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Delaney photo by Scott Frost Delaney. The Geography of Bliss cover courtesy of Twelve Books.
Lauren Delaney
why what I did makes me happy. Although we can usually be dismissive of it,
[the 100 Happy Days challenge] frames it in a way that makes it special. It’s
also a visual way to share.”
For Delaney, the challenge quickly blended into her personal project, The
Bikini Experiment, a healthy-living blog. Working in the marketing industry,
Delaney felt she did not have a creative outlet. Her interest in working out
and healthy eating inspired her to begin a blog.
“I saw the blog as a way for me to share the challenges I have faced and
help someone else through their journey as well,” Delaney says.
Through this blog and her experiences as a certified nutrition coach and
writer, Delaney shares with other women how to find and follow the path to
wellness, strength, quality eating, natural beauty and organic living.
“Healthy living is sort of a process of adjusting to a healthy lifestyle. For
instance, you can’t wait and say you’ll be happy when you start running,”
Delaney says.
Although Delaney has not reached her 100th day yet, she has stayed true
to the challenge by posting each day rather than sporadically remembering to
share a moment. The practice of learning to cherish small moments from each
day became infused into her life beyond social-media posts and her blog.
“My boyfriend actually started the challenge a few weeks ago too. We eat
dinner together three to four times a week and now we make it a practice to
take a few minutes to say why we are thankful for the other person. It’s a good
way to acknowledge when the other person did something nice,” she says.
While many cannot find the time each day to appreciate a moment,
Delaney did not take the 100 Happy Days challenge halfheartedly. What
began as a way to stay connected and involved with her family on social
media transformed into a daily practice of finding moments to cherish. The
challenge became a lifestyle change for Delaney similar to the prior lifestyle
changes she had made in terms of healthy, active living.
“I would recommend completing the 100 Happy Days challenge because it
reminds you of small things in life that you are grateful for. It improves your
outlook and attracts more positivity in your life. That’s the challenge. When
you’re having bad days, you can still say, ‘I have this cozy apartment, or I read
this great article.’ You still search for that one thing that was good or positive,
even on a bad day. That’s both the challenge and benefit of doing the challenge
every day,” Delaney says.
Through the 100 Happy Days challenge and the Facebook challenge of
posting three things you are grateful for each day for a week, Delaney demonstrates
how there are opportunities to embrace these challenges beyond
social-media forums. These challenges can become a new way of seeing the
world and living.
Tools to Go Deeper With Your Happiness
You Are A Badass by Jen Sincero
You Are a Badass, a self-help, how-to guide, shares stories, advice and
exercises. As an author, speaker and world-traveling success coach,
Jen Sincero helps people in their transformation, whether it involves
money, a career or relationships. Each of the 27 book chapters provides
a different piece of insight to discover your path through life.
The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin
The Happiness Project immediately rose to the New York Times
bestsellers list through Gretchen Rubin’s incorporation of wisdom
of the ages with scientific research as she shares her personal
experience of her year searching for greater happiness. The project
has even expanded past a book into a blog and a movement,
as “happiness projects,” in which people discuss their personal
happiness projects, continue to pop up throughout the country and
the world. Check out her novel, Happier at Home, in which Rubin
continues her search in realizing that home was the most crucial
element influencing her happiness.
The Geography of Bliss by Eric Weiner
In his search for happiness throughout the world, Eric Weiner takes
us from America to Iceland to India. Through a combination of
psychology, science and humor, Weiner attempts to discover where
happiness is in the world. In each city he encounters, Weiner asks
questions as to why this city’s happiness flourishes. Pick up this read if
you’re looking for new travel destinations to improve your happiness
while learning about how happiness is maintained in other cultures.
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