I don’t read many books that would fall into the category of “self help”. I read lots of fiction, some business non-fiction and books about organization and time management. But self help, not so much. Not that there’s anything wrong with the genre, it just hasn’t been my bag.
Which is why, for a while, I resisted Gretchen Rubin’s “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”. I’d mis-categorized it in my mind. It’s not really self help at all. It’s a very personal story of Gretchen spending one year trying different methods of increasing her “happiness”. Not an easy goal, but an interesting one.
The thing is, Gretchen is a Penelope. BIG time.
I was hooked on her book when I read this line:
She says, with her Happiness Project, “I wanted to perfect my character, but, given my nature, that would probably involve charts, deliverables, to-do lists, new vocabulary terms and compulsive note taking.”
I get that, don’t you?
I flew through this book, taking from it several nuggets of interest, including some really useful, concrete ways to increase happiness in my marriage, in my role as Mom and in my blog. Good stuff and all written in Gretchen’s friendly, authentic voice. She feels like someone I could have coffee with, you know?
Given how much I love this book, you can imagine how excited I was when Gretchen agreed not only to send me a copy of the book to give away on the site, but to send and AUTOGRAPHED COPY. I have it here in my hot little hands!
To win this signed copy of the book, add a comment to this post (by 9am on Wednesday, May 26th, 2010) that tells us one thing you do that makes you happy.
The winner will be selected randomly on Wednesday, May 26th and announced soon after.
Until then, you should hop over to Gretchen’s blog, which is one of the best around in this Penelope’s opinion.
Here’s to more “happy” for all of us.
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What makes me happy: my big wall calendar filled with our family’s activities and appointments; online bill pay; watching my daughter organize her room; my menu on the side of the fridge; hearing from friends; working on my house; seeing my older daughter be loving and sweet with our new baby daughter.
Playing with my 7-week-old baby is making me happy, right now. She has just figured out that if I hold her up, she can push her feet against my legs like she’s standing up. She thinks this is hilarious.
Riding my bike to work. Gets me out in the sun, saves on gas, and gets me exercise, all in one! Plus, you notice so many things on a bike that you don’t in a car… I’ve really gotten to know my town better this way.
I’d love to read that book, I think my happiness would increase just by making an effort to let the bad things go during the day. Constant reminders to do that would make a world of difference. One of my favorite happy moments is stretched out on the couch reading w/ the dogs curled up around me.
Spending an afternoon outside with my husband and son, who is 2. My son is fascinated by everything. It reminds me not to take the little things for granted!
When my neighbors end up staying for dinner. There is something about those impromptu evenings wherein everyone pulls together whatever is still salvagable in the fridge and puts it out on the table for a crazy hodge-podge dinner. We stand around laughing, sipping good wine, keeping the toddlers from smacking eachother and spying on older ones who have been way too quiet for way too long. And every once in a while we look at eachother and say out loud just how lucky we are, healthy kids, great friends, plenty of food…and all of this just across the street.
Blessed, indeed.
It’s simple really — remembering to take a BIG breath and SLOW down. AAHHH….happiness.
What makes me happy is getting all my housecleaning/laundry done before the weekend so I can just enjoy it with my husband & kids!
would love to win a copy of this book – i read a copy from the library but had to return it (duh, that’s how libraries work!!!)
spring makes me happy. my kids make me happy. having a clean house makes me happy. hot yoga class makes me happy. tequilla makes me happy. 
Books and little windows of time to read, make me happy! And passing on a good read once I’m through makes me VERY happy! So if I win, I will really enjoy the book and then pass it on to make a friend happy! Thanks for the lovely give-away!
i love this book..my kids make me happy and reading organization blogs…
Cooking for others makes me happy. (and so does reading your blog!) Thanks for the give-away. YOU’RE going to make somebody happy today.
I drink tea
Hoop dancing makes me happy !
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