The trick is knowing what really makes me happy.
Often what I think will make me happy does not make me happy.
So my job is to learn from experience and only ever do what makes me happy.
For instance, I just came downstairs to relax for the night and my son’s dirty dishes were all over the kitchen.
What would make me happy?
Yelling at my son?
Nope. I’ve learned that lesson.
Pulling him off of what he’s doing with his friend and forcing him to clean the kitchen?
Nope. Wouldn’t make me happy. It would just destroy my relaxing, peaceful, re-centering night.
A clean kitchen?
Yeah. That would.
I could just as easily have walked through the kitchen and ignored it, but I wanted it clean. So I cleaned the kitchen. Alone, in peace with my thoughts. It was great.
And as I washed the dishes that were supposed to be washed by my son (which I imagine he would have gotten to later, as he said he would), I noticed something unexpected:
To extend my son some grace and experience the joy of giving him a little gift he hadn’t earned…
That really made me happy.
And I got a clean kitchen out of it.
It took ten minutes.
Now I’m going to sit down with a snack and watch a little TV.
Happy.