Gretchen Rubin knows what it means to be happy. She has a loving husband, two beautiful daughters, and a circle of friends who fill her life. Yet oftentimes she wonders if she truly has it all. Is happiness merely a state of mind? Or perhaps is it just being satisfied with your own particular set of circumstances?
In order to find the answer, Gretchen embarks on a self-imposed journey to discover what makes herself and others feel fulfilled in life. With just one year to complete this study, she begins by defining her own twelve commandments to guide her through the project. With simple acts such as being herself and learning to let go, Gretchen takes flight on an adventure that will ultimately change her life.
As truths begin to emerge, Gretchen makes a list of secrets of adulthood that all too often we choose to ignore. Realizing it's okay to ask for help, and that you don't always have to be good at everything, enables the happiness project to take shape. Setting goals for each month keeps her on the path towards discovering the ultimate source of happiness in everyday life.
What Gretchen comes to find is that the simplest things in life often lead to the most contentment. Taking a step back to savor the sweetness in her marriage as well as delighting in the unexpected joy of finding new friends, she takes note of the essential pieces of her harmonious life. As the year comes to an end, she relishes the fact that she discovered what she knew all along...she truly is happy.
THE HAPPINESS PROJECT is the quintessential guide for anyone in need of finding the right balance in life. From helpful tips to encouraging words, Gretchen Rubin has truly found the yellow brick road to happiness.
Gretchen Rubin had an epiphany one rainy afternoon in the
unlikeliest of places: a city bus. "The days are long, but
the years are short," she realized. "Time is passing, and
I'm not focusing enough on the things that really matter."
In that moment, she decided to dedicate a year to her
happiness project.
In this lively and compelling
account of that year, Rubin carves out her place alongside
the authors of bestselling memoirs such as Julie and
Julia, The Year of Living Biblically, and Eat,
Pray, Love. With humor and insight, she chronicles her
adventures during the twelve months she spent test-driving
the wisdom of the ages, current scientific research, and
lessons from popular culture about how to be happier.
Rubin didn't have the option to uproot herself, nor did
she really want to; instead she focused on improving her
life as it was. Each month she tackled a new set of
resolutions: give proofs of love, ask for help, find more
fun, keep a gratitude notebook, forget about results. She
immersed herself in principles set forth by all manner of
experts, from Epicurus to Thoreau to Oprah to Martin
Seligman to the Dalai Lama to see what worked for herβand
what didn't.
Her conclusions are sometimes
surprisingβshe finds that money can buy happiness, when
spent wisely; that novelty and challenge are powerful
sources of happiness; that "treating" yourself can make you
feel worse; that venting bad feelings doesn't relieve them;
that the very smallest of changes can make the biggest
differenceβand they range from the practical to the
profound.
Written with charm and wit, The
Happiness Project is illuminating yet entertaining,
thought-provoking yet compulsively readable. Gretchen
Rubin's passion for her subject jumps off the page, and
reading just a few chapters of this book will inspire you to
start your own happiness project.
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