Happiness. My Favorite DIY Project

Last week our favorite DIY project was Sury making a video and uploading it on YouTube and while waiting for it to process, I was browsing my favorite playlists and I came across an interesting video.

Watching the couple in this video happily planning their future and dreaming of a long and happy life reminded me of the days when Sury and I would fill things in “Our Book” – milestones, wish lists, dreams, plans, interesting newspaper articles to show Vidur when he grew up. Later, when Vidur was born, a friend gifted us with a beautiful baby scrapbook to record his personal milestones – it is one of my favorite pastimes.

I love scrapbooks. I have a few of my own and believe it or not – I used to diligently maintain them for the film stars and other celebs I admired, much to the amusement of my folks. When I worked in advertising, I used to love our “Guard Book” a scrapbook of our press campaigns.

As a shutterbug and as the happy owner of a good digital camera, it is so much easier to play with my favorite DIY projects these days. Still, nothing beats the charm of a physical larger-than-life-sized book that one can fill, with family.

So imagine my delight when I received Exide Life’s “My Long and Happy Life Scrapbook”, an enjoyable and pretty way to treasure our moments, write down our dreams, and let the Universe know, through photos and words.

It got me thinking –  visualization is such a powerful motivator to get closer to what we wish for.

It is also a happy coincidence – what with my son starting college – that I have been doing a lot of positive pep-talking with him. My ulterior motive was to cajole him into helping me organize our important papers. Of late, thanks to a lack of time, I’ve been filing everything in a big carton with the intention of sorting it out….soon. Fine, laugh!

As we flipped through the “My Long and Happy Life Scrapbook”, we decided on this activity: take a look into the future and list 3 milestones we hoped to reach – with how we planned on reaching them. Setting goals is the first step to success!

Here are mine:

1. Health

I am less than four months away from turning 52 – which in itself is a milestone. As a type 2 diabetic, my goal is to maintain my blood sugar levels with a healthy lifestyle – which means eating right, taking my medicines on time and exercising regularly. My health goals also include keeping my family healthy.

With a family history of diabetes, it is only natural to work at lowering the risk by doing what is in our hands. After all, who doesn’t benefit from a healthy lifestyle? We have places to go, and dreams to achieve. Being healthy is the first step. That includes not holding grudges, being stress-free, living in the moment, and celebrating the little things!

2. Wealth

Money talks, dear folks. Don’t you believe the adage “Money cannot buy happiness” As a close friend of mine used to say “Maybe, but it certainly keeps me miserable in comfort”, money is a great means to achieve many things. I should know, my Mom and I have been broke more often than I care to remember before we finally started to save.

Today, we’re in a much better place and while we are not rich, our intentions certainly are – and we try to invest wisely for a well-planned life for a beautiful tomorrow.

Besides living expenses and a reasonably comfortable future, Sury and I work towards wealth for the following:

• Son’s education: Enough said. Knowledge is power and a good education can do far more than most assets, as it is the gift that keeps on giving.
• Giving: I dream of supporting as many welfare homes as I can. I enjoy setting myself annual targets and work hard to achieve them. Each time I take up a new project, I rejoice because it takes me closer to my goal. I make sure I always have enough to do and strive to work in a disciplined manner.
• Travel: We love to travel and have a long list of places we’d love to visit. And yes, it takes money to get there.

3. Happiness–my favorite DIY project

Happiness is my favorite DIY project and my ultimate goal. With health and wealth on our side, can happiness be far behind? I think not. I know the first two mean a lot of hard work and will take care of this milestone. I am enjoying the journey with my family and friends – I know nothing is possible without their support and love!

Now, I’d share my son’s list with you, but he says he’d rather not. So let me show you the “My Long and Happy Life Scrapbook” that we enjoyed playing with! We had fun choosing photos!

I know these magical moments are guaranteed to make us smile!

Indeed, Life is beautiful.

The premium for my Life Insurance policy is due next week and I guiltily marked my calendar, feeling rather grateful for the early reminder.

Do you have a scrapbook where you store memories?