Happiness

I just finished the book The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin. You can check out the related website here. Anyway, Gretchen decided to devote a year to boosting her happiness. That is probably difficult for many people who have so much going on in life. But I think anyone can benefit from this book. One thing I decided after reading it was to not spend my time reading books that I did not want to read. That is hard for me because I try to struggle through books just so I can cross it off my reading list. There is no sense wasting my time reading something that isn't enjoyable. Another aspect of the book that resonated with me was her goal of pretending to be happy which leads to actual happiness. I am no good at faking it.** But I see the value in trying to appear nice/friendly/kind. It is a challenge and an aspect of happiness is the growth aspect in your life. Maybe I can become a better me if I try to be more friendly. There are only benefits when taking a risk like this.


**I read Sartre and his views on existentialism this year. I love that he thinks you can change your ways. If you want to be happy, you can. You aren't predisposed to be anything. Your future is completely up to you--and that includes your attitude and disposition. Change is possible.


So here it goes. Here is a picture (information here) that gets me so happy every time I see it 9probably in addition to getting mail). It is a hotel that pretends to be an indoor campsite!!

from madewell.com