Happiness

365 moments of happiness in 2019

I’m on a quest in 2019. As a part of my career break I have challenged myself to discover what it is that makes me truly happy.

As a result, I have decided to create a list of my most memorable moments of happiness for 2019. I want to update the list sporadically throughout the year and try to keep moments as varied as possible so as not to repeat myself.

After all, the more inspiration for happiness I find, the more opportunities for further happiness I might have for the future too.

I’m targeting 365 different moments of happiness for the year – let’s see how it goes!

 

Total: 212 | Target: 365 | Last Updated: 22 June 2020

 

Final Update

So, it looks like I made it to 212 moments of happiness for the year. Not quite the 365 I had hoped to track, but nevertheless a good 58% of my target.

That being said, I’m pretty sure that I actually had far more moments of happiness than that.

I wasn’t super consistent with the tracking of my moments of happiness, which makes it really hard to say how much happiness really was happening around me.

Having said that though, I know that I definitely had a lot more moments of happiness in 2019, than I did in 2018. I also enjoyed significantly improved mental and emotional health this year, which means the quality of my day to day life really improved by coming to Spain too.

Add to that the fact that I spent more time reflecting and being grateful for everything I have around me and I feel satisfied that this year really was a success.

I guess sometimes it’s not always about the numbers – in this case, it’s definitely about feeling much better about myself, my life and my newly chosen lifestyle too.

With a new country, language, people and lifestyle to enjoy – it’s really been a wonderful change!

I wonder what things will look like at the end of 2020. What do you think? Any bets?

 

January

  1. Being reminded of my Krakow gang on Instagram on New Year’s Day
  2. Feeling pretty and taking pictures of my newly lasered eyes without makeup on!
  3. Getting a postcard from Leo N from Spain
  4. Completing the packing of my first box to be moved to Barcelona!
  5. Catching Nala red pawed with broken egg shells all around her – cheeky kitty!
  6. Doing a great Joey impression after watching too many episodes of Friends
  7. Reading ‘Braving the Wilderness’ by Brené Brown
  8. Hearing back from Oscar R who finally received his Christmas card in the post
  9. Watching a 101 year old go on a first date – there’s hope for us all after all 🙂

February

  1. Bumping into Aurelien for the first time at La Macumba – that man has moves!
  2. Spending some time with Max when he came to visit Prague on a business trip
  3. Pretending to be Battle Angel Alita at the movies for a minute
  4. Going for dinner and drinks with Oscar A again after two years – such fun!
  5. Being allowed to cook my favourite meal for FHE before I left for Barcelona
  6. Seeing Ashley flirt with a handsome Italian
  7. Getting a reply from one of my favourite motivational Instagrammers: TerrillT
  8. Learning how to identify objects that ‘spark joy’ in me
  9. The minute I finished cleaning my apartment after it looking like a tornado hit it for weeks
  10. Watching ‘Siempre Bruja’ with Shaila and discovering the song ‘Tiempo’ by Profetas
  11. Booking the first flight for my LATAM trip – £132 from Barcelona to NYC… not bad!
  12. Spending time with my nearest and dearest at my goodbye brunch and seeing some less familiar faces there too!
  13. Seeing a funny video of a cat exercising under a car with cray cray music playing in the background
  14. Eating Ragu at Ragu in Naples for the first AND second time too – delicious!
  15. Finding the Shanti bar in Naples and spending some quality time with Ashley there
  16. Sitting on a ferris wheel with Ashley next to me and a big smile on my face
  17. Visiting the Jardin Exotique in Monte Carlo and finding the perfect gift for Ashley there

March

  1. Having a handsome Spaniard help me with my luggage the first day I arrived in Barcelona
  2. Tasting Patatas Bravas con Aioli with Ashley at the Chicken Bar for the first time
  3. Fer Fer tagging me on hilarious Facebook/Instagram memes
  4. Reading an email from a role model of mine Louise, cheering me on with my new endeavours
  5. Hearing from Gaby that I’m welcome to stay with her when I fly to SLP later this year
  6. Hearing back from the people I sent postcards to
  7. Finding the perfect bag for my LATAM trip on Amazon after hours and hours of searching
  8. Getting a new pair of hiking shoes for my LATAM trip – goodbye bulky old hiking boots!
  9. Meeting a wonderful female doctor who helped sort out my bronchitis
  10. Getting the help of some workers in my apartment block when my items arrived!
  11. Meeting my roommate Nataly for the first time – she’s pretty cool 😀
  12. Getting a job proposal within days of landing in Barcelona – perhaps the industry isn’t quite as bad as people say…

