This Saturday: a happiness quotation from Henry David Thoreau.

“I know of no more encouraging fact than the unquestionable ability of man to elevate his life by a conscious endeavor.” -- Henry David Thoreau.

It's true, conscious endeavor (or, as I less loftily call it, sticking to your resolutions) can allow you to change your life -- but it can be hard. For example, many people struggle to keep a resolution to exercise. This post offers some suggestions. Or you might try creating your own resolution charts, which have really me.

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Visiting sites like the incomparable Lifehacker often fill me with a zeal to make useful changes in my life.

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Comments

[Ingrid]

I wanted to let you know that visiting your website every day contributes to my happiness. I've learned a lot from you, and have travelled a long and happy way through the great links you provide. I'm recovering from depression and am having to teach myself how to be happy - you've helped me incredibly.

thank you.

[erin]

I don't remember exactly when I first found your blog: I think maybe it was 3 or so years ago. I have diligently saved its link on every computer I've had since then and check in on your site from time to time.

I've decided to comment now because 1)that's what i do, with a blog myself, i understand the precious nature of feedback, 2)wanted to give you props for using a Thoreau quote, and 3)wanted to see if you've developed the notion of a conscious endeavor in another place on this blog?

I'm a big proponent of conscious endeavors and like your alt. "sticking to your resolutions" but wanted to contest that resolution is a bit different for me. I think Thoreau might be hinting at mindfulness moreso than resolve. ??? Maybe not.

I've experienced great pain(?) in efforts to change a behavior. It's easier said than done to say the least. Changing a behavior or a thought process takes practice so much so that I would call it training: I'm training my brain as I have said to some. It's hard! But the long-term benefits will be well worth the little series of efforts I can make now. :)

Keep up the great blog and focus.

[Gretchen Rubin]

Thanks so much for the kind words -- you've made me very happy. I really appreciate your taking the time to post.

Ever since I realized that one of the key parts of the mission of the happiness project is to get EVERYONE to start a happiness project, I've been thinking about how to help lead people through that process. When I constructed my own, I did it in a huge, messy way, which is how I approach things. But I think, with the benefit of hindsight, I can put structure around it so that people can think about their happiness projects more systematically. We'll see...

Interesting to think about the difference between "conscious endeavor" and "sticking to a resolution." Are they really different? I found that for me, the only way to succeed with a conscious endeavor was to translate it into actual resolutions I was committed to keeping. Some are simple, like "Remember to floss," some are transcendant, like "Contemplate the heavens" and "Memento mori" and "There is only love." But the transcedant ones, EVEN MORE than the simple ones, needed to be framed in a way that allowed me to carry through with them in ordinary life. E.g., by reading memoirs of catastrophe.

So fascinating...