I love to read. But it’s something I have to give myself permission to do, because when I’m reading a book, nothing else gets done. NOTHING.
Which is why I haven’t read much in the past year, except for the times we are at the condo in Whitefish. In fact, one week we were there, I read SIX books. It was pure heaven. But this last time (September 2014), I bought and read just one book. One book that I haven’t been able to stop thinking about since.
The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin
If you’ve read it, I’d love to know what you thought, and if you haven’t, I definitely recommend it. I tend to read quickly, so I don’t always remember much beyond knowing I enjoyed a story. Which is why I’ve decided to dive into this a little deeper and do my own Happiness Project, using this book as my template. In her book, Gretchen’s project is a year long, working on new aspects/resolutions each month. I figured starting in January made sense, so here I am…ready to jump right in.
Have you ever thought about what you want from life? Or wondered if what you were doing every day was helping you achieve those things? What are the things that matter? Are you enjoying your life? And ultimately, are you happy?
Well, are you?
I’d say I am, really and truly…and quite, but one thing I’ve noticed is that, like Gretchen, I’m not as happy as I could be. And my life isn’t going to change unless I make it change.
So first up for me was to determine what things were/are important to me ~ the things I want to learn, accomplish, and experience. I also wanted to follow suite with Gretchen’s plan and come up with my 12 rules for the year ~ or 12 Commandments, that will help in keeping each month’s resolutions.
Here’s what I came up with (Some are from her list because I felt they were applicable:
1. Be Hailey
2. Say No
3. Say Yes
4. Do it Now
5. Relax
6. Stop Talking
7. Be patient
8. Write it down
9. Be grateful
10. Get it together
11. Have fun
12. Pay it forward
I’m excited about this list, though it wasn’t as easy as I thought it would be. I didn’t want to simply copy Gretchen’s list, though I thought hers was great. But I wanted a genuine list that was personal and applicable to me.
What would be on your list?
**Disclosure: I bought this book impulsively in September and read it on my own. I am not affiliated with Gretchen Rubin (though just from this book, I totally think she’s awesome), and my decision to do the Happiness Project comes with no compensation.**
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