I am in the process of re-reading The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin. In the book for one year, she tackles a different theme each month as a way to improve her happiness. Yet in the beginning of the book, she wrote a list of 12 Commandments to live by and a list of the Secrets of Adulthood, from her perspective. As I continue to dip into her world, I can’t help but recreate my own list of the 12 Commandments. What are the lessons that I want to keep in my life daily?
As I wrote these, the first commandment written admittedly was a complete copy of hers, although this is paradoxical. Hers was Be Gretchen, mine therefore was Be Tricia. Essentially what this boils down to is be authentic. This lesson seems quite simple, yet how often do we live by this principle? To be true to ourselves, we must first question our behaviors and values that we currently hold. Are they truly ours, or an inherited value from our families or society. It is easy to live up to the principles that are set before us, but how often do we reflect on creating our own commandments? How have you been choosing to live your life? Has this changed over the years?
What is required of us after questioning our values and principles, is to query if they are outdated, and if they need to be decluttered and either simplified or replaced? Hand me down values do not always seem to fit in the right way. They are either too loose fitting, tight in the wrong places, or simply out of style. What holds true for you at this phase of your life?
2020 has probably been a deep time of reflection for most of us. The world as we know it was paused and shaken up. It took us out of our routine, out of our busy lives. As we sat at home, without the regular escape to the local pub, getaway weekend, or store, we began to challenge how we have been living our lives. Going forward into 2021, I challenge you to create your own list of commandments and opt to live by them wholeheartedly.
It Only Takes A Smile 