Years ago I was gifted one of those “word a day” style calendars, but instead of teaching me new words, it had mantras for happiness and suggestions for things to do that day that might make me happy. I was a little young to appreciate the gift to its full extent but for some reason the branding stuck with me for years. It was 100 Happy Days. Flash forward a few years later and there’s a small trend going around called the 100 Happy Days challenge. Could it be true? Was this random calendar gift coming back as something, dare I say it, cool?
Well even a few years later I didn’t quite commit to the 100 Happy Day challenge… but that all changed on October 9th 2017. So before we get into the highlights of my 100 days, let me give you a tl;dr of what the happy day challenge is and why I was keen to give it a go. According to the website, the 100 Happy Day challenge was started by Dmitry Golubnichy, after a study found that acknowledging something that made you happy or doing something that made you happy everyday, would increase your overall happiness overtime, as you start to appreciate the little things more. The challenge is to post a photo or write down what that happy thing is everyday for 100 days and join the community of other happy people. Being the millennial that I am, I decided to go down the Instagram route and so the adventure began. For a sweeping picture of what the 100 days looked like you can peep my Instagram or check out this sweet collage, that I just made and oh man are all the memories coming flooding back!
I thought I'd share some of the stand out memories of the challenge and chat a little bit about why out of the 100 days, those days in particular really stand out to me. So let's do a little deep dive...
Day one was pretty monumental because aside from the fact that it was obviously the first day, it was two days after George's brother's wedding and after one hell of a party Alfie messaged me to ask how I was feeling! His sister and I then also decided to encourage each other and do the 100 happy day challenge. It was nice that I wasn't the only one nursing that two day hangover and that Vickii and I were about to undertake a 100 day challenge together. It's was just one of those times in mine and George's relationship that I really felt like part of the family and that's just a great lil feeling.
Day 12 was a scary day as there was a bomb scare in the tube station I was fundraising in. George was meant to be coming to pick me up and in the 30 minutes he was on his way we were in a panic because we didn't know if the other was safe. When I finally got to hold him in my arms, it was bliss.
Day 42 was George's birthday! We hadn't spent a lot of quality time together until this point because uni and life and all that kind of stuff was getting in the way, but I finally went up to see him and planned a whole adventure for him. We went down to Coventry for an escape room and grabbed a hotdog and some hot chocolate before we went and nailed that heist!
Day 58 was Cam's birthday party and oh man did we get horrendously plastered - ah University. This was one of the first good photos we have of the three of us and it pretty much marks one of the first times I truly felt like a little trio. Almost hard to believe that a month from this photo we would be planning an adventure of a lifetime together...
Day 64 was one of my last performances as a University student and also marked a moment where I just knew who my pals for life were going to be. This photo truly encapsulates some of the most important people of my life before, during, and after these 100 days.
Day 97 marked a day where not only did I realise my soulmate had been floating around in my University for a WHOLE YEAR before I got to meet her, but also the most exciting project ever began bubbling up and you shall hopefully all hear about it soon!
Day 99 was relatively tame compared to the other highlights but retrospectively we had NO idea what was about to come. We were planning our video for the Redbull Can You Make It Challenge and a month from now it will have been shared with the world, helping us place in the judges round, and win a spot in the competition!
Overall, I will forever be thankful that I did the 100 Happy Day challenge. I really did feel like a more positive person by the end of the 100 days! I also found that when I was searching for things to do and things to be happy about, I wasn’t really “searching” per se, but rather acknowledging the good that was already in front of me. If you take a little look at my challenge, most of the photos are of me with my friends and family because they are the things that really make me happy. The long lunches spent with friends, old and new, the extra moments taken in the morning to appreciate my cup of coffee, and the little victories in my personal projects.
If you’re anything like me and you can’t resist a little challenge, this is one I would definitely recommend. It’s not only beneficial to your outlook on life, but it’s also got a clear start and end. For me, having a clear end in sight is super important for challenges because it helps keep my anxiety at bay. You might even get hooked on posting all your positivity! You can find the details here website.com and there’s no better time like the present! If you’re undertaking the challenge definitely send me your own 100 Happy Days as I’d love to see what’s making you happy. As for now, that’s all I got!
Until next time friends,
Mid Autumn Festival approaches, and the time comes for me to shove an ungodly amount of mooncakes into my mouth. But, before we dive into the cosy autumn months, let's take a quick look at this past summer through the lens of food!