The happiness project, or, Why I spent a year trying to sing in the morning, clean my closets, fight right, read Aristotle, and generally have more fun

From Publishers Weekly Starred Review. Rubin is not an unhappy woman: she has a loving husband, two great kids and a writing career in New York City. Still, she could-and, arguably, should-be happier. Thus, her methodical (and bizarre) happiness project: spend one year achieving careful, measurable goals in different areas of life (marriage, work, parenting, self-fulfillment) and build on them cumulatively, using concrete steps (such as, in January, going to bed earlier, exercising better, getting organized, and "acting more energetic"). By December, she's striving bemusedly to keep increasing happiness in every aspect of her life. The outcome is good, not perfect (in accordance with one of her "Secrets of Adulthood": "Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good"), but Rubin's funny, perceptive account is both inspirational and forgiving, and sprinkled with just enough wise tips, concrete advice and timely research (including all those other recent books on happiness) to qualify as self-help. Defying self-help expectations, however, Rubin writes with keen senses of self and narrative, balancing the personal and the universal with a light touch. Rubin's project makes curiously compulsive reading, which is enough to make any reader happy. Review “For those who generally loathe the self-help genre, Rubin’s book is a breath of peppermint-scented air. Well-researched and sharply written. . . . Rubin takes an orderly, methodical approach to forging her own path to a happier state of mind.” (Kim Crow, Cleveland Plain Dealer ) “Practical and never preachy . . . the rare self-help tome that doesn’t feel shameful to read.” (Daily Beast ) “An enlightening, laugh-aloud read. . . . Filled with open, honest glimpses into [Rubin’s] real life, woven together with constant doses of humor.” (Terry Hong, Christian Science Monitor ) “Packed with fascinating facts about the science of happiness and rich examples of how she improves her life through changes small and big The Happiness Project made me happier by just reading it.” (Amy Scribner, Bookpage ) Over one million copies sold. 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 of that year, Rubin carves out her place alongside the authors of bestselling memoirs such as Julie and Julia , The Year of Living Biblically , and Eat, Pray, Love . With humor and insight, she 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. Rubin didn't have the option to uproot herself, nor did she really want to; instead she focused on improving her life as it was. Each month she tackled a new set of resolutions: give proofs of love, ask for help, find more fun, keep a gratitude notebook, forget about results. She immersed herself in principles set forth by all manner of experts, from Epicurus to Thoreau to Oprah to Martin Seligman to the Dalai Lama to see what worked for her--and what didn't. Her conclusions are sometimes surprising--she finds that money can buy happiness, when spent wisely; that novelty and challenge are powerful sources of happiness; that "treating" yourself can make you feel worse; that venting bad feelings doesn't relieve them; that the very smallest of changes can make the biggest difference--and they range from the practical to the profound. Written with charm and wit, The Happiness Project is illuminating yet entertaining, thought-provoking yet compulsively readable. Gretchen Rubin's passion for her subject jumps off the page, and reading just a few chapters of this book will inspire you to start your own happiness project “this Book Made Me Happy In The First Five Pages.” —aj Jacobs, Author Of The Year Of Living Biblically: One Man's Humble Quest To Follow The Bible As Literally As Possible Award-winning Author Gretchen Rubin Is Back With A Bang, With The Happiness Project. The Author Of The Bestselling 40 Ways To Look At Winston Churchill Has Produced A Work That Is “a Cross Between The Dalai Lama’s The Art Of Happiness And Elizabeth Gilbert’s Eat, Pray, Love.” (sonya Lyubomirsky, Author Of The How Of Happiness: A Scientific Approach To Getting The Life You Want) In The Vein Of Julie And Julia, The Happiness Project Describes One Person’s Year-long Attempt To Discover What Leads To True Contentment. Drawing At Once On Cutting-edge Science, Classical Philosophy, And Real-world Applicability, Rubin Has Written An Engaging, Eminently Relatable Chronicle Of Transformation. " ... a work that is a cross between the Dalai Lama's The Art of Happiness and Elizabeth Gilbert's Eat, Pray, Love ... In the vein of Julie and Julia, The Happiness Project describes one person's year-long attempt to discover what leads to true contentment. Drawing at once on cutting-edge science, classical philosophy, and real-world applicability, Rubin has written an engaging, eminently relatable chronicle of transformation."--Amazon.com A thoughtful and prescriptive work on happiness filled with practical advice, sharp insight, charm, and humor