Recipe for daily happiness

Each day, I give myself a “happiness” score on a scale of one to ten.

It’s subjective. It has everything to do with how I feel as the day ends. I don’t think much about it. The number just comes to me. Then I make notes about the day (nutrition, productivity, sleep, weather, what I spent my time doing, etc.).

Here are a few random observations:

The more productive I am, the less stress I feel. It’s not necessarily about checking off things on my to-do list as much as it is doing important work when I’m supposed to be doing it.

The more time I spend on ESPN.com or social media, the less productive I feel (even if I’ve worked hard that day).

The more stress, the less happiness at the end of the day.

Except…

A stressful day can end up feeling like a very happy days if…

I started the day giving thanks to God and listing all of the good things in my life from the past 24 hours.

I write (like I’m doing now).

I’m with my family when my family is available for me to be with them. I eat breakfast and supper with them. I close the computer and play with my son. I put down work and focus on my wife. We go to bed together. We keep our priorities (like going to church on Wednesday night and keeping Sundays absolutely free of any kind of work to focus on family and friends).

I go outside for an extended period of time. Since spring sprung this week, I’ve set up my computer at a picnic table in the park. I’ve taken some long walks in the woods. It’s amazing what the outdoors will do for my spirit.

I interact with people. The more interaction with people during a day, the happier the day feels (even if it was a stressful day).

I end the day the way I started it: Writing down all of the good things about the day. The things for which I’m grateful. The things I’ll want to remember when I’m old.

That’s my recipe for daily happiness. What’s yours?