Finding ways to organize our lives and hone in on our short term goals, day-to-day tasks, and prioritizing even the little things that make us happy is something most if not all of us aspire to do. Enter: The Happy Notes Book. Hoboken resident Lindsay Colameo reflected on her own aspirations and obstacles to create a reflective and life-organizing journal known as The Happy Notes Book. Read on to learn more about Lindsay, her journal, and her favorite places to hang out locally.
About Lindsay
Lindsay Colameo is the Principal Beauty Editor for the innovative beauty-tech company Perfect Corp. by day, a freelance beauty writer for leading beauty outlets Allure, The Zoe Report, Byrdie, and Popsugar by night, and in her free time, she was able to bring her passion project to life as the founder of The Happy Notes Book.
The Happy Notes Book
{Photo credit: @happynotesbook}
Lindsay’s concept for The Happy Notes Book was simple, find a smile in every day and write that baby down. The inspiration for the book came to her at a time in her life where she wasn’t feeling her best, in fact, she was pretty unhappy. Like any great friend would, Lindsay’s friend offered her sound advice that she relied on and eventually took to the next level with the hope of helping others.
“This simplified gratitude-style practice I call ‘happy notes’ takes just 15 seconds and is proven to dramatically boost your well-being. Ironically, the concept for Happy Notes was born during a way less happy time in my life, post-breakup. It was a Tuesday afternoon in August 2017 when a close friend called to check in on me and in an effort to boost me out of my defeated mindset. He instructed me to flip to the back of my notebook and write down three things: “What made you smile today, what are you excited for this week, and what’s something you want to accomplish over the next few days?” This quickly became a ritual I turned to boost my mood, and subsequently became a life practice I religiously stuck with ever since,” she told Hoboken Girl.
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In an effort to keep this happiness practice convenient in her day to day life, The Happy Notes Book was designed as a traditional daily lined notebook working in the front direction, and a gratitude ‘happy notes’ practice working in the backward direction.
{Photo credit: @happynotesbook}
“The first 140 lined pages are intended to be used in whatever fashion you usually use your daily notebook like work to-do lists, poetry, sketches, life to-dos, anything. There’s one prompt, ‘daily smile’, on the bottom of each page to help kick start the ‘happy notes’ habit. The last 60 pages are where the magic happens,” Lindsay explains. “There, you’ll find three prompts per page: ‘Moments of Joy’, to jot the everyday moments in life that leave you smiling, ‘Excited For’, to look forward to the adventures and smiles in the days ahead, and ‘To Accomplish’ to set intentions like call grandma, try a new recipe, complete a killer workout, or write a thank you.”
Working a full-time job and juggling other responsibilities can leave little time for “me time”, which is all the more reason to carve out that special time anywhere you can. “Some of my favorite moments are on Sunday and Monday mornings when I recount my week in happy notes. It’s amazing how many moments you’d be quick to forget if you didn’t jot them down and how each one leaves me smiling again as I remember back to it,” she said.
Source of Inspiration
We all have things that inspire us, whether it be someone strong and successful in our family or a beautiful piece of art that speaks to us in a way we couldn’t have predicted. For Lindsay, it’s much simpler than that, it’s a smile.
“It’s the currency that fuels my drive to make people happy. Sharing a smile with someone, albeit in passing on the street, across a table, or via text, phone, mail is proven to have an exponential impact on your well-being. It’s also the very reason why you’ll find a blank card and stamped envelope tucked inside every Happy Notes Book to inspire you to spread the joy. Hearing the stories of how The Happy Notes Book made someone smile, even on their worst day, will forever inspire me to just keep swimming— and with a smile on my face,” she told us.
“In diving into this passion project, I did a lot of research on what makes people happy and why. One simple but impactful notion was the fact that happiness is not absolute. You don’t just achieve happiness one day and float there in this euphoric state forever. In the same way that one killer workout doesn’t grant you an eternal six-pack {although I think we can all agree we often feel it should!},” she continues. “Your happiness requires regular practice to build a strong, happy mind. This simple fact continues to inspire me to share ‘happy notes’ with the world and how 15-seconds a day is all you need to start building that foundation.”
Goals For The Year
Lindsay set 12 goals to complete by the end of the year and even beyond. They are:
- Find even more reasons to smile daily.
