I heard about the 100 Happy Days project from a friend on Facebook.
Let me tell you: I’m a sucker for these things. To be more specific, I’m a sucker for anything that has to do with something that I “owned” for myself. Case in point, last year, Arriane of Wanderrgirl had a blog challenge with a theme of courage, my word of the year. Of course I had to participate!
So when I heard about 100 Happy Days, I knew it was something I had to do, because of my 2014 word. Like I said, I’m a sucker for these things. I decided to start it on February 1, 2014, and as of May 11, 2014 (yesterday), I have reached my 100th happy day.
*confetti*
I know a lot of people who participated in this challenge, and I also know a lot of people who scoffed at it, made fun of it, and even really hated the entire idea. What’s the big deal, right? Why are you bragging about your happiness on social media? Are you even truly happy?
But I don’t have answers or rebuttals to that. Different strokes for different folks, as I say. (Also, walang basagan ng trip. :P) What I have, instead, are the things I learned while doing this challenge:
You are not going to be happy everyday for 100 days. That is a fact. I don’t mean to be a downer. That’s just reality. There are good days and there are bad days, and on those bad days, you will not want to post anything at all because it’s hard to see or find something that made you happy. I had several days like that – especially early into the challenge – and I had no idea what to post.
Honesty is really the best policy. Cliche, but I’m finding there’s so much truth in this thing. When your day didn’t go swimmingly, then admit it! No one is happy 100% of the time (see #1). But…
Sometimes you have to seek happiness on purpose. Happy things don’t just happen all the time. Sometimes, there are days when there’s really absolutely nothing remarkable that happened. Or, like I said in #2, there are days when you feel furthest away from happy. But this project taught me to really look for something – even the littlest thing – that made my day brighter. A small treat, a song, some time with a friend – the little things really do count. Happiness will not just fall on your lap; most of the time, you have to choose it.
Sometimes, the way to be happy is to make someone else happy. Not a secret, really, but it’s something we forget in our “quest for happiness.” Happiness happens when we share it, and I guarantee that the best way to cheer yourself up is to make someone else smile. :)
And finally, sometimes, you just forget to take a photo. Well that happened to me many times. ^^; And you just take a photo, any photo to just to remember what happened. :D
#100happydays taught me to be mindful and grateful.
You won’t have stellar days all the time, but these not-so-stellar days always has something in it that will make you smile. And that’s what we search for – not perfect days, but small things, events, and people that make the not-so-perfect days feel all right, if not perfect in its imperfection. The trick, I think, is not to force yourself to be happy when you’re not. It’s looking at both the pluses and the minuses, and then choosing to make the former matter, but not entirely discounting the lessons that the latter wants to give.
So yeah, I did not have 100 completely happy days, but now that the challenge is over, I realize that there was so much joy in the past 100 days, and I am glad that I was somehow able to capture them. :)
And I had fun. :)
On a sidenote: on their website, they said that: People successfully completing the challenge claimed to…Fall in love during the challenge. Did I fall in love? HAHA! But yes, I fell in love with God and this life He gave me and all that. :) It’s not the romantic kind of love, but I am so not complaining. Life is good because God is good. :)
I honestly have no idea what happens next. A friend told me in his birthday message that he hopes my 100 happy days won’t end at 100. I think I will abandon the #100happydays hash tag because it has used its purpose, but I will still keep my eyes open for the happy things. There’s so much beauty and joy in everyday that it’s a shame not to take delight in it. :)
And here are some of my favorite photos in my #100happydays project! (Warning: photo dump!) :)
#100happydays Day 1: With James Carlo, one of our kids at #Cornerstone. Today was medical mission day. What a crazy fulfilling morning. :)#100happydays Day 4: “Not asking for anything, just keep me by You.” Today was kind of blah for reasons I have yet to figure out. But this song kept me sane and still. Blah days are still an opportunity to seek joy, so I am still thankful. Must learn to sink my feet deeper.#100happydays Day 9: “Because I knew you, I have been changed for good.” 💚 What a wickedly awesome show. :)#100happydays Day 12: Received the Sacrament of Reconciliation today. Thank You, Lord, for your mercy and grace.#100happydays Day 15: Sudden trip to Limketkai to get midnight snacks, which resulted to crazy, crazy laughing. I love you, SFC CTK. 💙#100happydays Day 18: My Book Depository orders usually arrives a month after it gets dispatched, so I thought I wouldn’t get this until Ash Wednesday. Lo and behold, it arrived today! 12 days after I ordered it, the day after I got home from the #SFCICON2014, and 2 days before I can start a retreat that will end on the Feast of the Annunciation (Mar25). I’d like to believe Mama Mary has something to do with this. :) My 33 days will start on the 20th. Pray with me? :) To Jesus, through Mary. 