The Happiness Project

The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin

Hearing about this book through various sources including Oprah and given my own project of writing a book to help perfectionists take risks, I thought The Happiness Project might inspire me and give me some ideas. I was not disappointed. In fact, this book literally helped save my vacation if not my marriage. Thank you, Gretchen!

This book is about Gretchen's year-long experiment, in which she took distinct actions each month to attempt to make herself happier. She was a lawyer who clerked for Sandra Day O'Connor before changing careers to become a writer. As an impressive researcher, she shares results from numerous studies on happiness and quotes throughout the book. The two quotes that really made me think are: "It is easy to be heavy: hard to be light;" and, "Happiness takes discipline and energy." Both of these ideas helped me take charge of my own happiness when I was struggling physically and emotionally during my recent Cambodian adventure with my husband.

What I appreciated about this book was how open, honest, and vulnerable Gretchen made herself to the reader. In addition, it is organized over the 12 months with each one offering unique ideas towards making you happier, and includes a blog with a toolbox website for individuals to start their own happiness projects. Lastly, she provides a distinction between goals and resolutions. Goals are targets that you aim for, whereas resolutions are what you aim to live up to; it seems like an interesting idea to experiment with as we begin the new year! I recommend this book to anyone who wants to re-energize their life.