A Little Bit Soggy

Kansas City got a little snow yesterday, but that wasn't enough to deter the first meeting of the Kansas City Happiness Project! I wore my newly knit leg warmers, which makes me EXTREMELY happy, but they got a little soggy tromping through the melting snow. The group was small but lively--we had a great space to meet, good conversation, and some delicious food! Eddie Delahunt at Cafe & was great, and I think he appreciated our desire to be happier--he's a pretty happy guy himself, so the whole vibe worked really well.

I was a little nervous about whether people would feel like sharing, and what I would say--I was as prepared as I felt like I could be: it's sort of like a book club, but not everyone had read the book. I hope they (and all of you!) will go get The Happiness Project book, and whether you can make it to a meeting or start your own happiness project, I think you'll get SOMETHING out of it.

One of Gretchen's main points about a happiness project is that everyone's will look different--things that make me happy might not necessarily make YOU happy. For example, I love knitting, but that may not be your cup of tea. I like to listen to NPR podcasts of my favorite shows, but some people may think they are boring.

What I liked about the group that came today was that everyone was willing to share a little about their own lives, their own quest for happiness and fulfillment, and anecdotes of their own experiences. In her own project, Gretchen said that the things that influenced her the most and gave her the best insight into happiness were those personal stories, and it definitely rang true today.

We talked about January's subject of Vitality--boosting energy makes you happier! How to boost energy? The group had some great ideas and also some challenges. We are all going to create a few resolutions for January that will boost our happiness, then chart them on our Happiness Resolutions charts and see how we do. As we're working on January's resolutions (now for February since we're getting started a little late), we're also creating our Happiness Commandments--principles for daily living that will help us tackle each day in a happier manner.

Thanks to those of you that came today, and I hope you'll come back again! If you couldn't make it today, know that it was fun and comfortable, and I hope you'll consider attending our next meeting, which will be on February 27th, same location (Eddie Delahunt's Cafe & at 45th and Bell). Now, on to working on my happiness resolutions...