- Travel somewhere spectacular — and detail every little moment of joy along the way in my notebook.
- Write a book/begin to map out the foundation for it.
- Send monthly thank you’s and thinking of you’s to the people I love—it’s amazing the impact a simple card can have on someone’s day or week.
- Host a successful Global Beauty Tech Forum with 25 top industry speakers/panelists and over 400 guests.
- Secure a speaking opportunity on an industry panel or podcast to spotlight the future of beauty tech innovation.
- Design and create a new product for the Happy Notes collection.
- Shoot a 90 on the golf course.
- Play more tennis.
- Make my own chocolates.
- Complete a Whole30.
- Limit screen time daily.
A Typical Day
Like many of us, no two days are the same for Lindsay. “In the mix of new daily adventures I find comfort in my morning routine: make my bed {including fluffing and arranging each of the 11 pillows in my bedscape}, hand grind the beans for a fresh French Press, and get to the Fit Foundry for an awesome workout.”
She continues, “After that, some days are spent working from home building out strategies and marketing plans for YouCam Apps and hustling to bring those ideas to reality. Some days I’m running to meetings all over the city meeting face to face with brands and talent to brainstorm and plan for creative campaigns. By 7PM I’m usually in the kitchen {my happy place} cooking up a delicious meal for myself and anyone who’s around to join me.”
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“In the evenings and on weekends is when I reserve my time for writing my beauty features and diving into all things Happy Notes. I never know where that journey will lead me — part of the fun of being your own boss, I suppose. Sometimes it’s researching how to bring a new idea to life, diving into a new podcast or book on the science of happiness, or walking around town to capture photos of my notebook in the wild,” she says.
“Other times it’s seeking out fellow creators in the wellness space to brainstorm ways to work together and spread the joy, or connecting with the people around me on what makes them happy—the best kind of market research. No matter where in the physical or digital world the Happy Notes rabbit hole leads me, it’s with a smile that keeps me fueled and inspired to dig a little deeper whenever I find the time,” Lindsay explains.
Career Highlight
Experiencing the fruits of your labor is no small feat and for Lyndsay, receiving her first shipment of The Happy Notes Book is a huge life highlight. “First, as someone who has trouble making simple decisions like what color bath mat to get at Home Goods, I somehow managed to make enough right decisions to take this idea of ‘happy notes’ from a concept to reality. Second, it was the day that a palette of notebooks was dropped in my driveway, hours before a snowstorm, with only my mom home to accept and unload the 1,000-pound shipment,” she said.
She explains, “For the record, I had every intention of being home to help with this unloading process but was misinformed on the exact delivery date which was set to be later that week. That being said, my angel mother spent her day shuttling over 55 boxes {each weighing over 20 lbs} into our house, safe from the looming snow blanket. Grateful doesn’t even come close to covering my feelings for this saint of a woman.”
Local Fun
{Photo credit: @brittanypaigedesigns}
Another business Lyndsy admires in the area is Brittany Paige Designs. “The fellow Hoboken resident is an insanely talented graphic designer and illustrator that I connected with a few years back when I first moved to Hoboken. She designs her own line of paper goods and accessories with sarcastic, clever statements that are absolute fire. Brittany actually helped me design the artwork for the Happy Notes mini note cards that I launched earlier this month.”
Her favorite restaurant in town is The Skyline Supper Club. “I cook and host A TON and a home-cooked meal will always beat eating out in my books. But if I am venturing out you’ll find me getting sushi at Saku,” she says. For a night out with friends, you can catch her at Grand Vin and FM bar for live music, or House of Que.
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Her favorite boutique is Luna Rosa. “I’m a sucker for cozy home décor and this place is straight out of my extreme home makeover dreams.”
Her favorite things about Hoboken, as she puts it are “the small-town charm, mouthwatering mutz, and million-dollar views. I live uptown on the water and waking up to the skyline view will never get old. The sunsets, moonlight on the water, cruise ships, fireworks, it’s pretty darn dreamy.” Playing at either the Stevens or Columbus park tennis courts is her favorite way to spend time outdoors.
For a good workout, Lindsay goes to Fit Foundry. “Love the coaches, people, and energy that fills that space.”
