Note — This giveaway has ended. Congratulations to “ChristyB” who will be receiving a copy of Gretchen Rubin’s “The Happiness Project.”
Today is day four of Giveaway Week, and I am giving away a copy of 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.
This newly released trade paperback of Rubin’s wildly popular book, (it’s currently number one in a number of markets, including airport bookstores!) is a perfect addition to the library of anyone who is interested in how deliberately made choices can lead to a happier life. I read this book when it was first published and have since lent it out to a couple different people, and happily it was always returned. In fact, I think it’s time for a re-read.
To enter to win this book, write something in the comments section about one deliberate thing you do that helps you feel happier.
Click HERE to enter Monday’s giveaway of Annie Leonard’s The Story of Stuff.
Click HERE to enter Tuesday’s giveaway of Dave Wann’s The New Normal: An Agenda for Responsible Living.
Click HERE to enter Wednesday’s giveaway of Natalie McNeal’s The Frugalista Files: How One Woman Got Out of Debt Without Giving Up the Fabulous Life.
Katy Wolk-Stanley
“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without”
{ 124 comments… read them below or add one }
I love to run! I am a fair weather runner, so I do most of my miles at the gym on the treadmill. I get to catch up on TV shows that I don’t sit down and watch at home while doing something that makes me feel really good. I always come home in a better mood.
Making sure I get up with the hubby to fix his lunch and say good morning. And when I do get up that early, not only does it make my husband and I happy, but the pets are happy to say good morning too.
As a Christian, it makes me happier to study, read, and pray.
Putting on music and dancing while cleaning or doing dishes.
Petting my cat – she likes the attention and it turns down my stress levels quite a bit – I try to make time for it every morning if she’s in the mood.
I take a long run followed up my a nice hot shower….I’m guaranteed to be happy for the rest of the day!
I have a cup of tea every morning.
I set the coffeemaker the night before – makes mornings WAY more pleasant than struggling with one more thing in the morning. Thanks!
I exercise, it lifts my mood.
I find ways to give back to my community by participating in things through my church. DH and I just sponsored a teen to go to a youth retreat this summer. It wasn’t cheap, but it made me happy knowing we were able to allow someone who may not have been able to afford the trip the means to do so. And the thought of having a positive impact on someone’s life is an added bonus 🙂
On my drive in to work every workday, I pick five things to be happy or thankful for. It sets a positive tone for the whole day. 🙂
ive been making a point to set aside some time with my husband to do absolutely nothing. our schedules have been packed the last year and we thought after our wedding seven months ago things would slow down. they havent. so weve made sure to put aside time without errands, projects, chores, bills to just relax together. we usually wind up trolling the aisles aimlessly at our public library and treating ourselves at the neighborhood coffee shop. nothing better.
Every week I write a blog post on things that I’m grateful for or happy about from that past week. It reminds me that I have SO much to be grateful for and reminds me that I should be happy about what I have!
I do yoga at least once a week, and it definitely helps me feel happier! 🙂
seeing clean spaces appear in my cluttered house. hard work, but so worth it.
Walk, laze around on a sunday afternoon watching movies and reading books
Rest during the kids’ naptime. Makes me smile just to think about it:)
I try to be physically active on a regular basis. It’s good to move the body and even better when you enjoy nature while at it.
Exercise not only has health benefits but it also makes me feel better mentally.
I always cuddle my dog. Being with her makes my life happier.
I’ve started visiting one park a month, which has made me very happy. Nothing like getting out in nature in the middle of a city.
I make sure to get a bubble bath at least 3x’s a week. It’s my “me” time to just relax and get away from the world for a little while, even if I am just in my own bathroom. The best part? It’s next to free and I don’t have to stress by leaving the house. That makes me very happy.
I just finished this book and loved it!
It makes me happy when I choose the right thing – like counting to ten instead of flying off the handle! 🙂
I try to take a walk whenever it’s sunny outside. Soaking up the vitamin D and fresh air never fails to lighten my spirits.
Sleeping in on weekends. Knitting with friends.
I feel good when I finish a book review and get it posted. Feel a sense of accomplishment.
I exercise most days of the week. After years of struggling with a decent fitness plan, I have finally figured out a routine that keeps me active, and even better, makes me feel wonderfully happy.
A yummy cup of tea, and making special time to read with my daughter at night = a happy me!
Go outside and be in nature. It works wonders for me, every time.
PS: I read the book in hard cover from the library and LOVED it. I’m sure whoever wins it will be delighted.
Be creative . . that can be sewing, painting, photography . . whatever I feel like at the time. It helps me stay energized!
