Book Review: The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin


Hey everyone. Today I'll give you guys a book review of The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin :) . I haven't finished reading this book yet actually, still a halfway but I just can't wait to give it a review! Because I love it so much. It's a little different from what I have ever read (Okay, probably that's because I'm not a very 'reading' person) It's something between a novel, diary and a self help book. Curious? ;)

'Or, Why I spent a year trying to sing in the morning, clean my closets, fight right, real Aristotle, and generally have more fun' (Quote from the cover)

In this book, the author made a one year project on how to be happier in her life. So it's like a journal of hers thorough the year. She is content with her life, she has a wonderful family, a job that she loves, she's not depressed at all. But she still thinks that she could still be happier and she thinks she's not living the best way out of it yet. So that's why she started this project: The Happiness Project.

At the start of the year she made a list of what she would do in the next 12 months. It was nothing extravagant really.

1. Be Gretchen
2. Let it go
3. Act the way I want to feel
4. Do it now
5. Be polite and be fair
6. Enjoy the process
7. Spend out
8. Identify the problem
9. Lighten up
10. Do what ought to be done
11. No calculations
12. There's only love

With this project the author tried to gain good habits in her life to make life more efficient, easier and at last happier. For example no.4 is do it now. People tend to delay tasks that could be done now like putting things back to their places or simply putting dirty clothes in the wash basket and that effects on their daily activities. For example things get misplaced and you have to look up for it then you're wasting more time because you have to be somewhere else, you'll be late for an appointment, because you're late, client's not happy and that makes you less happy too. Why? It only started with that thing that you yourself misplaced because you're just too lazy to put it back. If you had done that (putting things back in place) back then, things wouldn't seem so difficult. It could have been prevented. :)

Another is about being praised. That the more she expects to be praised, the harder it is to do things whole heartedly, because when not praised she wouldn't feel as excited etc. But at the end she tries to ignore that feeling because it would just make her feel bad and less happy. There are also other things like singing in the morning, quitting nagging, asking for help, making time etc.

The bottom line, this book contains very simple things the author did in order to improve quality in her life. She also quotes a lot of literatures in this book which opens your mind. YES! To me this book opens my mind, it's a feel good book, definitely gives positive point of views of life. Things to make life simpler, easier and happier! You can even start your own happiness project! :)

Giving four stars for this book and I seriously RECOMMEND it! :D
Happy reading!

xoxo Yasmin

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