The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin

This book fascinated me and, as I was reading it on my Kindle, I was able to highlight text and "bookmark" these interesting and intriguing references as I went along.

I started it on the remote beach in Poneloya (northern Nicaragua) which seemed like the ideal place to get stuck into the business of defining happiness and thinking about happiness.

Rubin decided to undertake a happiness project - and amazingly she actually stuck to it. I applaud anybody who sticks to a resolution for a whole year. I guess the average Joe never really evaluates their life at some point along the way, but I'm a thinker - and this book got me thinking - a lot.

The amount of research Rubin did is also to be applauded. She devoured everything and anything to do with happiness and being happy. Everybody's happiness project is unique, but Rubin's was well structured from the prep to the making of resolutions to the keeping and recording progress of the resolutions.

She had a subject she wanted to tackle for each month of the year and within those subjects were more specific goals. She created Twelve Commandments, Secrets of Adulthood and Splendid Truths to keep herself focused on the project. She started a blog to share her journey and asked questions of her readers. 

Some people might think what an incredible waste of time, but I'm a strong believer if you're passionate about something, you wouldn't be doing yourself justice if you didn't throw yourself into it wholeheartedly. And Rubin's enthusiasm was magnetic.

I'll be sharing my favourite parts of the book in a blog series entitled "Being happy" coming soon...

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