The Happiness Project: Or, Why I Spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning, Clean My Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle, and Generally Have More Fun - Softcover

Rubin, Gretchen

Softcover

ISBN 10: 006158326X ISBN 13: 9780061583261

Publisher: Harper Paperbacks, 2011

Synopsis

Gretchen Rubin had an epiphany. One rainy afternoon on a city bus, she realised that she wasn't as happy as she could be. In danger of wasting her days - always yearning for something more, waiting for problems to miraculously solve themselves - she realized her life wasn't going to change unless she did something about it. On January 1, she embarked on her Happiness Project, and each month she pursued a different set of resolutions: to get more sleep, quit nagging her husband, sing in the morning to her two young daughters, start a blog, imitate a spiritual master, keep a one-sentence journal. She immersed herself in everything from classical philosophy to contemporary psychology to see what worked for her-and what didn't. Illuminating yet entertaining, profound yet compulsively readable, "The Happiness Project" is one of the most thoughtful and prescriptive works on happiness to have emerged from the recent explosion of interest in the subject. Filled with practical advice, sharp insight, charm, and humor, her story will inspire readers to navigate their own paths to happiness.

About this title

Review:

Packed with fascinating facts about the science of happiness and rich examples of how she improves her life through changes small and big The Happiness Project made me happier by just reading it. --Amy Scribner, Bookpage

For those who generally loathe the self-help genre, Rubins book is a breath of peppermint-scented air. Well-researched and sharply written. . . . Rubin takes an orderly, methodical approach to forging her own path to a happier state of mind. --Kim Crow, Cleveland Plain Dealer

Practical and never preachy . . . the rare self-help tome that doesn t feel shameful to read. --Daily Beast

From the Back Cover:

“Wonderful. . . . Rubin shows how you can be happier, starting right now, with small, actionable steps accessible to everyone.” —Julie Morgenstern, New York Times bestselling author of Organizing from the Inside Out

Gretchen Rubin had an epiphany one rainy afternoon in the unlikeliest of places: a city bus. “The days are long, but the years are short,” she realized. “Time is passing, and I’m not focusing enough on the things that really matter.” In that moment, she decided to dedicate a year to her happiness project.

In this lively and compelling account—now updated with new material by the author—Rubin chronicles her adventures during the twelve months she spent test-driving the wisdom of the ages, current scientific research, and lessons from popular culture about how to be happier. Among other things, she found that novelty and challenge are powerful sources of happiness; that money can help buy happiness, when spent wisely; that outer order contributes to inner calm; and that the very smallest of changes can make the biggest difference.

“An enlightening, laugh-aloud read.”—Christian Science Monitor

This updated edition includes:

·      A new extensive interview with the author

·      Secrets of Adulthood

·      An excerpt from Gretchen Rubin’s new book, Better Than Before: What I Learned About Making and Breaking Habits—to Sleep More, Quit Sugar, Procrastinate Less, and Generally Build a Happier Life

About this edition

• Publisher: Harper Paperbacks
• Publication date: 2011
• ISBN 10: 006158326X
• ISBN 13: 9780061583261
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 336