Do you have your own Happiness Project?

The Happiness Project is a book written by Gretchen Rubin. She practiced law but eventually moved into writing and blogging. She also has a podcast with her sister, which I have mentioned on my Podcasts post. 

I actually have read this book back in 2014, but I wasn't able to digest it much. I was reading the book like a fiction, trying to reach the end rather than taking my time in understanding the book. This time around with a whole different approach of reading, I actually quite enjoyed it. I will discuss further what I thought about the book later on, let me first start off with the quotes.

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"I wasn't happy as I could be, and my life wasn't going to change unless I made it change."

"...most important element to happiness is social bonds."

"I wanted to change my life without changing my life, by finding more happiness in my own kitchen."

"...working to be happier is a worthy goal."

"Working on my happiness wouldn't just make me happier, it would boost the happiness of the people around me."

"When the student is ready, the teacher appears" - Buddhist proverb

"Although people believe they like to have lots of choice, in fact, having too many choices can be discouraging. Instead of making people feel more satisfied, a wide range of options can paralyze them."

"It turns out that stating a problem clearly often suggests its solution."

"...if you can't find something, clean up."

"...to change our feelings, we should change our actions."

"What you do every day matters more than what you do once in awhile."

"To be happy, I need to think about feeling good, feeling bad, and feeling right."

"...the process of striving after goals - that is, growth - that brings happiness."

"...you can't change anyone but yourself."

"The chief happiness for a man is to be what he is." - Erasmus

"...embrace the fun of failure."

"Do good, feel good; feel good, do good."

"A sense of growth is so important to happiness that it's often preferable to be progressing to the summit rather than to be at the summit."

"Best is good, better is best." - Lisa Grunwuld

"Money. It's a good servant but a bad master."

"I want to appreciate the present time, the seasons, the time of life."

"The satisfaction gained from the achievement of a large undertaking is one of the most substantial that life affords."

"I could change my life without changing my life."

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What I love about the Happiness Project is that it's a smart way of tackling our resolutions but not being so hard on ourselves. Every beginning of the year, we always have New Year's resolutions, but after three weeks have gone past, we already have given up on them and wait another for another year to start on a new batch. 

With the Happiness Project, Gretchen discusses how she focuses one resolution per month over the year in the course of trying to be happy as well. She gradually adds her resolutions month after month. She does not only focus on one aspect, but several subjects on her life, like physical and mental health, relationships, and career. 

Another thing that I truly liked about the book is that it tells you to loosen up, chase your passion and have some time for pleasure. The road of happiness is not solely on career, wealth, or relationships, but also finding time to find joy within ourselves by doing things that we love to do.

Even though the book is about happiness, the ultimate goal is still not finding it but actually being happy of our own selves and being grateful for what we have. If we can change how we perceive the world, we can be happier. If we understand that happiness is through our growth, then we can definitely be happier.

"Happiness is a how; not a what. A talent, not an object."

- Hermann Hesse