The Happiness Project
I just finished reading The Happiness Project
[caption id="attachment_905" align="alignleft" width="184" caption="Borrowed from http://www.happiness-project.com/"]
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If I've seen you in real life in the past week or so, no doubt I've babbled about The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin. This book is her account of spending one year changing her life by not changing her life. She's a pretty normal lady with a great family and a job she loves, and she wants to know if she can become happier by making small adjustments to her everyday life, and, oh hey! It works!
She breaks her "Happiness Project" into twelve (one for every month!) different aspects of life in which she would like to create greater happiness, and she has three or four resolutions to accompany each area of focus, building on the resolutions from the previous month. Additionally, the entire book is filled with quotes from the extensive happiness research she's done, and I have NO IDEA where she found the time to read all the books she cites, because DAMN.
Some of her resolutions, like going to bed earlier and clearing clutter, are (seemingly) simple but really draining when it doesn't happen. She provides some universal Truths about happiness that are simple and things that most people probably already know, but sometimes, I just need someone to state the obvious. Several of the chapters deal with her relationships with other people and how to get the most happiness flowing in those relationships. She reminded me how important it is to show up and be present in people's lives and how much my own attitude affects other people's.
Really, I love the way this book got me to thinking. I have an AWESOME life. I have a wonderful boyfriend who I adore, a job I enjoy and that allows me to focus my energy on school, and I am so blessed. But, of course, there are areas for improvement, and I really appreciated some of Rubin's suggestions and tips and ideas for making my great life EVEN BETTER. So, as I was reading, and in this past week since I've finished the book, I've thought about what resolutions I can make that will help me become a happier, More Awesome person. I have a whole list of resolutions and one time goals for my Awesomeness Project. I want to spend the year aiming to create more happiness, and thus, More Awesome, in my life. Some of these resolutions are silly personal things, like flossing every day, and some are ways to help me be a better girlfriend and friend. And in the next day or two, I'll have a fancy chart on which to write out all these resolutions and gold star stickers to reward myself when I do a good job. Because one way to create more happiness is by not relying on other people to give me a pat on the back.
[caption id="attachment_905" align="alignleft" width="184" caption="Borrowed from http://www.happiness-project.com/"]
[/caption]
If I've seen you in real life in the past week or so, no doubt I've babbled about The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin. This book is her account of spending one year changing her life by not changing her life. She's a pretty normal lady with a great family and a job she loves, and she wants to know if she can become happier by making small adjustments to her everyday life, and, oh hey! It works!
She breaks her "Happiness Project" into twelve (one for every month!) different aspects of life in which she would like to create greater happiness, and she has three or four resolutions to accompany each area of focus, building on the resolutions from the previous month. Additionally, the entire book is filled with quotes from the extensive happiness research she's done, and I have NO IDEA where she found the time to read all the books she cites, because DAMN.
Some of her resolutions, like going to bed earlier and clearing clutter, are (seemingly) simple but really draining when it doesn't happen. She provides some universal Truths about happiness that are simple and things that most people probably already know, but sometimes, I just need someone to state the obvious. Several of the chapters deal with her relationships with other people and how to get the most happiness flowing in those relationships. She reminded me how important it is to show up and be present in people's lives and how much my own attitude affects other people's.
Really, I love the way this book got me to thinking. I have an AWESOME life. I have a wonderful boyfriend who I adore, a job I enjoy and that allows me to focus my energy on school, and I am so blessed. But, of course, there are areas for improvement, and I really appreciated some of Rubin's suggestions and tips and ideas for making my great life EVEN BETTER. So, as I was reading, and in this past week since I've finished the book, I've thought about what resolutions I can make that will help me become a happier, More Awesome person. I have a whole list of resolutions and one time goals for my Awesomeness Project. I want to spend the year aiming to create more happiness, and thus, More Awesome, in my life. Some of these resolutions are silly personal things, like flossing every day, and some are ways to help me be a better girlfriend and friend. And in the next day or two, I'll have a fancy chart on which to write out all these resolutions and gold star stickers to reward myself when I do a good job. Because one way to create more happiness is by not relying on other people to give me a pat on the back.