I was a bit surprised as I began to read my second book recommendation for this month: The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin.
Even though the title clearly states this is a project, I didn’t realize the author was actually documenting her own attempt to become happier. Over a one-year period she tackled 12 different areas in her life, one per month. Her goal was to improve those areas, specifically to find greater happiness in them and from them.
It’s a great read and chock full of relatable stories from her yearlong adventure and from her blog readers who followed along with her in real time.
Below are some of my favorite quotes from the book. Enjoy the quotes, and if you are so inclined, grab a copy for yourself and maybe you’ll be inspired to embark on your own happiness project in 2024. If you use the links included here, I’ll get a few cents here and there from Amazon.
The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin
“Or Why I Spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning, Clean My Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle, and Generally Have More Fun.”
“As I thought about happiness, I kept running up against paradoxes. I wanted to change myself but accept myself. I wanted to take myself less seriously – and also more seriously. I wanted to use my time well, but also wanted to wander, to play, to read at whim. I wanted to think about myself so I could forget myself.”
”I didn’t want to reject my life. I wanted to change my life without changing my life, by finding more happiness in my own kitchen.”
“Enthusiasm is more important to mastery than innate ability, it turns out, because the single most important element in developing an expertise is your willingness to practice.”
”This is one of the paradoxes of happiness: we seek to control our lives, but the unfamiliar and the unexpected are important sources of happiness.”
”The challenge, therefore, is to take pleasure in the ‘atmosphere of growth’, in the gradual progress made toward a goal, in the present.”
Betsy is a certified life coach and blogger who helps midlife women find satisfaction where they are now and inspiration to go after their big goals.
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