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" Want more happiness in your life? Author Amy Spencer wrote the book on it. Each week this January, she&amp;#x27;s sharing a challenge designed to make you happier, less stressed, and more fulfilled. Ready to get started? Read on and join us... WEEK 3: Here&amp;amp;#8217;s Your Third Happiness Challenge How did you do with last week&amp;amp;#8217;s challenge? Did you remove someone from your phone who was pulling the happy out of your life so you could fit more positive people in it? This next challenge is all about treating yourself in a bigger, bolder way. Challenge No. 3 is all about INDEPENDENCE: Take yourself on a date. We&amp;amp;#8217;re talking table for one, ticket for one, plans for one. Trust me: The confidence you&amp;amp;#8217;ll gain from treating yourself will far outweigh any fears you feel about heading out alone. The first time I went to the movies by myself, I felt weird ordering just one ticket. I was self-conscious about lugging my bucket of popcorn and soda to a seat all by myself, and I was relieved as heck when the lights went down. But by the end of that night, I felt free in a new way, and I walked home taller and prouder having had a lovely night out on my own. So whether you&amp;amp;#8217;re single or with someone, take yourself out as a reminder that one of your favorite people to hang out with is you. Your challenge: Plan the perfect date, then take yourself on it! Have a healthy brunch at a restaurant you&amp;amp;#8217;ve been dying to try, go see a band you&amp;amp;#8217;ve been wanting to hear, take a long walk across a bridge, or hit a museum on a free day. If you feel self-conscious, remember that people are going to be too busy having fun and checking their phones to judge you&amp;amp;#8212;and if they are looking at you, it&amp;amp;#8217;s probably because they envy your confidence. The goal here is to see that you are your own good time. The more you enjoy your own easy company, the less you&amp;amp;#8217;ll rely on other people&amp;amp;#8212;friends, family, guys&amp;amp;#8212;to provide some of the pleasures in life you can easily provide for yourself. The world is a big, breathtaking place, so why wait around for other people to bring happy feelings to you? Are you up for it? If so, where will the big date be? And, ooh, what are you gonna wear? Amy Spencer is the author of happy books, including the brand-new The Happy Life Checklist, out this winter, and Meeting Your Half-Orange, a guide to using dating optimism to find love."^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.glamour.com/health-fitness/blogs/vitamin-g/2014/01/happiness-challenge-date-yourself>