The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin

This is the reason I belong to a book group (or two). I would never in a million years have picked this book to read on my own, but I liked it so much I feel like giving it to everyone I know.

It's classified via its dewey decimal system number as applied psychology. On my shelves that is usually classified as boring. Not so with this book. It is a quick, fun, fascinating read.

Gretchen Rubin is a writer who lives in New York city. One day as she was riding the bus she realized she has a pretty good life, but that she doesn't appreciate enough how happy she is. So she devised the Happiness Project: a year of goals and ways to be more aware of her happiness, and perhaps increase her happiness. Not in a big, change your life way, but within the parameters of her normal life.

On the surface Gretchen and I do not have much in common. She went to law school, clerked for Sandra Day O'Connor, then gave up law to be a writer, and lives in New York with her husband and two children.

I myself am a West Coast girl (California and Washington) who has landed in Utah. I have a degree in Elementary Education, but stopped teaching when I had children. I reveled in being a stay-at-home mom, and now revel in my young grandchildren. I must admit to having had a strong desire to go to law school that faded when I met my husband, got married, and had children.

One major similarity I have with Gretchen Rubin is that I have a happy life. I also think I could be a little happier, but I definitely could appreciate my happiness more. So we started off on the same foot as I began the book.

I thoroughly enjoyed sharing her journey through the year. She and I think alike in many ways, and our goal-setting and accomplishing strategies are very similar. Maybe that's why I liked it so much. But her objective with the book is to set forth her project and hope that anyone could take the idea and make it their own and therefore do it their own way.

I feel like my goals for this year -- first things first, one shelf/drawer per day, 30-30-30 -- have made me happier. I'm hoping that will continue through the year. Now I might add some other things to help me increase my happiness awareness.