Care to know what beingRebecca was originally like?
Below is some text from the original blog "About" page and "Q&A" (or "Why the Project?").
Below is some text from the original blog "About" page and "Q&A" (or "Why the Project?").
People only read blogs when they have a purpose. At least, that’s what I told myself. And how exactly does one go about starting a blog? What is the first posting to be about?
I've often been told, "travel while you're young," and the online community makes it seem pivotal to the development of a 20-something-year-old. I also want to re-experience the personal growth I had with my Happiness Project in 2013. The project changed my life perspective, and I'm ready to further understand and develop myself.
I've chosen to focus this year on discovering my passions, travelling a part of the world, and obtaining a more defined sense of who I am as a person. It's a tall order, but I've been putting off such an adventure until the timing was right, and that time is decidedly now.
I've often been told, "travel while you're young," and the online community makes it seem pivotal to the development of a 20-something-year-old. I also want to re-experience the personal growth I had with my Happiness Project in 2013. The project changed my life perspective, and I'm ready to further understand and develop myself.
I've chosen to focus this year on discovering my passions, travelling a part of the world, and obtaining a more defined sense of who I am as a person. It's a tall order, but I've been putting off such an adventure until the timing was right, and that time is decidedly now.
Why did you need a Happiness Project?
In my second year of undergrad, I was in a rough place, mentally. I was studying Life Sciences and many of my classmates were talking about MCATs and med school applications and I was nowhere ready for that sort of thinking. We had just finished first year, for Pete’s sake! I was also struggling with my courses, experiencing rejection from club and job applications and had no idea what I wanted to do as a career. It was the first time in my life that I felt inferior to others my age on so many different fronts. I hated it.
My health had also taken a turn for the worse: eczema wreaked havoc on my hands and face, I was constantly tired and grew sluggish and upset with the weight I was gaining from unhealthy eating habits. I sought help from counsellors and researched how I could save myself from the stress, anxiety and depression that hung over my head, threatening to grow out of control. I blamed myself for falling short in passion, intelligence, and health, and although in truth there was no blame to be had, I soon came to the realization that if I wanted a better life it was my responsibility to achieve it.
How did you decide to do a Happiness Project?
During the fall term of my third year, I was reading “The Happiness Project” by Gretchen Rubin, and it provided me with the motivation and ideas that subtly but radically changed my life. Over winter break, I developed my own happiness project, and with the start of a new year, I kicked it off with an obnoxious amount of vigour. Each month, I focused on a different aspect of my life: physical health, academics, spirituality, social life, etc. Giving myself daily goals made the arduous task of completely changing my lifestyle seem possible, and my Type A personality loved the checklists and posters I had made.
Why are you doing it again?
My Happiness Project provided me with a newfound respect for my body and understanding of its capabilities, the discipline to focus on my goals without too much comparison to others, and the chance to meet (or get to know better) so many wonderful and interesting people. I was over the moon with the changes I was seeing. I woke up most days happy instead of upset, with goals instead of obstacles.
But good things don’t last forever.
At the peak of my Happiness Project, someone in my life raised concerns that I had lost too much weight. My body is naturally tall and lanky, and after plumping up in second year, getting back to a thinner albeit more muscular frame was concerning for them. Hearing this individual raise concerns made me begin to question my Project. Was I taking things too far? Did I have restrictive eating patterns or an obsession with self-improvement? A seed was planted in my head, and it shook the very foundation of my newfound happiness. Needless to say, it led to a great deal of distress, and my Happiness Project began to fizzle out. I saw it to completion, but not nearly with as much vigour as I started with.
Now, the end of 2014 will mark one year since completion of the project, and I’m hoping to challenge myself by re-visiting my Happiness Project and experiencing the life I have dreamed of having.
In my second year of undergrad, I was in a rough place, mentally. I was studying Life Sciences and many of my classmates were talking about MCATs and med school applications and I was nowhere ready for that sort of thinking. We had just finished first year, for Pete’s sake! I was also struggling with my courses, experiencing rejection from club and job applications and had no idea what I wanted to do as a career. It was the first time in my life that I felt inferior to others my age on so many different fronts. I hated it.
My health had also taken a turn for the worse: eczema wreaked havoc on my hands and face, I was constantly tired and grew sluggish and upset with the weight I was gaining from unhealthy eating habits. I sought help from counsellors and researched how I could save myself from the stress, anxiety and depression that hung over my head, threatening to grow out of control. I blamed myself for falling short in passion, intelligence, and health, and although in truth there was no blame to be had, I soon came to the realization that if I wanted a better life it was my responsibility to achieve it.
How did you decide to do a Happiness Project?
During the fall term of my third year, I was reading “The Happiness Project” by Gretchen Rubin, and it provided me with the motivation and ideas that subtly but radically changed my life. Over winter break, I developed my own happiness project, and with the start of a new year, I kicked it off with an obnoxious amount of vigour. Each month, I focused on a different aspect of my life: physical health, academics, spirituality, social life, etc. Giving myself daily goals made the arduous task of completely changing my lifestyle seem possible, and my Type A personality loved the checklists and posters I had made.
Why are you doing it again?
My Happiness Project provided me with a newfound respect for my body and understanding of its capabilities, the discipline to focus on my goals without too much comparison to others, and the chance to meet (or get to know better) so many wonderful and interesting people. I was over the moon with the changes I was seeing. I woke up most days happy instead of upset, with goals instead of obstacles.
But good things don’t last forever.
At the peak of my Happiness Project, someone in my life raised concerns that I had lost too much weight. My body is naturally tall and lanky, and after plumping up in second year, getting back to a thinner albeit more muscular frame was concerning for them. Hearing this individual raise concerns made me begin to question my Project. Was I taking things too far? Did I have restrictive eating patterns or an obsession with self-improvement? A seed was planted in my head, and it shook the very foundation of my newfound happiness. Needless to say, it led to a great deal of distress, and my Happiness Project began to fizzle out. I saw it to completion, but not nearly with as much vigour as I started with.
Now, the end of 2014 will mark one year since completion of the project, and I’m hoping to challenge myself by re-visiting my Happiness Project and experiencing the life I have dreamed of having.