Look for happiness under your own roof.

I’m a happy girl: sunny not saccharine. And despite not having the wind in my hair for years now because of life’s tough stuff, my laughter is still genuine and hardy. From the belly. Put me in the same space as Rachel and I’m like a room without a roof.  (Just ask Pharrell.)

So if you’re eternally happy despite not having a spotless mind, do you read a book about happiness?  Absolutely. I can’t remember if I gave Rachel The Happiness Project or if she gave it to me?  (That happens a lot.) At any rate, it’s a winner.  Happiness guru, Gretchen Rubin, reminds us that practice makes pretty perfect, especially when applied to contentment. The project reflects her yearlong study of tracking monthly goals to magnify her happiness quotient.  

This book is packed with fascinating facts about the science of happiness.  It’s practical stuff, not preachy. (Thank Heaven or Gretchen: you choose.) One month (chapter), you’ll learn to be more serious about play, another month focuses on lightening up.  Is it earth-shattering info?  No. But that’s the point. Happiness is not a Mount Everest climb. Recently, The Huffington Post shared a piece about signs of happiness and how to stay that way.  It jives with Rubin’s advice. Symptoms of cheerfulness are pretty static: don’t sweat the small stuff, make new friends, live in the moment, and appreciate the little things—among others.  But Rubin gives us great reminders and rich examples that can re-focus our efforts to follow our bliss.  You know, serenity now stuff.

Posted by Tracy