Good Reads: The Happiness Project
I’ve got the perfect book to start out this New Year! The Happiness Project, by Gretchen Rubin. (Subtitle: Or, Why I spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning, Clean my Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle, and Generally Have More Fun.)
After realizing that she wasn’t spending enough time on the things in her life that really mattered, author Gretchen Rubin dedicated a year to her Happiness Project. Each month, she tackled a new area of her life (examples include Marriage, Leisure, Parenthood, Friendship, Books, Attitude). Each month gets its own chapter in the book. Within each month, she explores several resolutions/goals. For instance, in the month of January, the focus is Boosting Energy. To accomplish this, she resolves to: go to sleep earlier, exercise better, toss, restore, organize, tackle a nagging task, and act more energetic. In the book, she discusses expert advice on each of the resolutions and how she applies it to her own life. She admits what works and what doesn’t. Because Rubin has culled together information from all kinds of “experts”, from Oprah to the Dalai Lama, this book is chock full of little nuggets of wisdom and strategies to help you reach your goals.
I’m hoping to read through this book AGAIN sometime this month, taking notes this time. Many of the author’s goals and resolutions are similar to my own, though she states that each person will have their OWN Happiness Project. In addition to reading the book, I’d suggest you check out The Happiness Project blog and The Happiness Project Toolbox. So much great inspiration as we start 2011!
I have also been reading this and following her blog. It is really well written and her 12 Commandments are really worth looking at.
Good luck with your happiness project!
Thanks for the suggestion! Just signed up for the blog and will check out the book. Kerri
Hey there. I recently read Cold Tangerines, and I think you might like it. It actually wasn’t my favorite (since I prefer novels), but it kind of goes with the finding happiness theme. The author writes short, personal essays about finding the “extraordinary” in our everyday lives and learning to appreciate the little things. It’s a fairly quick, easy read. Happy 2011! Looks like Finn had a fun Christmas 🙂
I just purchased her set of books – hoping they lead me to my happiness. 😉
Katy-
I’ve been wanting to read Cold Tangerines! I’ve heard good things about it. It’s on my wishlist, but I’ve got a HUGE pile of nonfiction to work through first. Thanks for the rec and the comment!
Ross Boss,
So glad you’re reading it too! There is SO much information and advice crammed in to this book. I hope you enjoy it.