Saturday, January 11, 2014

The Happiness Project - Round 2

The Happiness Project: Or Why I Spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning, Clean My Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle, and Generally Have More FunThe Happiness Project: Or Why I Spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning, Clean My Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle, and Generally Have More Fun by Gretchen Rubin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I read this book in 2010 as I was searching for happiness amidst the chaos of a grad school program I didn't feel entirely at home in. I couldn't have known it then, but reading this book laid the ground work for a summer and a shift in thinking that has changed my life. It's not that I have completed full happiness projects, but I did stop waiting and started doing and I am so much happier. Taking responsibility for my happiness was absolutely a game changer.

This past summer (yes, I'm four-plus months late with a review) I picked up The Happiness Project again in an attempt to redefine my goals and what makes me happiest. It was a perfect summer read because summer is my season of rejuvenation and September my time of resolutions and goals. I love the ideas in this book and am just starting Rubin's latest book "Happiness at Home". The idea of actively living instead of passively waiting for life to happen is one of the most enabling principles. If you're looking for a reset button or just something to boost what is already a pretty great life, I would definitely suggest this book.

Happy Reading!

ps. Why four versus five stars if I consider this book so life changing? Because it's a bit long-winded and occasionally, I am not in love with everything Rubin says. That said, I really do love it. It, like most of us though, just isn't perfect.

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