The Happiness Project

At the recommendation of my mother-in-law, sister-in-law, and aunt (in-law?) I started reading this book called The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin. It's a book that Rubin wrote to document an experiment in which she tried doing little things differently in her life in order to increase her level of happiness. At first, I was a little skeptical. I thought, "Happiness is an extreme in some ways, and I doubt someone can just 'decide' to be happier and actually succeed at it." Before you take me for a morose person, let me say that I do believe in happiness; I just never really saw it as something one could just achieve at whim. I partly didn't want to read the book, but I gave it a try.

I'm only into the first chapter (I read the preface too,) and I'm actually quite impressed with the book. This woman isn't trying to reach a new level of joy or be in a constant state of euphoria; she's just making small changes in her daily routine that impact her mood for the better. For instance, part of her happiness project is to declutter her apartment, get more sleep and exercise, read more, etc. She finds that these little things give her more energy and greater self-esteem. She also notices herself able to wake up easier in the morning, get more work done, is more patient with her children, and feel more organized.

I can really appreciate that these small things that she impliments into her life make a noticeable impact on her mood. I think that it's easy for me to forget that sometimes it's the little things that can make a big difference. This book has inspired me to start thinking about the little things more, and explore what I can do to better my overall attitude and outlook.