I had the same question in my mind when I came across this book, “Happiness Project” written by Gretchen Rubin.
Like anyone, I also thought that “Being Happy” is something internal , something that cannot be learnt or taught. I decided to give it a try and all I can say is that Gretchen has done a beautiful job of narrating simple but effective steps to remove clutter from the mind and focus on what is most important and excel in those activities.
At the very beginning of the book, she mentions an epiphany she had. “The days are long, but the years are short,” she realised. “Time is passing, and I’m not focusing enough on the things that really matter.” At that moment, she decided to dedicate a year to her happiness project.
Isn’t this a familiar situation for you too ?
I liked the twelve commandments mentioned in the book as a simple but effective way to start having the right mindset to continue reading the book.
TWELVE COMMANDMENTS:
- Be Gretchen ( Aka be yourself)
- Let it go
- Act the way I want to feel
- Do it now
- Be polite and be fair
- Enjoy the process
- Spend out
- Identify the problem
- Lighten up
- Do what ought to be done
- No calculation
- There is only love
The remainder of the book are the chronicles of her experiments over the twelve months and treating happiness as a project with different resolutions each month about various aspects of life. She touches upon these topics with actions relating to each of aspects and her sharing as a result: Vitality, Marriage, Work, Parenthood, Leisure, Friendship, Money, Eternity, Books, Mindfulness, Attitude, and Happiness. I would not say that each of her experiments would work on everyone; however it would definitely rekindle your mind and start taking baby steps for a few of the aspects one finds suitable. I should say that I had a long time plan of writing blogs but just did not have the right mindset. By reading this book, I have finally broken the shackles and here I am. At the least, this book will remind us of all of the little things in life we may be overlooking, and to not turn our cheeks to certain situations that can allow us to grow as a person.
Some of the quotes from the books that intrigued me were…
“One of the best ways to make yourself happy is to make other people happy. One of the best ways to make other people happy is to be happy yourself.”
“What you do every day matters more than what you do once in a while.”
“When I find myself focusing overmuch on the anticipated future happiness of arriving at a certain goal, I remind myself to ‘Enjoy now’. If I can enjoy the present, I don’t need to count on the happiness that is (or isn’t) waiting for me in the future.”
” Happiness comes not from having more, not from having less, but from wanting what you have”
“You can choose what you do, but you can’t choose what you like to do”
As a take away from this book, I am trying to follow this for my own happiness project.
- Reflect on what makes me happy, plus what puts me in a bad mood.
- Think of specific, concrete actions that improve my happiness and build on that
- Continue my journey to understand human nature and how I can influence lives of people who want their voice to be heard, provide some testimonies of my journey and mutually benefit to make our lives happier, healthier, more creative and productive.
test