Commitment to Happiness

So many times I have heard others say (and I have said myself) "There needs to be more time in a day."  There are so many things that demand our attention... work, dishes, laundry, kids, pets, school.  I have found that it is way too easy for me to put everyone and everything else ahead of myself.  I easily get burned out, stressed out, tired out and grumpy.

I've decided that since I don't that aforementioned scenario, I am going to change it.  I don't have to get grumpy and I don't always have to put myself last.  I have come to love my crockpot (another blog entry, I'm sure) because it reduces the stress of making dinner from scratch after I get home from work.  I have learned to take a few minutes before and after work to do simple chores.  I put on my iPod and dance around while making dinner or folding laundry.  My family laughs at me, but I keep doing it!  I have learned what chores my kids can tolerate and I exploit that knowledge to the best of my ability.  I do what I need to do as quickly and efficiently as possible, then I take a few minutes each and every day to do something that I want to do, and sometimes to just do nothing.

I have made a commitment to myself to be as happy as possible.  There are situations that sometimes cannot be avoided which stress me out, but I do my best to smile and keep focused on the positive.  I have come to understand that being positive and staying focused on the good things has a profound effect on many other aspects of my life.  Therefore, I do my best to cancel out the negative thoughts.  "Squash negative thoughts like a bug" - I read that in a blog a while ago, and I repeat this to myself often.   Keep the commitment alive by finding one little thing you love to do, and do it every day.