future; I am searching for something, but feel I am coming closer to finding it. My life is good, I have good health, and a husband and family who love me.
A positive thing today is that I feel better than I have done for the last couple of days…and the sun is shining too!
The sun never fails to cheer me up, too!
I really hope that you find what you are searching for, it is similar for me now – I feel it is very close, and I will soon get a realisation, and even though there are no visual changes in my life yet, I am excited about things to come, whatever they are.
I know emotional troubles can be really depleting, and I wish you to feel better and have more energy! I am sure you’ll get a boost from 21DPC!
Thank you for your good wishes. 21DPC is just what I need at the moment and I am looking forward to the challenge. I’m sure it’s going to help me in my search which can only be a good thing. Funny how the right thing comes along at the right time!
I hope that it benefits you and everyone else who is looking for a positive change in their life.
7/10 – Since 30DLBL and 21DHL – I’ve become a lot happier. I have found joy in the little things. I things I have to work on is not letting the negative things others say about me affect me and working on my self image.
My Daily Positivity:
– Lying in bed with my husband last night made me so happy I could die. When your relationship reaches yet another pinnacle of happiness, the feeling is indescribable.
– My pet rats lying in a ball jumping up to greet me this morning. Makes me smile every time. :D
That’s awesome to hear Tina, regarding being happier post 30DLBL and 21DHL. I’m really happy for you. :hug:
And that’s so sweet regarding you and your husband. I think many people would want a relationship like that. :heart:
I so identify with that feeling of bliss that comes with knowing you’re with someone really special :)
It really is indiscribable…
Wishing you both all the best <3
6/10. I’m naturally a happy person, in that I take such joy out of the little things, love to laugh as often as possible, and truly see the value of rising above the negativity that can come with daily life. However, I do have factors that are sucking on my life source, and I’m hoping to either change such situations, or change how I approach, experience them.
Very early this morning (after midnight) I got home and my mother had left a full plate of dinner on the stove for me. So nice.
i would give myself 5/10. considering my life wheel i lack in some areas of my life at present.
i have a good family with good relationship in between us.now a days some health problems are arising
may be due to some habits,lack of exercise, which eventually affects my mind and in turn make me
unhappy. financially, many times i compare to others who r not so educated as i,but earning more than
me making me feel depressed some times.
in business things are not going as expected which again depress me,
Positive thing today….i wake up earlier in the morning than i used to and played cricket with my son for 15 minutes till his school bus came..that gave me and my son a pleasant experience
I really hope this positivity challenge helps you life your spirits! I also sometimes feel depressed when I look at what others have achieved, but I realise that we should not compare ourselves to others, because we have to live our own life, and find what is important and rewarding for us. It might be different for me, and it might be different for you, but we all have something, I am sure.
And of course being able to spend time with our loved ones, like parents and children, is a blessing that we should always count, it is priceless! I can imagine how you and your son enjoyed this little cricket game and wish you a lot of those little pleasant moments!
thanks for your wish! today also i had some moments of joy with my son in the morning which i couldn’t had in the near past!
i too agree that we should not compare,but don’t know why it happens.. Now onwards will look for my unique strengths!
I will give myself 4/10…why??? i dont know exactly…i am not good at relationships..not feeling very positive for some time…
Positive things which happened today are:
good time at work
feeling better after many days
Maybe you just haven’t found the right person yet? Someone with whom it “clicks”?
I am a 9 out of 10 on the happiness scale because I have wonderful happy & healthy children, husband & a beautiful healthy grandson. I am healthy, employed in a job I love, have a great family, wonderful friends & live a terrific life! I didn’t give a 10 because I believe there is always room for more happiness.
Today was a great day because I had a wonderful day at work & spent a very special evening with my husband.
I would probably be 9/10. Life is good, and to be honest, there’s not really much I can think of in my life not to be happy about. Like everyone else, I have worries and concerns. But I’m still happy regardless! Even if I was really poor, I’d still be happy. Our time on this earth will only last for so long. It’s best to make the most of it :)
The reason I didn’t choose 10/10 is because there’s always room for improvement, and there are days things just don’t go to plan, leaving me feeling not so happy. But they’re rare.
One positive thing I did in the past day is sign up for this challenge :dance:
Hi Glenn, happy to see you in this challenge! This was a great idea of Celes’, don’t you think? :) Like all the rest, though! Good to know you’re satisfied with your life – so am I. This is our main goal – to learn to be happy with what we have HERE AND NOW! :hug:
Hi Stacey, great to see you here too! Also great to know that you’re doing really well right now too :) I’ve been following your tweets and will be reading all your replies here too. So even though I’m really slack at responding, I’ll still be checking :hug:
I really admire your attitude to life. :) Hope I get into that wonderful mindstate at some stage too :)
Thank you Ffion! I’m sure you will :) I think the key is just surrounding ourselves with positive, caring and honest people who are living their lives the best they can.
