Happy Monday!

Over the past several weeks that I have felt increasingly overwhelmed by school, and it's only February! I realized this evening that I don't want the entire semester to be dominated by feelings of stress and frustration, and I am going to do a little "happiness experiment" of sorts. Every monday, I'll post a happiness tip that I will try to follow that week, and then the following monday I will report on whether it was a success or if needed to be tweaked.  Also, I'll post whatever picture makes me happy that day, things to be grateful for, or a quote I like, whatever.  I want to be happy for most of my life, and so I want to make that a habit even during times of stress!

Here's the picture that makes me happy today-- sort of stereotypical, huh? Whatever, I don't care! I like trails, and I like thinking about trails and being outside when I have a big pile of homework and books to read!

Good things that happened today/recently:

• I didn't have a quiz in Econometrics, and even though I hadn't read all of chapter three, I had read enough to sort of know what was going on!
• It was a pretty good day as far as the weather goes-- sunny, and I was able to wear my Utah State T-shirt without a sweater or jacket, which made me happy!
• I got a parking space that was close to the school.
• I had a good dinner, hamburger and onions, creamed corn from the garden and cucumber.
• One of my friends Nadine called and it was nice to talk to her!
• I had a nice chat with my parents and Olivia, especially Olivia last night. I talked to her about things I had been learning about from my politics in the Middle East class, as well as a lot of other things, we talked for hours! I love talking to her and Sarah (I love my youngest sister Laura too, we like to talk :), but it's just nice because we talk about things I think a lot of people would not be interested in or think was boring. It's just nice because if I read something and find it really fascinating, I know that generally so will Olivia, and she did. I treasure the conversations I've had with Olivia and Sarah. 
• I realized that I wanted to be happy! It's a good thing, I think awareness is really important... Hopefully it will make a difference and make me a better student and a better person! I'll update my progress next week!

Tip of the Week: Focus on one task at a time

I'm not going to rule out all multi-tasking. When I make breakfast, I tend to rush around, cooking eggs while putting a waffle in the toaster oven, getting the dishes and setting out the vitamins and on and on. Plus, I love to read the newspaper while I'm eating breakfast, and listen to a Daily Podcast from the Cato Institute while I put on makeup and get ready in the morning. But in terms of schoolwork, I tend to feel so overwhelmed by the volume and variety of tasks that I just end up paralyzed, doing a little here and there but never accomplishing much. I'm going to try to set clear, defined goals for each class, and one by one complete them, without getting distracted by the internet or snacks or whatever else. Focus on one thing at a time... not a great first tip, but we'll see if it works! I'll let you know. Until next week!

Happy Monday!

--Sannah

The foolish man seeks happiness in the distance; the wise grows it under his feet.  -- James Openheim