The Happiness Project

I recently bought a new book.  Surprise, surprise!  Remember, going into Barnes and Noble is a spiritual experience for me and I never leave empty handed!  Well, on my last venture into my favorite retail space, I picked up the new book, The Happiness Project, by Gretchen Rubin.   Simply, it’s about her attempt to be happier in her life and the strategies she tries throughout the year.  I’m not much of a self-help book reader, but am finding this one to be very interesting to say the least. Can you make yourself happier?  What makes you happy?  How do you obtain a new level of happiness?

I’m not very far into it, but it’s already made me think about these questions. When you reflect on your life and your choices, do they make you happy?  I believe that the average person really is seeking the ultimate level of happiness they can obtain in everything they say and do.  Perhaps some are more conscious of this goal than others, but in general, I believe we all strive for happiness.

When we go to work, we want to do our best, conquer a deadline challenge, meet the approval of our superiors, and in the end, earn more rewards for our efforts.
*If we do well at work, then our reward is eventually to have more time and money to do what makes us happy when we’re not at work.

When we raise our children, we want them to have character, morals and values, succeed in their education and life endeavors, and ultimately have confidence in themselves and their abilities and convictions.
*If we raise successful and happy children, then we experience a sense of accomplishment and our reward is to now share in their happiness, thus making us happier.

When we have dinner with friends, we want to enjoy their company, laugh about life and be supportive of one another.
*If we make others feel valuable to us, then our reward is a stronger connection to others and a validation of our own being, which can make us happier.

Right?

We diet because we think being thinner will make us happier.  We help others because the feeling from doing so makes us happier.  We  follow the rules because by doing so, we reap the rewards that come from that, thus making us happier.  It’s a universal goal of each of us. Wouldn’t you agree?

In the end, we all want to be happier people than we already are.  It’s a very interesting idea, don’t you think?   I always want to be happier in my life. Not that my life isn’t happy, (because it is in so many ways) but everything I do, I do because ultimately I hope it will make things better for everyone and bring more joy and happiness at the end of the day.  How about you?  Are you happy?  Do you think you can be happier in your life?  I'll keep reading and keep you posted on any new happiness revelations I might have.  In the meantime, be happier!