I would give myself a 7/10 in terms of happiness because there are still some things I tend to do that do not contribute to my overall happiness. I am a very positive person – I try to be optimistic, see things from others’ point of view if there is a disagreement, and try not to think negatively of others. Overall, I consider myself to be kind, caring, and patient.
The reason I do not give myself a perfect score is because I still have a lot to work on in terms of finding the courage to do the things I love. I tend to be afraid of “what ifs”, especially in terms of business. I also have an extremely hard time saying no to anybody, even if I end up miserable because of what they want (I am working on this one). I am also very much affected by the opinions of others, especially if it is something negative, to the point where I will lose sleep if I feel someone might be angry or upset with me.
I really relate to the first part of your comment: I try, too, to be positive and optimist, but sometimes it just seems like my heart refuses to follow with the thinking my brain does. I find myself worrying about certain things which don’t need any worrying (like future events) or trying to picture what others think or what they’ll do (like family members).
I can relate well with your answer, specially the second part and doing things you love.
Wish you all the best :D
I can get really worried by the ‘what ifs’ too – it’s frustrating :( And I know exactly what you mean about being affected by people’s opinions of you, too. I’m still worked on my self-confidence in that respect!
All the best for the challenge :)
Thank you guys! I’m glad to know I am not the only one who lays in bed imagining scenarios about who might say what. It’s a tough habit to break!
For some reason, I completely missed the part about identifying something positive for today… oops!
Positive Things today were:
1) Great day at work with positive results – all goals met!
2) Spending time with my husband and making plans for our two year anniversary that’s coming up
3) I won a free donut on my Roll up the Rim tea from Tim Hortons – hooray! lol
On a scale from 1 to 10 I would say 7: I’m healthy, I have caring parents, all necessary things for a comfy life (food, shelter, clothes, etc.), a few friends but true ones.
I didn’t choose 10/10 because I have to work at many aspects of my life, from rather serious things ( I care too much what others think or say about me thus being easily affected by the slightest remark -which is stupid, I know; sometimes I’m afraid of the future instead of embracing it and creating it as I go along) or more simple/materialistic ones ( I wish I had my own room- I’ve been living with my parents in the same room ever since I was born; pretty&feminine clothing, enough money to travel or go and study abroad). While some of these things are in my power to change or make them happen, others simply can’t be changed or removed from my everyday life because I can’t control *everything* that is around me. Guess this is one thing I have to learn and understand.
A positive thing I did today was to encourage my best friend who is going to sit a First Certificate in English exam :D She is really nervous but I’m sure she’ll do her best and pass the exam. We’ve spent some quality time today after a big period of time in which we haven’t seen each other (due to the big amount of studying we’ve both had to deal with lately).
I’m with you on the fear of the future side. That’s probably what freaks me out most in life, the uncertainty.
Is there maybe some small corner of the room you could claim for yourself, by decorating it nicely? A little bit can really help in that respect, I used to share a room with my sister… Maybe put up some nice posters/quotes/art that makes you feel “This is me”. Put out a nice bowl with a candle in it, decorate with your favourite colours… anything that suits your personality.
Thank you for the suggestion, Ffion! :D While I do have a corner of my own it all comes down to a small shelf with my books (both books I bought and the ones I’ve received as gifts over time) but I think I could create a small space of my own via decorating. :)
I can’t entirely relate to your situation as I DO have my own room. But the other day was the first time I actively decorated my room and added things to it that I wanted there because I felt they were “me” and I was astounded at how much more at home that made me feel. :)
Before then it felt like my room just kind of happened by accident… I spent lots of time there but didn’t really feel like it was “my space”.
Try it, it might really give you a boost :)
My happiness is about a 5/10. And that is why I decided to do this challenge. I have been going through a pretty severe depression for the past 8 months and am trying very very hard to get myself out of it. I have other thought exercises that I am doing but I like the idea of going through this with people! At this point, even if I bring my general happiness up to a 6/10 – that would be a huge improvement.
Hi Leslie! I wish you the best and I hope this challenge helps you. I know how hard it is to get out of depression, but I´m sure you´ll get better if you continue working hard. :hug:
Wishing you all the best :)
I’ve kept a happiness journal before when I was really down, where I made myself write down at LEAST 3 good things that had happened to me that day. Interestingly enough that really helped because I started focusing on the little good things in my life thinking “I have to remember to write this down” instead of the bad stuff. :)
Not saying this might be your problem, I have absolutely no clue what your situation is, but
Is there anything fundamentally not okay with your life that maybe you should be changing, but maybe you aren’t aware of or won’t aknowledge ist wrong?