April

  1. Receiving a ‘we miss you’ photo with my favourites – Alvaro, Danny and Diego
  2. Discovering new music and having a mini dance party with Nataly
  3. Getting a message that was actually interesting AND entertaining from Jordi on OK Cupid
  4. Nala joining me for an afternoon siesta (without having to persuade her myself!)
  5. Jessy coming to visit me in Barcelona (and enjoying churros and chocolate with her by the beach!)
  6. Going for Tapas with Jessy, Mark and Pablo on Carrer de Blai for the first time
  7. Going on a solo date on the beach and feeling good about it 🙂
  8. Passing my exam to get into B1 Spanish!
  9. Making my own hand made burgers and getting several order requests via Instagram for them!
  10. Finally getting my NIE card after my third visit to the police station
  11. Seeing the results of my ‘straight down vs. triangle’ toastie quiz on Instagram
  12. Discovering the best freshly pressed orange juice machine at the Keisy supermarket nearby
  13. Baking a zucchini cake and seeing the looks on my classmates’ faces when they ate it (and liked it!)
  14. Having my classmates mistake me for being in my mid-20s – gotta love good genes 😀
  15. Joking around on the phone with Leo A

May

  1. Eating Peruvian tostadas with Cigin and Shijin at Toma Ya Street Food for the first time
  2. Lying on the beach talking to Marco and stargazing
  3. Getting to know Ineke better at the Peruvian street food restaurant Cigin and Shijin introduced me to
  4. The first time I heard Ashley speak of concrete plans to move and change a life she was not 100% satisfied with
  5. David telling me ‘looking good sis’ when I felt great and realised it showed
  6. Nana telling me ‘I think when people are around you they just feel happy, darling. Because you’re you.’
  7. Reading ‘The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari’
  8. Receiving a random message from Stephanie, asking if she could come stay with me because she had some time to spare
  9. Realising that I was daydreaming for the first time in a long time on the plane from the UK to Spain and feeling enlightened for it!
  10. Feeling proud of myself for improving my communication skills with those around me
  11. Flirting with Oscar R 😉
  12. Winning a bottle of wine in a raffle!
  13. Accidentally getting a full refund on an order and not having to pay it back
  14. Feeling motivated to apply for a role at Johnson & Johnson
  15. Having my comment on nakedness posted by one of my favourite photographers Dean Raphael
  16. Leaving a note for Nataly in the kitchen when I packed her some food for lunch
  17. Giving and receiving super duper big hugs from Marco and Nataly – heaveeeennn <3
  18. Feeling happy while I was writing this list
  19. Putting a smile on my Mac’s face with her birthday present
  20. Being surprised with a ‘welcome home’ note on my desk
  21. A couple of people telling me they missed me – that made me feel so loved and special!
  22. Writing my gratitude post when Facebook reminded me of my trip to San Diego last year
  23. When Tonyabell thanked me for inspiring her to make a move
  24. Feeling the rain falling onto my hands as I reached out to it on a rainy Barcelona day
  25. Realising I felt inspired to complete two blog posts on two consecutive days!
  26. Completing my website banner update – I like it!
  27. Seeing a pretty pigeon fly above me and land on a beautiful balcony while I was walking home
  28. Unexpectedly meeting my new friend David on the beach when I didn’t want to be alone
  29. When I realised I hadn’t forgotten my x-ray pick up slip half way to the centre!
  30. Receiving an invitation to Morgan and Chase’s wedding
  31. When I started reading Tony Robbins’ Unlimited Power again (after 3 false starts previously)
  32. When I made Marillenknoedel and they ended up tasting perfect
  33. The moment I realised I was starting to prioritise actions in my life again
  34. When I got a heartfelt thank you from Papi Jaramillo to his birthday video
  35. Watching the ending of the Spanish Netflix movie ‘In Family I Trust’

