I'm working on my Happiness Project, and you could 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.
I'm a big believer in using milestone moments as cues for evaluation and reflection. Hitting a milestone like a major birthday, marriage, the death of a parent, the birth of a child, the loss of a job, an important reunion, or the accomplishment of a career marker like getting tenure or making partner, often acts as a catalyst for positive change.
The new year is, of course, a milestone that we all share. The tradition of making New Year's resolutions reflects the fact that a lot of us want the change in the calendar to prompt a change in our lives.
If you'd like to do some self-reflection, but you're not sure exactly how to get started, check out the questionnaires on the University of Pennsylvania's Authentic Happiness site. It has nineteen scientifically tested questionnaires that cover your overall happiness, your character strengths, your optimism, your perseverance, your compassion, and many other aspects of your life and character.
Even if you don't agree with the scores you get, merely taking the test and seeing the results helps to act as a catalyst for self-reflection. Plus it's fun - I love taking these kinds of tests.
Have you found other methods to spur self-reflection and to build self-knowledge?
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Interested in starting your own Happiness Project? If you'd like to take a look at Gretchen Rubin's personal Resolutions Chart, for inspiration, just email her at grubin, then the "at" sign, then gretchenrubin dot com. No need to write anything more than "Resolutions Chart" in the subject line.