I spent 2 1/2 years in a deeply unhappy and unhealthy relationship trying very hard to convince myself I was happy. I lied to myself, completely undermining my belief and trust in myself. I caused a host of additional problems by trying to solve problems that weren’t there and making them responsible for my unhappiness instead of acknowledging the actual problem. I caused myself a mean little eating disorder there that I’ve only just gotten myself out of, even though the relationship ended more than a year ago…
I nearly wrecked myself completely until I finally admitted to myself what was wrong.
That happiness journal is a very good idea.I consider on starting a belief and happiness journal ,along with writing 3 good things,its good to add three positive beliefs about ourselves…..really positive.
The three positive beliefs about yourself a day is a great idea, mind if I add that to my private journal? :) I’ve done a page “Things I like about myself”, but your idea would make it a more re-occuring event which would be great…
Wishing you luck with your journal.
Hi all,
I had a similar goal to achieve, to write 100 points starting with “I love myself becouse…” but getting stuck at the 45 made me feel really down, I could push to 50 some of them being telling the same things in different words but I am not sure if I can complete it to 100.. If one can not find reason to love himself/herself how should others love her/him.. If deal is seeing the positive part of this maybe I am good at summarising a big amount of data.. ;)
have a good day everyone
ugi
writing 3 positive things a day is really a good suggestion which will really attract positive things again to us! Also concentrating on positive things will help us be more happy.
Hi Leslie well i hope that you are able to increase your happiness by one point that would be good – i too went through some depression last year although did not know what it was for a while – very despondent and could not get out of bed unless i had to go to work – what has helped me is taking one day at a time, trying to live in the moment, got some counselling – and maybe medication could help also .
Aim to think of a positive thing each day and get some real good self talk for yourself and you will be much happier im sure
take care wendy
I would rate my happiness 8/10 because
:dance: reasons:-
i have a caring family, friends, good education, opportunity to learn, to grow.
to reach my full 10/10:-
But i would love to have more freedom, i want the people around me to be more positive,more encouraging. I dont want them to say my goals are very difficult. i want to work hard and do my best and have a positive image about myself and my future.
Hi premalatha, I believe that when you can create some good results to show that you are moving towards your goal, they will see your future as a positive one. I did the same too. :)
I wish you good luck to achieve your goals!
thanks jaleen………………..
One thing I’ve experience in life is that sadly, you can’t really change other people. You can only change yourself. However, changing yourself and becoming more positive and friendly often makes other people change their behaviour towards you.
I went through a phase where I was really upset because I’d broken up with a good friend and had a couple of other problems and felt I was alone in the world. More and more friends moved away from me, probably because I was too negative to be around. In the end I decided this couldn’t go on and I just decided to be happy and joke around and laugh out loud despite all the crap, because underneath it all, life was pretty good.
And my life completely changed around. Instead of worrying about the bad stuff I started thinking about all the good stuff and suddenly life felt a lot better. The biggest change was other people’s reactions to me. I found new and better friends and got on a lot better with other people too. (Not saying YOU’re being negative, just saying this was one marked example of how drastically your own behaviour can help other people react differently to you, without anything having fundamentally changed except your attitude.)
I’m so with you on wishing that other people were more supportive though… The people you’re close to maybe you can talk to and tell them you feel they’re not being very supportive. As nicely as possible. Often it’s their own fears and doubts about what THEY can accomplish that they project onto you that make them think you can’t do something.
I believe you can accomplish anything you set your mind and heart too, as long as you’re willing to show up and do the work and not let doubt settle into your heart.
“As a man thinketh in his heart, so he will be.”
I love what you said, and am a firm believer in all of it! I strive everyday to be positive, see the good and just the bad and negative things roll off my back! I find it is way easier to be happy go lucky all of the time then being negative, which takes a huge toll on you and everyone around you!
Best of Luck!
Love Hugs & Green M&M’s!!
KrisK
ya i do agree ,i am trying to change my attitude about that…….
thanks for sharing your thoughts friends………………..
Aw, thank you very much :)
Yes, it does make your life so much easier, but it really is something that requires a big amount of work and awareness… it sounds so easy but can be surprisingly hard even though the concept is so incredibly simple.
You are right, it does require a lot of work & awareness, but only in the beginning, because after a while it becomes second nature, or at least easier!!
XoXo
i like it because i am realizing the same thing now. I was too upset about my friends my family and my performance in various entrance exams. But now i’m realizing that i have to change myself and my attitude toward others. And i feel more maturity, dignity confidence about myself.
Hey everyone, reminder that the daily tasks for 21DPC includes sharing at least one positive thing you observed/gotten/did/learned from the day, on top of answering the daily question (otherwise it’ll just be another 21-Day Journaling Challenge with questions geared toward positivity).
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