I was looking for a perfect travel book companion for my weekend trip last week to Manila. I was deciding between Sylvia Plath's Bell Jar or Gretchen Rubin's The Happiness Project. Considering the gloomy weather and my pursuit for positivity & happiness, I chose the latter (even if I find melancholy romantic). A sunny book about happiness or seeking it is a perfect companion in my alone -time in airports and planes while I look out at the stormy weather outside.
This book is a non-fiction. It is about Gretchen Rubin, a wife & mother, not depressed or clinically unhappy in any other way, and how she dedicates her 1 year in seeking to be more happy after an epiphany on a bus ride. She systematically listed her goals in becoming more happy by 12 months. Then she specifically listed several tasks in how to go about it. During that time, she also researched on books about happiness and took on the meaning of happiness & obtaining it in a very scholarly manner. She also had resolution charts to track her progress. Though her sentiments is quite similar as Melissa Gilbert's Eat Pray Love (refer to the book, not the movie. Because the movie took out all its essence & deliver a message to the public that you should get a guy to be happy. Wrong!), she didn't go to Italy, India or Indonesia to find what can make her happier. She started to search for it in her own life, in her apartment in New York with her husband, 2 kids, family, friends & colleagues. You would get a grasp of what kind of a person is Gretchen Rubin as she goes in this personal journey in pursuit of happiness. Though I might not follow exactly her different goals for each month, you would be inspired to do a happiness project of your own. Which many have been indeed inspired with this, since this book was initially stemmed from the blog of Gretchen, detailing her daily experience as she underwent this project and got a large number of following. However, I might rather dedicate my 12 months in improving my desired characteristics to be a better person and in turn be happy. Because if you are fully functional or self-actualized, you are more happier, healthy and with better relationships. I know Gretchen Rubin will agree too. But what I did was to list things that make me happy and this self-awareness would come in handy later on. Though, there are things in the list that should be done sparingly because if it is done too often, it would lose it effectivity.
Here are my happy-ness lists (a.k.a. things that make me happy):
1. Coffee in the morning or with friends or when I'm by my lonesome (Though, I recently contemplating on switching to green tea for its health benefits. So let's see about that.)
2. Long stimulating chats with my sister or friends (maybe over coffee or preferably, green tea)
3. Watching good movies in the comfort of my own bed with comfort foods.
4. A good book/s
5. Alone-time at a quirky coffeeshop (drinking tea) with a new magazine
6. A good meal at a new restaurant with sister or boyfie
7. Blogging
8. Compliments
9. TV time with boyfie
10. Traveling
11. A new clothes/shoes/bag/accessories (My boyfie infected me with the shopping bug. I use to be a "non-shopaholic". But shopping does make you happy or at least I felt loved by yourself if you indulge a little. )
12. Successful performance on stage
13. Playtime with my nephew
14. Lechon Lunch with my boyfie
15. Voluntary work in an organization of my advocacy
16. Ticking off all my to-do list for the day
17. Morning Yoga or Jog
18. Mediation time with the Lord
19. A good hair day, blemish-free skin and clothes that matched perfectly
20. Laughter with coworkers
21. System/Order/Cleanliness
22. New cosmetic or skincare product
23. Enough money, hehe
24. Harmony within the family
25. My Iphone (stolen but replacing it soon)
26. Kisses and hugs from my boyfie
27. If I inspired someone or got inspired by someone or something
28. Incense oil or sticks
29. Soulful music
30. Chocolate cakes
31. When I can fit in my skinny jeans
32. Meeting interesting people and making new friends
33. Organizers
34. Warm bath
35. Observation of the adorable quirkiness of strangers and acquaintances
As long as I am living, this lists will be getting longer and that is a relief because that means a lot of things are there to make me happy.... We have only one life to live, lets make it a happy one, people!
Agree?
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