What I learnt from sending “Happy Week” to my friends for 2+ years
Social media has revolutionized communication and made it easier to connect with people around the world. I still remember how before social networks, we used to spend the whole summer vacations wondering how were our classmates doing. I was looking forward to that back-to-school day to get their latest updates and share mine.
On the other hand, Social media has also created a culture of superficial interactions and small talk.
- Hi
- Hey
- How are you?
- I’m good. What about you?
- I’m great, thanks for asking.
In this post, I want to share an experiment I conducted, back in 2016, for almost two years. The experiment? Sending “happy week” messages to my friends every Monday. Through this period, I discovered the power of consistency, the importance of keeping your friends close (even virtually), and the joy of reconnecting with people through meaningful conversations.
How it started?
It all began when I decided to send a “happy week” message to one of my friends to motivate her to start the week positively. I thought that waking up on a positive note could be interesting for her. It was also a small dose of endorphin for me. I noticed that the message had a positive impact on her, so I started sending the same message to three and then five of my other friends.
At first, they were surprised to receive the message. They were even more surprised when they received for 4 weeks on a row. As I continued to send it, it became a habit. Some of my friends even started sending me “happy week” messages before I had a chance to do it myself.
It was all manual. At some point in time, I remember I had a list of the friends that should receive their “happy week” message. It became the first and most important task of Monday morning.
How It Went?
As I continued to send “happy week” messages, I realized that I could personalize them and make them more meaningful. This led to unexpected responses from my friends, such as long voice notes with updates from people I hadn’t heard from in months. Some of them waited until end of day to send me a video with their news.
The simple act of sending a “happy week” message opened the door to conversations we didn’t’ have the chance to start. “Oh, I forgot to tell you that I did this and that 2 weeks ago…”. “By the way, you remember that girl I told about last week, ….”
It was just amazing to hear from them and share with them even though it became a heavy responsibility. Or maybe, it was just me putting pressure on myself.
What I learnt from this experience?
1Consistency is key: One of the most important lessons I learned from this experiment is the power of consistency. By sending a “happy week” message every Monday, I was able to create a habit that my friends looked forward to. It’s great how something as simple as a weekly message can have such a positive impact on people’s lives.
2Don’t wait for your friends to reach out, be the first to do it: Another important lesson I learned is the importance of reaching out to friends. In today’s fast-paced world, it’s easy to get caught up in our own lives and forget to check in with our friends. By being the first to reach out and send a “happy week” message, I was able to strengthen my friendships and create a deeper connection with the people in my life.
3 Small acts of kindness can make a big difference: I also learned that small acts of kindness can make a big difference in people’s lives. A simplistic “happy week” message can brighten someone’s day and make them feel valued and appreciated. We often underestimate the impact we can have on others, but even the smallest gestures can have a ripple effect and spread positivity to those around us.
“Happy week” experiment lasted longer for some of my friends. We still surprise ourselves with a Monday morning message from time to time besides the chats we’re having.
The experiment of sending “happy week” messages to my friends for almost two years taught me valuable lessons. By taking the time to connect with the people in our lives and show them that we care, we can create stronger, more meaningful relationships and spread positivity in the world.
Love you all ❤