June

  1. Making my ‘mini barcos de carne’ and putting them on Instagram (with a little imaginative embellishment!)
  2. The moment Ineke and I sat on the beach laughing out loud (I think because we saw another naked man jiggling himself all over… but I honestly don’t remember!)
  3. Generating a new idea for a book with Ineke – full of gratitude and love <3
  4. Buying a gorgeous bright blue beach cloth/towel to help me get Barcelona beach ready!
  5. Having a Spanish teacher remember my name 🙂
  6. Realising that I had been eating more healthily for a few days
  7. Going swimming in the Barcelona sea for the first time
  8. My brother from another mother Mike calling me after 13 years of silence
  9. Listening to the song “Libre” by Alvaro Soler
  10. Spending the day with Ineke and Rich and having a blast together as a trio!
  11. Finding my Rieker sandals at 1/2 price I originally bought them for… and re-ordering them as my last pair broke after an unanticipated night of dancing!
  12. Starting my preliminary book research interviews with people all around the world
  13. Remembering I’m a legit millionaire… in Korea hahaha
  14. Realising my cat loves me…a lot
  15. Not having to pay extra for the next 3 years of hosting – much needed and great service!
  16. Joining up to an affiliate program and making my first sale
  17. Being included in my bestie’s family update on facebook – I’m officially family now <3
  18. Going for a solo walk along the beach and falling in love with my life all over again
  19. Watching a mamma gag video on “the sexiest man

July

  1. Getting a discounted gym membership for less than 35€/month
  2. Going swimming for the first time
  3. Ordering an XL sized pizza half the size of myself from RomaBella BCN!
  4. Ashley sending me details of a white-water rafting adventure in Peru (a bucket list item of mine!)
  5. Spending my birthday with lots of new people I love already and realising I’m not alone
  6. Manuela giving me big hugs – her hugs are great!
  7. Baking the best plus cake ever for Manu’s birthday
  8. Encountering an impromptu street Salsa dancing party
  9. Trading voice messages with Marco Polo – always a pleasure!
  10. Enjoying the rain the night before my birthday – the perfect present. Thank you Barcelona!
  11. Filming the long goodbye with Ineke
  12. Cancelling Netflix in favour of Amazon Prime and saving 60€/year in the process
  13. Passing my B1 exam with over 75%, which was my target
  14. Going for lunch with Manu
  15. Winning my dispute with iHerb and getting a 130€ refund
  16. Receiving a freshly baked pastry with vanilla cream inside from a classmate
  17. Nala coming to join me for cuddles after a long day
  18. Eating home-made apricot dumplings with my new roomie
  19. Engaging with my friend Matt on Facebook again (from good old Korea times!) – so great to see such growth and light in another person
  20. Going to my first Toastmasters meeting and standing up for an impromptu speech

August

  1. Making my first profit from Bitcoin trading
  2. Rich genuinely telling me I’m just “so likeable” <3
  3. Realising I feel the happiest I have felt in a year or so
  4. Dancing around my living room – just because!
  5. Buying a waxing kit to experiment with
  6. Completing an at-home bikini wax with professional results! 😀
  7. Writing my first essay in Spanish
  8. Getting excited about my upcoming LATAM trip
  9. Taking a week off school to relax
  10. Finishing my preliminary book research
  11. Going on my first outing with my new roomie Barbora for the Gracia festival
  12. Having a “moment” on the metro with a very handsome latino – ooh lala 😉
  13. Staying out until 4am with Manuela, Simone and Rich
  14. Sister missionaries coming to visit as an unexpected surprise!
  15. Being asked to review Camino Barcelona and receiving a water bottle for it – I wanted one of those for a while #manifestationinaction
  16. Seeing the perfect llama cup in the shops to get for a friend of mine
  17. Updating my LATAM trip spreadsheet
  18. Listening to Spanish music and realising I actually understand a lot of it now
  19. Hearing from Farhan again after several years of silence
  20. Finding and wearing the anklet that I bought in India back in 2017 – so pretty!
  21. Feeling amused at seeing a 5.1kg packet of ColaCao hot chocolate powder in the Spanish supermarket – crazy!
  22. Putting funny memes on Instagram
  23. Discovering Jou’s Food Experience in Poblenou – what a great burger place
  24. Quizzing people on IG about their favourite memories with me and seeing the results – so much fun!
  25. Receiving my first affiliate payment from GreenGeeks
  26. Brushing Nala and hearing her purr
  27. Singing “It’s getting hot in here” for my Instagram fans ahahaha
  28. Buying a new iPad and Logitech pencil for it, so I can go paperless more easily moving forward
  29. Finding an easy Paypal payment option on Amazon Watch when making a donation to help protect the Amazon from deforestation
  30. Receiving a personal reply to my GreenGeeks review from a GreenGeeks employee – yay!
  31. Reuniting with two of my best friends from way back when – Beinta and Jen 😀
  32. Discovering Electroneum crypto and starting to mine it for free
  33. Reading a particularly funny Brexit meme on Facebook
  34. Feeling proud of an old friend of mine Bee Bakare for releasing her single “10,000”
  35. Watching Las Chicas del Cable in a single day
  36. Discovering the new series of ‘Younger’ is out
  37. Deciding to watch Velvet completely in Spanish and realising I can actually follow what’s going on!
  38. Giving my classmate Maurizia a hug and seeing her joy in receiving it
  39. Listening to my music on the way home on a Friday after class and feeling so relaxed and happy while doing so
  40. Manuela asking to take me to the airport to see me off to my 6-week Latin America trip

