Book Review: The Happiness Project

Hey book lovers! Let me tell you about my borderline obsessive relationship with “The Happiness Project” by Gretchen Rubin. I loved this book so much that I am searching my local second hand book stores for a copy and if I can’t find one soon, I will buy it new.

I listened to the audio book and absolutely loved it but it is one of those books you want to have on your shelf so you can look back and reread parts of it.

So, Gretchen Rubin is living what most would call “the dream life” – great marriage, healthy kids, cool career, and a New York City address that probably costs more than my entire life savings. But instead of doing the whole “Eat, Pray, Love” thing and jetting off to find herself in exotic locations, she decides to find happiness right where she is. How? By becoming the Marie Kondo of joy, systematically organizing her path to happiness one month at a time.

Being the overachiever she is (hello, Yale Law grad!), Rubin goes full nerd on this project. She divides her year into twelve months, each with its own happiness theme. It’s like a self-help advent calendar, but instead of chocolate, you get wisdom. My favorite part? She’s totally real about it. Like when she talks about trying to work in tiny time chunks instead of waiting for that mythical “perfect moment” to get things done.

What makes this book different from other “I-did-a-thing-for-a-year” memoirs is that it doesn’t feel like a gimmick. It’s like having a super smart, slightly neurotic friend who’s sharing her happiness hacks with you. And the best part? Her tips actually work! I have implemented a few of them – she talks about aspirational clutter, keeping things to use on special occasions etc – I have things like this that I am now using daily.

Here’s my favorite nugget of wisdom from the book: “It’s about living in the moment and appreciating the smallest things. Surrounding yourself with the things that inspire you and letting go of the obsessions that want to take over your mind. It is a daily struggle sometimes and hard work but happiness begins with your own attitude and how you look at the world.”
― Gretchen Rubin, The Happiness Project

Bottom line: This is the kind of book that makes you want to be a better person – or at least try to be.

If you’re looking for a self-help book that won’t make you roll your eyes every other page, this is it. And hey, if nothing else, you’ll learn why sometimes being happy doesn’t actually feel like being happy (which is weirdly comforting when you’re having one of those days where everything feels like a Monday).

There is a website dedicated to the practices she talks about in the book.