Gretchen Rubin had an epiphany one rainy afternoon in the unlikeliest of places: a city bus. "The days are long, but the years are short," she realized. "Time is passing, and I'm not focusing enough on the things that really matter." In that moment, she decided to dedicate a year to her happiness project.
In this lively and compelling account, Rubin chronicles her adventures during the twelve months she spent test-driving the wisdom of the ages, current scientific research, and lessons from popular culture about how to be happier. Among other things, she found that novelty and challenge are powerful sources of happiness; that money can help buy happiness, when spent wisely; that outer order contributes to inner calm; and that the very smallest of changes can make the biggest difference.
I first heard about The Happiness Project when I saw my friend reading it during high school one day and she told me I needed to read it. I had this book on my mental "To Read" list for two years and finally got around to it earlier this fall. I'm a sophomore in college and this was the perfect book to start this year off with. Before I start talking about this book, I want to let y'all know that I took a "Science of Happiness" class at my university last spring, which talked about positive psychology and way to make yourself feel happier (Side note: if you have this course at your college, take it! It's one of the best courses I've ever taken thus far.). If you aren't very familiar with positive psychology, this book is a perfect crash course on it. If you are already familiar with the subject, this book is a really good refresher on it and it will give you more ways to apply it in your life. I really enjoyed reading about how Gretchen Rubin used the ideas of positive psychology to change herself for the better, but she also didn't sugarcoat anything. She'd be completely honest about the fact that sometimes she didn't think she was feeling any happier at that moment, but she never stopped trying to practice ways to become happier because she knew it still will make her feel good eventually. I recommend The Happiness Project to everyone because I read a chapter before bed each night, and I always felt so motivated the next morning and whenever I thought about what I read. I loved the book so much that I passed it on to a friend because I felt like she would really enjoy it. Go on and spread the happiness, read this book, and enjoy!
Get excited for spring! See you next week!
-NBW
Buy it here: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/happiness-project-gretchen-craft-rubin/1101357622?ean=9780061583261
Check out Gretchen's blog: http://www.gretchenrubin.com
Just For Fun:
I can't post about this book without adding my favorite song of the moment:
UPDATE: If you already like that version, check out this amazing a capella version from one of my favorite a capella groups.
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