C'mon, Get Happy!

I've seen quite a bit of buzz around the internet for The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin.  Samantha owns it, so I decided to give it a read.  Rubin spends a year finding ways to maximize happiness in her everyday life.  She isolates twelve topics, one for each month, and sets related "resolutions" for each topic.  The book is part memoir of her year and part repository for all of her research of what other people have thought and written about happiness.

You can also check out the accompanying Happiness Project blog

I don't know if I'll ever launch my own Happiness Project, but it definitely made me mindful of the things that make me happy.  Of all the parts of this book that I related to my own life, four take-away messages stood out most:

• Growth and progress are important for happiness: I have noticed that the things I enjoy the most are ones where I can measure my improvement or that give me a sense of accomplishment.

• Make time for the things that make me happy: So often we get wrapped up with work and other errands that we think we don't have time for hobbies.  But one hour is only 4% of the day.  With that perspective, setting aside even a little time to read a book, paint, or bake cupcakes doesn't seem like a difficult commitment.

• I can't do everything, but I can always do something: I have a multitude of interests, and sometimes I feel overwhelmed that I can't pursue them all.  I wish I was a better piano player, a better skier, had my SCUBA certification, could bake killer fruit pies, and knew how to drive a rally racecar.  Some of these are more feasible than others.  Spending time testing out new recipes will still make me happy, even if I never learn to drift a Subaru.  However...

• "When the student is ready, the teacher appears": If I really cannot get rally racing out of my head, I'm sure at some point I will stumble across a racing school or meet someone who is into stunt driving.  It's happened recently with biking.  I started riding my bike more and ended up meeting other women who are into mountain biking.  Just one example of many that illustrates how keeping an open mind about an interest has helped me see the opportunities that are around me.

Although I didn't always agree with or relate to the author, I enjoyed this book and got a lot out of it.  I would recommend it to anyone who is content with their life but feel as if something is missing.  And you should absolutely read this book if you find yourself sitting home on friday nights lamenting how bored you are.  You clearly could be doing more with your life.