Inspiring! Loved it! Totally want to start my Happiness Project. Gretchen Rubin, happily married mother of 2, had a realization while sitting on a bus that she was letting her life pass her by without fully appreciating it. Being a writer, she decided to research the origins, psychology and elements of happiness and develop her own Happiness Project, a 12-month experiment (each month around a theme like "love", "work" "energy", etc) with carefully measured goals and resolutions to see if she could be a happier person, better wife, better mother, better woman. I enjoy self-help stuff when it doesn't sound too preachy, and Rubin finds a really nice tone to her book that made it compelling, human, not preachy, and honestly kind of charming. She is pretty honest and open about when things worked and when things didn't quite, the fact that she can be kind of a pill (I can relate!) when things don't go her way, and how one month built on the previous. I think most people can relate to wanting to do new year's resolutions, but never holding on to them, and she counters that by using her resolution chart and holding herself accountable. I think what I liked most about it was that she had to learn to "Stay Gretchen" (some things work for others and not for you, and that's ok), and that she wanted to change her life without changing her life (she couldn't move to Africa, for example, but wanted to make small, manageable changes she could keep the rest of her life.) That spoke to me--I don't know that I'll stay where I am forever, but I think I'll be where I am at least for another year, and want to know that I've really started to pay attention to where I am right now and made a few positive changes. Grow a little!

She is quite honest about how this could sound self-absorbed or self-indulgent, but she disagrees in general and believes (backing that up with research) that happier people are more productive, more generous, more thoughtful, etc. I'm definitely intrigued and inspired to plan my own Happiness Project.

More info on her blog here: http://www.happiness-project.com/