September

  1. When I arrived in Pennsylvania on time after my flight was delayed
  2. The time a handsome man helped me at the NYC ticket machine
  3. Having a real conversation (in Spanish) with my favourite Mexican mom for the first time
  4. Getting a free breakfast on the plane back to Barcelona (which I hadn’t ordered!)
  5. Meeting a handsome Chilean man and having a 2.5 hour conversation with him on the bus – in Spanish!
  6. Arriving back in Barcelona after 5 weeks away
  7. Not feeling ill once I left Peru and arrived in Chile
  8. Seeing the beautiful Iguazu Falls
  9. Eating delicious Enchiladas Potosinas
  10. Meeting Arturo again after a year or so in San Luis Potosi
  11. Hugging may favourite Cantu family
  12. When I was able to gift my food to Gloria after being afraid of wasting it
  13. The moment I received a little lama souvenir from our hotel in Cusco
  14. Itzel inviting me to stay with her family and go see Teotihuacan together
  15. Sitting at the new table for the first time in the Cantu household
  16. Playing La Lotteria for the first time

October

  1. The moment I realised I was totally solo in Buenos Aires after 4 weeks of travel
  2. Eating my first (and last) churro on my LATAM trip in Argentina
  3. The moment Ashley texted me that she’d enrolled for a course she’s been talking about for 3 years!
  4. Making my taxi driver’s day after he obviously woke up on the wrong foot that morning
  5. When Jesse and Max came to visit me in Barcelona
  6. Finding two interesting jobs within 4 minutes walking distance from my apartment
  7. Having churros with my chica Manu after coming back from my travels
  8. Going for delicious burgers with Rich after I got back
  9. Finishing a blog article that had been sitting on my mind for a while
  10. Enjoying a fluid conversation with my OKC date Toni
  11. Getting 70+ likes on my new FB profile cover ^-^
  12. Nala coming up for cuddles within minutes of reuniting – she loves me yeah, yeah, yeah!
  13. Receiving a really awesomely written job application reminder email from ADP

 

November

  1. Seeing little Star Wars figures attack a Christmas tree
  2. Sharing hilarious Tinder stories around the dinner table
  3. Watching a turkey do the twurkey hahaha

 

December

  1. Manu letting me host my Christmas party at her place
  2. Ashley coming for a visit to spend New Year’s together
  3. Posting a raccoon meme on Facebook that made me smile
  4. Anthony coming to visit Barcelona after over 10 years apart
  5. Kidnapping the cutest dog on a boat for the evening
  6. Spending Christmas with mom!
  7. Receiving Christmas wished from Mexico
  8. Seeing a fun KLM advert on eating together at Christmas
  9. Writing a blog post on my Latin America trip
  10. Chinmai sending me a Facebook friends anniversary reminder
  11. Re-seeing my HR poetry attempt from way back when
  12. Being invited for my first interview in Barcelona
  13. Finishing my first interview in Spanish!

 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *