Happiness Project Month 3: Self Actualization (and Social Updates)

My social month was such a blast!  I expected it to be a lot more draining than it was (especially with how introverted I measured last time I took the Briggs-Meyers test) but I think my first couple of social successes rocketed me back to extrovert land and I mostly reveled in it (with a few small sanity breaks).

Month 2 Update: Social.

Affirmations

I had 3, I said them maybe half the time, I'm not convinced saying them did much, BUT I feel like they helped set the tone for the month so I'll keep doing them for now.

Resolutions

These... well I forgot about them, to put it bluntly (notice the lack of check marks).  I'm much better at to do lists than resolutions, which I'm keeping in mind for next month.

1. Avoid Gossip - Newp.  I mean, it's easy when you're not around people but there was definitely a time or two that I indulged and one weird one where I didn't like the gossip that was happening but I didn't know how to handle it or what to say so I just let it happen.  I'm still a little embarrassed by my passivity in that one but hopefully thinking about it will help me be prepared for next time.
2. Read Friend Books - I tried!  But MFW Seeking BFF turned out to be too bad to be palatable and then I didn't pick up The DUFF in time and they returned it to its original library.  :'(
3. Compliment Someone - Um, I mean... I did a couple times but I didn't go out of my way to do this.  I actually remember complimenting someone's hair and then getting annoyed when, instead of just saying thank you, she had to turn around and say why my hair was amazing.  Thanks, but just accept the damn compliment!
4. Empathize Instead of Judging - Meh.
5. Say Yes to Favors - My only real opportunity to do this was helping Melisandre with the kid sleepover at the very beginning of the month, but I did offer to help someone unpack boxes, and to host a legit book swap after people didn't like the idea of the FB chain one.

To Do

1. Commit to 1 social event per week - Check!  I rocked this.  I think I had one week with only 1 social event and the rest were 3-5.  (5 in one week!)
2. Have a conversation or spend time with each friend I have - Check!  A conveniently timed wedding and our Halloween party made this quite simple, but I also spent time with a few people outside those 2 circles.
3. Reach out to one new potential friend - Check!  We brunched like a couple of champs and then she was awesome enough to invite me to another outing with some other friends (other graphic designers!!!)

Other Stuff

I found a Meetup group that I really, really like.  They do a lot of classes, but not only was the class awesome (it was social media, which was excellent timing for me learning to market my business) the other students were friendly.  The second event was pretty good too, with more small-talk and I just so happened to meet the organizer for a local WordPress meetup, which you can bet I'm joining!  So tons of leads for people to commune with.

I'm also really enjoying the FB groups I joined.  Yes, they're for business, but they're so friendly and chatty and it's nice to be able to talk business with other interested parties (as opposed to Ryan's encouraging but empty smile and, "Uh huh, uh huh, huh...").

Month 3 Goals: Self Actualization

Originally I was planning on making this be my "finally finish that book" month but now... I don't know.  I'm feeling less inspired by it (according to Elizabeth Gilbert, my idea has probably floated away to find someone else who will actualize it).  So I think I'm going to make this the month of finishing up personal projects, focusing on 3 main areas: 1) Photos/Memorabilia 2) Passive Income 3) The Book.

Affirmations

1. I am well-rounded and pursue hobbies in addition to my work
2. When it's important, I stick to goals and get them done
3. When it's not, I am able to let go

Resolutions

1. 15 minutes a day devoted to one of these projects

To Do

1. Sort and purge old photos (digital and physical)
2. Decide on a system for memory keeping (research website for photo printing and make a schedule for adding/updating scrapbook) and start
3. Choose a passive income project (probably website templates) and make a step-by-step plan for getting them created
4. Set up Etsy or another ecommerce shop and profit!
5. Take a good, long think on the book idea.  If it's really still worth doing, make a plan, otherwise, let it go.

Keeping it light on the resolutions because I really want to focus on getting projects completed and mapped out for the future.  I'm basically decluttering, but it's the mental kind.  Just a couple fewer things I have to devote brain power to in the upcoming year.

What activities would you consider self actualizing?  Got any ongoing goals or mental clutter?