The Happiness Project

Imagine waking up one day and saying, hmm maybe I just want to be happier than I am now.  Well, exactly what Gretchen Rubin does in her book, The Happiness Project.  Rubin decided to read as many books and reports about why some people are happier than others.  As a life coach, I have always said that to be happy you need to have something to look forward to and you need to feel a sense of accomplishment (and to feel needed).  Whether this is in fact true or not, I really enjoyed reading Rubin’s research on happiness.  Her approach is quite unique in that after her research, and yes many people she informed about the project seemingly made fun of her, but not I.  I liked her approach, writing down all the things that she valued as a person and then she decided to put her values into action through a month-by-month commitment to each value, one at a time.  Here was her monthly commitments to follow: January – boost your energy; February – remember love; March – aim higher (raise those expectations of self); April – lighten up (don’t take yourself so seriously) – May – be serious about play (this is an area I find almost all of my clients forget to do, add balance through recreation and fun into your life!); June – make time for friends (this is a common theme I read from the literature, those most happy have a competent friend group!); July – buy some happiness (spend that money!); August – contemplate the heavens; September – pursue a passion (we all need to do that for sure!); October – pay attention (little things matter); November – keep a contended heart; and December – boot camp perfect (practice makes perfect!).  As a married mom of two, Gretchen in many ways is like most people, busy with family but different in that she can commit to something and do it for the long term.  A very solid game plan for those looking to make a change in their life.  Enjoyed this read.  Good as a pre-New Year’s reading project!