The Happiness Project

I just finished Gretchen Rubin's The Happiness Project. I have to admit, that I was a little wary before starting it because of the self-help aspect of it, but heard such good things that I decided to try it out.


I'll start with the bad - at times the book frustrated me. Rubin works in New York City with her husband and two daughters, is a full-time writer, a successful published author, and is very financially stable. Her life seems like the life most people would die for, so I felt like she should probably already be happier than the average person. At times she talked about working and I was like, "Are you kidding? I would die to write for my career all day." Still, there were times when I realized that that was kind of the point of the book - no matter how good we have it, we still can't all honestly say, "I am happy."


The book inspired me to start my own Happiness Project, and since I don't want to wait until January to start fresh, I'll start in June. How the project works is, each month Rubin focused on an aspect of happiness - Health, Money, Passion, Marriage, Organization, etc. From there she outlined specific goals to focus on that month, and documented her experience. Each month she added on to what she was previously doing so by the last month she felt like her life was in order and even if she wasn't happier, she was conscious of feeling happier, and had minimized the things that made her unhappy. She also has a great blog, where she continues the discussion. 


I feel like in lieu of impending medical school, a big move and a completely new life almost, this year from June 2012 to June 2013 is the best time to start my own project.


I'll probably document it here to help keep myself on track. If you haven't read it, I recommend it. It's amazing how just a series of small steps can lead to more awareness of the happiness that exists.


Have you read The Happiness Project? Have you ever done your own Happiness Project?


p.s. sorry I haven't been around in awhile. I've been working overtime and moving during my free time, which doesn't leave a lot of time for blogland.