The Bold & the Beautiful book club girls got together last week to discuss our October book which was The Happiness Project. I was really excited to start this book because I heard great things about it and I definitely thought it was something I could benefit from.
The review was mixed between the girls but the average rating was probably a 7 or 8 out of 10 and all of us said we would recommend the book to a friend. Some of the book was hard to get through but the general idea was completely inspiring to me.
The book is based on the happiness project the author Gretchen Rubin developed for herself based on her life/lifestyle. She decided that she was content with her life but could be much happier. The entire project took her a year to complete and each month she gave herself a new task that she broke down into mini tasks. All of her tasks were created in the hopes of leading to more happiness in her life. Some of her tasks included boost energy, lighten up and keep a contented heart.
The whole idea of the Happiness Project is that anyone can start their very own project that can be tailored to his/her life. I think I was inspired by this book as much as I was because I could fully relate to all of Gretchen's tasks and her personality - actually I think we have VERY similar personalities.
The past two years have been by far the toughest years of my life. I've worked non stop and it's been a challenge to keep my sanity and happiness when my life has been all about work. When I'm stressed, exhausted and have limited time for fun, I tend to not be very pleasant. Work hard and play harder will be my motto for the new year! I've decided to start my very own happiness project in January and although it won't be the same as Gretchen's, it will be similar. I strongly recommend this book to everyone and if you're inspired to start your own happiness project, let me know and we can support each other - because boy I'll need it!
From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. Rubin is not an unhappy woman: she has a loving husband, two great kids and a writing career in New York City. Still, she could-and, arguably, should-be happier. Thus, her methodical (and bizarre) happiness project: spend one year achieving careful, measurable goals in different areas of life (marriage, work, parenting, self-fulfillment) and build on them cumulatively, using concrete steps (such as, in January, going to bed earlier, exercising better, getting organized, and "acting more energetic"). By December, she's striving bemusedly to keep increasing happiness in every aspect of her life. The outcome is good, not perfect (in accordance with one of her "Secrets of Adulthood": "Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good"), but Rubin's funny, perceptive account is both inspirational and forgiving, and sprinkled with just enough wise tips, concrete advice and timely research (including all those other recent books on happiness) to qualify as self-help. Defying self-help expectations, however, Rubin writes with keen senses of self and narrative, balancing the personal and the universal with a light touch. Rubin's project makes curiously compulsive reading, which is enough to make any reader happy.
Review
“Packed with fascinating facts about the science of happiness and rich examples of how she improves her life through changes small and big The Happiness Project made me happier by just reading it. (Amy Scribner, Bookpage )
“For those who generally loathe the self-help genre, Rubin's book is a breath of peppermint-scented air. Well-researched and sharply written. . . . Rubin takes an orderly, methodical approach to forging her own path to a happier state of mind. (Kim Crow, Cleveland Plain Dealer )
“An enlightening, laugh-aloud read. . . . Filled with open, honest glimpses into [Rubin's] real life, woven together with constant doses of humor. (Terry Hong, Christian Science Monitor )
“Practical and never preachy . . . the rare self-help tome that doesn't feel shameful to read. (Daily Beast )
http://www.amazon.com/Happiness-Project-Morning-Aristotle-Generally/dp/0061583251/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1292070250&sr=8-1
http://www.gretchenrubin.com
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