💙#100happydays Day 22: I had a breakthrough of sorts today. A good friend told me that when you face your fears, you get to name yourself. And today, I named myself WORTHY (among other names). It took me a while to *really* get this, but now I know and understand that my worth and happiness has never been defined by anyone else’s happiness, relationship status, situation, or life. My worth has always been defined by Jesus, the One who made me and called me His. :) Thank you, Jesus, for your love (and for this word on the back of the bus!), and thank you, Mama Mary, for being with me. :)#100happydays Day 29: PES – Cornerstone Moving Up Day! I’m gonna miss all these kids! â¤ï¸ My first school year serving in Cornerstone taught me a LOT. Truly, amazing things happen when you let God use you. :) Till next school year! :)#100happydays Day 36: There were two more people behind me that couldn’t squeeze in the photo. We look like clowns inside a car. Happy post-CO!#100happydays Day 40: I’m going to be an aunt this year! Best early birthday gift ever! 💗#100happydays Day 44: Mornings by the beach, lots of food, and my first #hello28 cake! A most #achieve way to say #goodbye27. :) Thank you, friends. 💗#100happydays Day 45: I turned 28 today. :) Thank you to everyone who made my 27th year the wonderful crazy ride that it has been, and thank you to all who remembered today. :) Here’s to another year of joy and courage and love and light, “…a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing.” (Luke 6:38)#100happydays Day 46: At long, long last, I was finally able to have a lower household (with some of them, anyway) over dinner tonight. :) Thank you, Jesus and Mama Mary, for letting this fall into place. Onto the next one, and hopefully everyone will be there! :)#100happydays Day 57: Almost 18 hours together on Saturday: from SFC MMLS for the whole day to the 6-hour wait for a birthday salubong. :D#100happydays Day 50 Halfway through #100happydays and it feels right that the 50th photo is with these people. Thank you for going to the far East and celebrating my 28th with me. :) 😘 (And those who didn’t make it, we missed you!)#100happydays Day 73: “Thanks for being super bubbly…nakakawala ng pagod. :)” Ever since my birthday, I decided that I would be more vocal with my appreciation of other people. So I always try to send messages to honor people who touched me or helped me out or inspired me in any way. I don’t expect any responses after that, but when I get some, it always brings a smile to my face. :) This was one of the really nice messages I received in response to something I said to someone. 😊 And because posting the SMS screenshot feels tacky, here’s a photo from the weekend instead, taken and edited by my friend. A proof of that bubbliness, I guess? ⚪ï¸ðŸ”µâšªï¸ðŸ”µ 😄 (But really, I was almost all-fizzled out here from exhaustion.)#100happydays Day 77 “It is accomplished.” – John 19:30. So much Love on this Good Friday.#100happydays Day 83: A not-so-new lesson about intentional living. So I always thought that intentionality is just about taking responsibility for your actions and having pure intentions. Today I understood the third thing I missed: living in the present. Being intentional means that you set off with pure intentions and you are ready to take responsibility for your actions based on what is happening in the present – knowing that the past is in the past and you are redeemed, and the future may be scary but it is secure, because God is faithful. Ah, if only I knew this back then. :)#100happydays Day 86: My heart is bursting with joy today because it’s Divine Mercy Sunday and also the canonization day of two Popes, one of which is the first Pope I got to know: Pope John Paul II. So happy that he is declared a saint today! :) Recently read this quote from him about joy, from one of his addresses during WYD 2002: “People are made for happiness. Rightly, then, you thirst for happiness. Christ has the answer to this desire of yours. But he asks you to trust him. True joy is a victory, something which cannot be obtained without a long and difficult struggle. Christ holds the secret of this victory.” St. John Paul II, pray for us. :)#100happydays Day 88: The prevailing thought as I ended my day today. It’s so amazing when God gives you a glimpse of how He makes things fall into place. :) God is faithful. :) (image from weheartit)#100happydays Day 96: When OC strikes. Haha! :) Really enjoyed making these for #WednesdayJam participants. Thanks to everyone who helped set this up earlier! :)
Did you participate in this challenge, too? Let’s talk about it in the comments section. :)
4 thoughts to “#100happydays”
Reading this post makes me wonder why I didn’t do 100days myself! :) (I probably wouldn’t try the challenge now, but I’m definitely going to intentionally dwell in the happy things.)
Happyyy for you Tina, and belated happy birthday! :)
Huh. I’m dying with envy! I gave up half way through the challenge (almost half way). Congrats! I’ll join again next year (if there is one) and this time, I’ll try to reach the finish line. :)
Congratulations, Tina! Actually, one reason why I didn’t subscribe to this challenge is because I know that there will always be a bad day. But I agree that this exercise will help us to be more grateful and appreciate things that we often take for granted. Maybe it’s high time to join the fun.
Reading this post makes me wonder why I didn’t do 100days myself! :) (I probably wouldn’t try the challenge now, but I’m definitely going to intentionally dwell in the happy things.)
Happyyy for you Tina, and belated happy birthday! :)
Huh. I’m dying with envy! I gave up half way through the challenge (almost half way). Congrats! I’ll join again next year (if there is one) and this time, I’ll try to reach the finish line. :)
Congratulations, Tina! Actually, one reason why I didn’t subscribe to this challenge is because I know that there will always be a bad day. But I agree that this exercise will help us to be more grateful and appreciate things that we often take for granted. Maybe it’s high time to join the fun.