Happiness is different for each of us. My abbreviated list of things that make me happy (in no specific order):
- Eating sushi with my friends and spilling the dish on our lives;
- reading a book with my son and watching him laugh in the funny parts;
- finding an amazing bargain on shoes;
- listening to and sharing stories;
- traveling to a new city, an afternoon at the library;
- watching movies with my husband (even if I do fall asleep halfway through).
Just writing that list makes me feel good. Of course, every day isn't filled with sushi and library afternoons (if only). Which is why I was glad to stumble upon The Happiness Project.
The blog is written by Gretchen Rubin, a writer who spent a year practicing tips, theories, and other advice on happiness issued by saints, scholars, and modern day psychologists. Her book with the same name is scheduled to be released in late 2009.
In the meantime, The Happiness Project Blog is filled with helpful suggestions to get us thinking about what can help us get more out of life. Most importantly, it encourages us to step back and reflect about what really makes life fulfilling, and how we can take small steps for more happy, less stress.
Now, the author isn't suggesting that we should be happy all the time. Instead, she gives practical hints on stepping back from the daily grind to evaluate small ways to improve our lives. Things like:
- making a list of personal values to help clarify our priorities,
- practical hints on reducing clutter,
- and re-thinking multi-tasking to calm our minds and actually improve efficiency.
Rubin's own take on improving happiness includes doing regular exercise, being a good friend, and helping others. Most of her suggestions provide quick tips that can be easily implemented, like "Eight Tips For Making Yourself Happier In The Next Hour." The tips aren't about being perfect — just shifting your perspective.
I like Rubin's suggestions because they are doable even for the busiest person (and we're all pretty busy these days). Sometimes ,we have so much on our plates — taking care of our homes, our families, our work, our health — that it's easy to feel like life is one big appointment book.
Rubin helps remind us that there can be joy in everyday routines. Now that makes me happy.
