I’m working on my Happiness Project, and you should have one, too! Everyone’s project will look different, but it’s the rare person who can’t benefit. Join in — no need to catch up, just jump in right now. Each Friday’s post will help you think about your own happiness project.
This week’s assignment is a bit goofy and overspecific: if you have a sweetheart, go to iTunes, download Fatboy Slim’s “Praise You,” and dance around the room while thinking about all the things you love and appreciate about your sweetheart.
Here’s why.
I’m not a huge music lover, but every once in a while, I fixate on a song I really love – for example, the Red Hot Chili Pepper’s “Under the Bridge.”
The other day, while working in a diner, I overheard a song, “Praise You,” that I love but had forgotten about. I’m proud to say that I now possess the expertise to go to iTunes, buy a song, and load it onto my iPod. A major technological triumph for me.
Listening to this song flooded me with tender feelings for the Big Man. Yes, we have gone through the hard times and the good! Yes, I have to praise him like I should!
So find a song you love that fills you with happy feelings of love, gratitude, energy, or nostalgia. It could be the Gershwin song, “They Can’t Take That Away From Me,” or the Talking Heads’ “And She Was,” or “My Favorite Things” from The Sound of Music, or some terrific new song that I, of course, have never heard of.
If you get up and dance around the room while you listen, you’ll get extra happiness points.
Research shows that listening to music is an extremely effective way to boost mood and energy. It is an excellent way to induce a mood – the way “Praise You” induces feelings of gratitude and appreciation in me.
*
New to the Happiness Project? Consider subscribing to my RSS feed: Subscribe to this blog’s feed. Or sign up to get email updates in the box at the top righthand corner.
If you’re starting your own happiness project, please join the Happiness Project Group on Facebook to swap ideas. It’s easy; it’s free.
