9. Cultivate a sense of wonder.

9. Cultivate a sense of wonder.

"Anything looked at closely becomes wonderful." - A. R. Ammons

I feel that all too often I'm so absorbed in my daily life I fail to see all that is wonderful and amazing in the world. From simple things like the color purple and an act of kindness, to more momentous things such as natural/man-made wonders or the feeling of pure joy.  There are wonders everywhere, and I don't want to rush through life and fail to appreciate and enjoy them.  So number nine is to cultivate that sense of wonder, to find beauty and amazement every day.

"Stuff your eyes with wonder, live as if you'd drop dead in ten seconds. See the world. It's more fantastic than any dream made or paid for in factories." - Ray Bradbury

8. Do the right thing.

8. Do the right thing.

"Soon we must all face the choice between what is right and what is easy." - Albus Dumbledore, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Ever since the first time I heard this quote on the GOF trailer, it has given me chills because it is so true.  We all have choices every day where we either make the right choice or the easy choice... I want to always do the right thing, no matter how difficult that might be for me.

7. Choose a positive thought.

7. Choose a positive thought.

I'd like to think that for the most part I'm a pretty happy person, but at times I can be pretty negative and take a more pessimistic view.  I recently chose a new mantra that I posted on my monitor at work and wrote on my bathroom mirror... When things are feeling overwhelming, I just repeat to myself, "I will be grateful for this day."

I don't want the thoughts I send out into the universe to be negative, because negativity only breeds more negativity.  So when I'm feeling down or frustrated, I try and choose a positive thought.  And let it go...

"Like attracts like. Whatever the conscious mind thinks and believes the subconscious identically creates." - Brian Adams, How to Succeed

6. Be the change.

6. Be the change.

This comes from the well-know Gandhi quote: "You must be the change you wish to see in the world."

All too often I sit around waiting for other people to make changes that I'd like to see in the world.  This commandment is my reminder that no one else is going to do it if I don't.  I need to be my own change.

5. Look up.

5. Look up.

Number four has two parts.  The first is to remind myself to not focus so much on the task at hand. I know, I know... it seems completely counter-intuitive to tell myself to "be present" and then include this.  Yes, I want to be present in the moment, yet I also don't want to become some consumed by the task at hand that I forget to look up and see the stars.

The second part is that over the past several years (or so), I've had an internal battle with myself about things like faith, God and religion.  It's not really a secret to anyone that I have my issues and my doubts about things, wherever they may have come from, this also reminds me to thank someone up there/out there.  Whether it be God, the universe, karma, or any other force unknown... 

“Be glad of life because it gives you the chance to love and to work and to play and to look up at the stars.” - Henry Van Dyke

Oz

I am interrupting my happiness project lists in order to say I will be gone for awhile... in Australia!

4. Slow down.

4. Slow down.

For me this is all about taking the time to slow down and smell the flowers, so to speak.  Or notice the color purple.  Or any of those things I never take the time to do because I'm in such a hurry to get from point a to point b.  So this is my reminder to take a deep breath and slow down.

"Slow down and everything you are chasing will come around and catch you." - John De Paola