The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin


I have mentioned The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin a few times on the blog and I'm not yet done.=)  I finished the book last week but I will be re-reading parts of it in the coming days in light of implementing some sort of happiness project of my own.

This book is on Fully Booked's current bestseller list but I think I first heard about it while researching on Delivering Happiness by Tony Hsieh.  There are reasons why books become bestsellers.  For me, THP made the list because:
  • It's easy to read.  Rubin employs a conversational tone throughout the book, even for the parts where she's talking about this or that scientific study.
  • It's practical and relatable.  Happiness is such an enormous and complicated idea to tackle but Rubin's take on it is very practical.  She identified areas in her life that she wanted to change in order to be happier (based on studies or recommendations) and tracks her daily performance to those areas everyday using her Resolutions Chart.  And these are not complicated changes so a lot of them are applicable to anyone.  Some examples: sing in the morning, remember birthdays, get enough sleep, etc.  Rubin is a working mom and in that sense, I can relate to a lot of her resolutions.
  • It's honest.  Rubin tackles different areas to focus on every month and she's very honest about what resolutions worked for her and which ones did not.  She narrates her struggles and failures and even people's negative reactions about her endeavor.  It is a gift to really know personal motivations/vulnerabilities and to share them to the world takes courage.
  • It's inspiring.  To read something that inspires you to change for the better is a gift.
Needless to say, I recommend this book.=)

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