The Alphabet of Happiness: K

I hope you found yesterday’s post regarding Journaling and Joking to be helpful. If you just joined this journey, be sure to take the time to go back and read from the beginning. Without delay, let’s get to it and discuss the letter “K”.

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Kindness, Keepsakes, Keywords

Kindness

In a previous post, you learned about ‘giving‘ as a means to achieve happiness. In this article, we’re specifically exploring the topic of kindness. While searching for a definition, it was difficult to find one that didn’t explain kindness as just an act of being kind. But, at long last, I found a definition for students, “the quality or state of being gentle and considerate.”

When you do a considerate act for someone else it is usually received with feelings of happiness and gratitude. Most likely you have been on both the giving and the receiving end of such acts. But, have you considered what it means to treat yourself with kindness?

Much too often people think they aren’t ‘worthy’ of kindness. They feel as though they don’t ‘deserve’ to be treated in this way. Let me set the record straight. You don’t work for or earn kindness. You have a right to kindness, everyone does!

So, how can you show kindness to yourself? Here are some ideas for you to consider.

• Give yourself credit for the things you have accomplished in your life.
• Be gentle and caring with words and thoughts.
• Stay away from negativity.
• Don’t compare yourself to others.
• Celebrate even the smallest of accomplishments.
• Pick yourself up and keep trying.
• Be receptive to offers of help from others.
• Improve your environment.

“Three things in human life are important: the first is to be kind; the second is to be kind, and the third is to be kind.” -Henry James

Don’t forget to show kindness to yourself! You deserve it and you are worthy!

Keepsakes

There is great joy and happiness associated with your keepsakes. Keepsakes can be big or small, expensive or inexpensive. A keepsake’s value isn’t intrinsic, but it is tied to the meaning you give the object. A keepsake is anything that has a personal or emotional connection.

The Legacy Project defines a keepsake as, “Familiar objects (which)  provide a sense of continuing pleasure, satisfaction, comfort, and security. They can help us keep our bearings, especially if our world is changing quickly…a keepsake is something that evokes powerful feelings. Its meaning lies in the story behind it.”

What a great tool to help elevate your mood. Here are some examples of a keepsake:

• Memory books and photo albums
• Letters and cards
• Souvenirs
• Personalized items
• Memorial items
• Degrees and diplomas
• Jewelry or clothing
• Family secret recipes
• Piece of furniture or home decor

Chances are you have a keepsake of your own. If you don’t have one, use your own creativity and make one. Is it where you can see it, or is it hidden away? If the object is something mobile, move it such that you can view it regularly. If this isn’t possible, be sure the object isn’t in a place where it would take a great amount of effort and time to be retrieved. The purpose is to be able to have access to your keepsake(s).

There is a reason you have a keepsake. Allow yourself to enjoy the happiness you deserve.

Keywords

What are keywords and how can you use them? Most often we think about keywords as those words we put into a search engine, such as Google, to retrieve a relevant document or piece of information. And if you’re a blogger, such as myself, keywords are what we put into our titles, subtitles, and article to help others find our posts.

So, you’re wondering, “How can I use keywords in my personal life?” As you search for ways to bring happiness into your life, using keywords can be an extremely effective tool. In this example, keywords are a group of words that are nonjudgmental and noncritical. They are positive words without rules and limitations. They aren’t statements, they are just words.

Right now, I want you to think about your closest friend(s). Using small Post-it notes, write down one positive word when you think of that person. You might write down such things as tall, mother, student, listener, comforter, contributor, safe and so forth.

Next, write down a positive and nonjudgmental word in front of the above words. This might look something like very tall, fantastic mother, great listener, wonderful comforter, huge contributor, and very safe. Look at those words now. Do the words you wrote down describe your close friend? Do they remind you of feelings of love and caring for that person?

Well, you can do the same thing for yourself. Obviously, this is not an activity to try when you aren’t feeling very good about yourself, when you’re depressed and when you’re tired. Take a few moments here and there to write down all of the words and their descriptors that you feel best describe (positively). If you need help, ask a friend or relative.

Once you have written them down, go post them. Put them on the mirror in your bathroom or on your closet door in your bedroom. Find someplace to post them so you will see them every day. If that doesn’t work for you, then fold them up and put them into a ‘secret’ jar. Every day, pull out one of those post-it notes and read what it says.

Whether you believe it or agree with it, know that, in fact, it is true. Try to remember why you thought of the word and wrote it down. This is a great tool to use to achieve more happiness in your life.

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As we continue this journey together, I encourage you to keep reading. If you have yet to find your own how or why to happiness, I strongly believe you will. Please come back tomorrow as we explore the letter “L”.

©2017