The Happiness Project

(Photo from Decor8's Flickr Faves- Thank you Holly!)

As I sat down to read this month's Real Simple (the title is the antithesis of my life right now...) I came upon an article called 10 Ways to Be Happier by Gretchen Rubin. I have to say, I am usually a happy, bubbly person, but lately, with stress from work and everyday life bearing down, I have been letting the little things mess with my joy. Not good. This article reminded me of the true power we each have over our own ability to be happy in life. And further research led me to Gretchen Rubin's website, (Happiness-Project.com)which is chock-full of amazing insights and advice for your own road to happiness. Its now a daily read for me!

And here is an excerpt from that article (for the full read, pick up an October Issue of Real Simple or visit realsimple.com)

"A few years ago, on a morning like any other, I had a sudden realization: I was in danger of wasting my life. As I stared out the rain-spattered window of a New York City bus, I saw that the years were slipping by. “What do I want from life?” I asked myself. “Well…I want to be happy.” I had many reasons to be happy: My husband was the tall, dark, handsome love of my life; we had two delightful girls, ages 1 and 7; I was a writer, living in my favorite city. I had friends; I had my health; I didn’t have to color my hair. But too often I sniped at my husband or the drugstore clerk. I felt dejected after even a minor professional setback. I lost my temper easily. Is that how a happy person would act? I decided on the spot to begin a systematic study of happiness. (A little intense, I know. But that’s the kind of thing that appeals to me.) In the end, I spent a year test-driving the wisdom of the ages, current scientific studies, and tips from popular culture. If I followed all the advice, I wanted to know, would it work? Well, the year is over, and I can say: It did. I made myself happier. And along the way I learned a lot about how to be happier. Here are those lessons..." (continued at realsimple.com)

I wish you all a very happy weekend!