I just finished reading The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin, and I just can’t help but post about it immediately. I loved, loved, this book and have been recommending it to anyone who will listen (including a woman on the train who asked about it the other day).
My five sentence summary:
Gretchen used to be a lawyer, found her calling as a writer, and has been a professional writer for some time. She had this idea about making a year-long happiness project for herself when she was riding the bus one day. She decided to make small, doable changes in many areas of her life to see if the cumulative effect did, indeed, make her happier. Each month was dedicated to a different area of her life and she kept track of her progress in a chart. Sure enough, she was able to make her life happier!
I am drawn to this book for many reasons. First, I love charts. I love lists. I make Monthly Challenges in my own life, so her process seriously resonates with me. Second, I really believe that you can make your life happier when you try. I know that there are things that if I do them every day (get enough sleep, eat well, and don’t drink too much), I will feel good. Third, I think that this idea/project can be easily modified for anyone. Finally, I really, REALLY, love that Gretchen has taken her cause to the web.
Her original blog tracking her Happiness Project is here.
Then, she made a bunch of tools so others could do their own – here.
You can also start your own group of fellow people embarking on their Happiness Projects and she’s put together tools for that, too.
I can’t speak highly enough about this book. I’m not sure if I liked it more than normal because of the whole project/chart/list thing, so I’ll see what my less list-inclined friends say when they finish my copy (which I’ve already loaned out).
[…] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Born Outside the Box. Born Outside the Box said: Shameless Plug for “The Happiness Project” « A Life Without Excuses http://bit.ly/aWwBLs […]
[…] I’m working on my own personal Happiness Project. You can read about my conquests so far Here and Here. In June, I decided to work on my marriage. The normal stuff – be nice, don’t nag, […]