Planning For Happiness

Okay, confession time... I'm a glass half-empty kind of person. 
That's not to say that I believe myself to be a negative person, but I do have the tendency to be pessimistic at times. I try to see the world as sunbeams and rainbows through my rose-tinted specs, but more often than not, shit gets me down. 
That's just life, I guess.
As I mentioned in a previous post, I'm not into the whole, 'New Year, New Me' mantra. Although, I did end 2015 feeling like I wanted to make more of a conscious effort to approach 2016 with a better attitude. To push myself to create my own happiness, to see beauty in things I may have previously overlooked and to set myself small goals in order to make the absolute most out of the year and the opportunities that it may bring. 
Okay, I'm veering off track a little and you'd be forgiven for thinking I'd had one too many glasses of vino but bear with me.

When I spotted a picture of something called a, 'Happiness Planner' on Instagram, I was intrigued. A journal designed to assist with the things I was hoping to achieve in the new year. A book that is designed to promote self-development, positive thinking and help you to identify your strengths and weaknesses as a person. 
It all sounds a bit, 'out there' but after stalking the Happiness Planner feed for a few weeks, I decided to add the 100-Day Planner to my Christmas list.
Filled with thought-provoking and inspiring quotes, it begins with a section for self-evaluation. What am I good at? What do I want to achieve in life? etc.
You then identify weekly goals and record, day by day, things that you are grateful for, positive things about your day and your hopes for tomorrow. It's essentially a diary with a few added extras.
Not every day will be a storm-free one. I'm sure there will be dark days to come, but what I hope to adopt this year, is a mechanism to turn the negative aspects of life into positive ones - even if it's just by learning from them and continuing to move forward.
I shall leave you with the Happiness Planner's 10 Rules To Live By For A Positive Life:
1. Be comfortable in your own skin.
2. Appreciate what you have and never compare yourself with others.
3. See the positive in every situation.
4. Let go of your need to control.
5. Drop the resentment within.
6. Live in the moment.
7. Avoid overanalyzing.
8. Stop worrying about the future.
9. Drop your ego and be true.
10. Have an open mind.
I'd better get cracking because it looks like I have a lot of work to do!