"The thing about life is it's not about things". We all know this of course. That's the thing about these 10 Happiness Principles. Because they are truths we can feel they are right on some deep level. But again we can get so caught up in the busyness of life that we can just get swept away in a tsunami of doing and buying.
Over the Christmas break I was sorting out hundreds of photos from 2002 to 2003 when I had a grown-up OE and travelled the world for a year. I am getting the pix digitised for easier storage and the fact that I may actually look at them if they are on my Mac and not in a dusty box in the garage. It was so hard to choose the best 400. Why? Because I DID so many things that year... here's me riding an elephant through a river; here I am on a jewellery design course; oh, here I am teaching yoga to some local kids on the beach.
And that's all in the same day! So many memorable experiences crammed into each day because that was the point of the trip.
And real life? Well real life is a trip too, if we deliberately make it one. This year I have resolved to do more things where I would take photos. Taking a photo means there is something new or connected or special or fun happening, even if it's just cooking a new recipe for dinner. "Can I take a photo of this?" is a good reminder and an easy way to build a treasure chest of shared experiences, joy and learning. It's a good way to open your brain to think about how you can put more fun into everyday life, introduce something novel or different. It was interesting to me as I reflected that this was the year in my life that I owned the least amount of stuff. All I had what was in the rucksack on my back - 16kg of essentials and that was it. Because I couldn't carry any more, all the things I focused on were not physical things to buy, they were things to do, learn and be.
They were feelings, sensations, sights, knowledge, laughter and connection.
