Happiness and Gratitude

Randy Pausch's Last Lecture

Journal questions:

• Happiness:
  
• What makes you happy?  (Name ~10 things.)  
• Why?
• Make a list of 10 "happy to do's" to accomplish by September (or by Labor Day).  Get specific.  Who are you doing this with/for?  When?  How long's it going to last?  Make a plan.

• Gratitude:
  
• Who's an old, good friend you've lost touch with in recent time?  What happened?  How long's is "long"/"a while" to you?
• Reach out to an old friend -- someone you haven't directly communicated with (call, text, IM, etc) -- in a long time.  (In too long.)  I'll see you in 15 minutes.  :)
  
• Name 5 people who've had a major influence and/or who you're supremely grateful for in your life.  What did they do? specifically, that's made you remember them?   Note: I'd like you to choose people who are still living and who aren't family or (super-close) friends.  
• I'd like to go around and find out their role/relationship to you.  Let's take a look at who we picked.

Before we get to thinking through our transformation project, let's take a look at Anne Lamott's "Shitty First Draft" piece.

Next week, your journal transformation project proposal is due.  Here are some questions that I'd like you to think through:

• What are you thinking about creating/doing?  Try to think of 3 possibilities.  I'm looking for ~500 words
• Why have you settled on those ideas?  What's interesting/important about them to you?
• Which option are you learning towards?  (And why that instead of the others?)
• How will you go about creating/doing this?  What steps will you take?

Some questions you might have:

• What's "enough"?  How long does this need to be, and/or, how much time should I expect to spend on it?
• What's the public/private nature of this?  Who will see it?  

For next week:

• Comment on 2-3 proposals via the blog.  Bring in a printed copy to class.  (We'll do a timed round robin-type deal -- i.e., take 5 min, read/comment, ask questions, give feedback, then pass it along...)