We are continuing with our official ‘unofficial’ reading week here at A Meaningful Existence. I had a stack of books to read (and another order from Amazon on its way), so to motivate me to finish reading the books I already have, I’ve decided to do a book review series for this entire week.

We have already reviewed Crush It, Linchpin and 100 Ways to Improve Your Life this week.

Today’s book review is The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin. Why this book? Because I’ve had it for about a month and needed to finish reading it. I’ve been intriqued by this book ever since I heard about its buzz and saw that it was listed in the top 50 bestsellers on Amazon. Besides, we can all use more happiness in our lives. I know I can. How about you?

Did the book spark any new ideas where I can be more happy in my life? Let’s find out.

Gretchen is an published author so I was expecting a lot from this book. It’s not my usual style of reading though as I prefer less biographic or memoir-type books. When I read non-fiction, I like to have the facts stated and then have them backed up. This book was not what I expected as the author weaved a lot of her her day-to-day life into the book, plus it included a lot of comments from her blog.

After the first few pages though I got sucked into the story and knowing that it was one woman’s real life struggle to have more happiness in her life over the course of one year, made the pages turn even faster. The book is very entertaining. Not only entertaining, it made me think. Think that I could do this, too. I can definitely adapt some of the ways in my life that she used to make herself happier.

I wanted to know what she tried next to see what would make her life more happy (not that it was miserable or anything). As Gretchen states in the book, she has a pretty good life - she’s a published writer, has a great and loving husband and two wonderful little girls.

Why pursue happiness?

Happy people generally are more forgiving, helpful and charitable, have better self-control, and are more tolerant of frustration than unhappy people, while unhappy people are more often withdrawn, defensive, antagonistic, and self-absorbed. – Gretchen Rubin

I think we can relate a lot to her story, as even if you’re not miserable in your own day-to-day life, there is always room for thinking – what else is out there, what can I do to be more satisfied and happy in my own life?

We don’t have to wonder because someone else took the project on for an entire year and let us know what worked and what didn’t. Of course, everyone is different and what works for one person may not work for another, but there are still some universal truths that work for most people.

We recently went through our own Just For Today Challenge – 31 Days To A Better You. Can you imagine doing that for an entire year? That’s what Gretchen did. She started off with monthly themes and within each theme gave herself  4-6 resolutions to work on each month, all devoted to seeing if they made her happier (and what didn’t).

At the end of the year, she managed to work on 48 different resolutions. Some were more easier (Go to Bed Earlier, Give Proofs of Love, Launch a Blog) than others (Ask for Help, Don’t Gossip, Keep a Gratitude Journal) but it was the attempt to see what made her happier.  After all;

Challenge and novelty are key elements to happiness. – Gretchen Rubin

So, for each month of the year Gretchen would have the following themes:

January: Boost Energy
February: Remember Love
March: Aim Higher
April: Lighten Up
May: Be Serious About Play
June: Make Time for Friends
July: Buy Some Happiness
August: Contemplate the Heavens
September: Pursue a Passion
October: Pay Attention
November: Keep a Contented Heart
December: Boot Camp Perfect

Within each month there would be different resolutions such as for January (theme of Boost Energy) she would ‘Go to Sleep Earlier’, ‘Exercise Better’, ‘Toss, Restore, Organize’, ‘Tackle a Nagging Task’, and ‘Act More Energetic“.

Gretchen used a Resolution Chart where she tracked how well each month and resolution helped her become more happy.

I found this idea very novel and it’s something that I think I can use in my life, too. Having a place on the wall which lists all the things that I should be doing to improve my life and happiness would be a great reminder. I can be crossing things off every day. What a sense of accomplishment that would give me! I know if would make me happier seeing that I was consistently taking action.

Another thing that I thought was novel was the little interspersed Commandments that she had throughout the book, such as “Let It Go’, “Enjoy the Process’, ‘Lighten Up’, and “Do What Ought To Be Done“. You can find the entire Twelve Commandments at her site .

Oh, and I thought that her ‘Secrets of Adulthood‘ were spot-on. Such ‘Secrets’ as ‘People don’t notice your mistakes as much as you think’, ‘You can choose what you do; you can’t choose what you like to do’, ‘What you do every day matters more than what you do once in a while’ and ‘Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good’.

These are easy things to forget, but they are very true. I’m glad for the reminders. If you want all of the ‘Secrets of Adulthood’, you can visit her site and read them. Plus, you can also read what other people have contributed to the ‘Secrets of Adulthood’.

Overall, I quite enjoyed reading The Happiness Project and I’m surprised at how entertaining and engaging it was.

I couldn’t help thinking though that you or I could have done this too, but we didn’t. Gretchen did and she deserves all her happiness and I’m really glad that I was able to read the story of her one-year journey of The Happiness Project. I found myself rooting for her each month and was interested in whether what she was doing each month was ultimately making her happier.

I know that you want to know what happens at the end of the project. At the end of the 301 pages of the book, Gretchen says;

The year is over, and I really am happier. After all my research, I found out what I knew all along: I could change my life without changing my life. When I made the effort to reach out for them, I found that the ruby slippers had been on my feet all along; the bluebird was singing outside my kitchen window. – Gretchen Rubin

To accompany the book, Gretchen has also set up The Happiness Project Toolbox, which provides all the necessary tools (and community spirit) for you to pursue your own Happiness Project. Definitely check out the resources she provides and also consider buying this book. I’m glad that I did as it offered me several concrete ways in which I can increase my own happiness (plus, it was entertaining and thought-provoking).

Have you read The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin? What did you think about it? Let us know by leaving a comment. Thanks!

This is the fourth part in a 5-part series that I’m having this week on books. Here’s part one, part two and part three. I hope you enjoy this review and the upcoming one.

Related Posts:

1.Are Books Worth The Money?
2. Book Review: Crush It: Why Now Is The Time to Cash In On Your Passion
3. Book Review: 100 Ways To Improve Your Life
4. Book Review: The Leap
5. Book Review: Linchpin: Are You Indispensable?

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Tagged as: Book Review, The Happiness Project