Walk in nature, especially on the beach. Read. Dance and act silly. Art & photography. Any of the above help and whenever I’m not feeling joyful, I’ll do one or all. I find that since I figured that out, I don’t feel lacking as much.
I look around at my surroundings and think about how beautiful everything is and how fortunate I am to live where I live. I am very fortunate to have a great family and great friends. That makes me very happy.
I make time to read every day. Life is better with books!
Really enjoying playtime with my daughter instead of wishing I was doing something else.
Make a coffee date with a friend. Open the windows on a spring day. Get a good nights sleep. And, more. So hard to think of just one.
I clean something; a drawer, a room, whatever! While I am cleaning, I am also de-cluttering and this always makes me feel great!
I try to pack my lunch and gym bag the night before–that way, I feel less rushed in the morning and actually have time to chat with my husband, which starts my day off right!
Before going to sleep, I go through a mental list of things I’m thankful for.
Reading for pleasure. Nothing makes me happier than taking a few minutes for myself and reading whatever I want.
I’m bouncy at breakfast, even when others in the family are grumpy.
Count my blessings. Anytime I ever start to feel blue or sorry for myself, I can just take a minute to remind myself of all the great things I have in my life.
I get up at 5 a.m., clean off my kitchen countertops, and have a cup of coffee before the kids get up and the workday begins. This small period of peace and quiet helps to set the tone for my day.
I’ve recently started reading again. With two little ones running around, I’d been out of the habit and really missing it! Lately I’ve been making a point of getting to the library and checking out books for the whole family! Making time for myself and having a “mini-vacation” thru reading makes me happy!
I use essential oils to give myself a lift, and I try to spend time outside every day.
Count my blessings! All I have to do is stop what I’m doing, and list all the things I’m thankful for. That does it every time.
I try to make peace with the moments I don’t feel so happy. While it may sound counterintuitive, by not resisting the un-happy times, I don’t get stuck for too long before happy is back 🙂
I volunteer at our local no-kill animal shelter. I love working with the cats and dogs. I volunteer once a week to clean up after them, feed them, and play with them, and I help on adoptions days. Soon I will be starting to show a cat and dog at one of our local stores every two weeks, to hopefully get more exposure for them and have more adoptions. Besides, God has blessed me with being really good at cleaning out cat litter!!!
I have to read everyday!
I hug my one-year-old son. And he hugs back! Lifts me every time.
I knit while watching Gray’s Anatomy. Each of those things separately make me happy, but putting them together can be sheer bliss.
I force myself into my craft room and create – undisturbed, peaceful and let my mind wander into nothingness!
One thing I’ve read, and that I keep at the forefront of my mind, is that our facial expressions have a huge impact on our emotions. If I’m upset, and allow that emotion to take over my face, I can really lose myself in being upset. Likewise, if I’m upset but choose to smile, it helps me to remain calmer and figure out solutions to problems instead of succumbing to them. Or, if it’s not that big of a deal, to just move on and be happy!
Everyone you encounter during the day deserves a smile, and this positive attitude comes back to you tenfold. All it takes is a smile.
I go to work. No, seriously. I teach adults, and being with my students makes me super happy. Especially my seniors; I have a whole class full of 70- and 80-year-olds who are *so happy* to have the chance to learn English. I can be in a crummy mood all the way up to the door of their retirement community, but as soon as I hit the threshold, I start *wanting* to smile.
If that’s not quite what you were looking for, I also go and hug my husband. 🙂
I make my bed! This includes ddecorative pillows. Then any time i step into my bedroom i can smile and think how it looks like a fancy hotel room. Theres nothing like a nice made bed to crawl in at night. 🙂
Or, during the day. 😉
Katy
I take art classes. They feed my soul. And my focus is on something I want to create.
I have been wanting to read this book FOREVER!!! I read a quote from this book in another book this morning and it hit the nail on the head how I am handling a current life situation.
One thing I *try* to do is to assume the best intention in things people say, rather than assuming the worst. It does wonders!
Wash my sheets as often as possible. I LOVE crawling into a nice clean bed!
Everyday I give myself some slacker time – let the kids get involved in a movie or send them off to do their own thing while I forget about my to-do list – and read a book. With my feet up. Reading is my life line, but it would be very easy to put it on the non-essential list when there is so many (noiser) things and chores that need my attention. I most deliberately read and do not feel guilty about it.
What makes me the happiest is when I stay true to the same ideals I had when I was a young girl.
I know this will sound silly, but remembering even now (as I am a reasonable scientist) that imagination and kindness are still two of the most important traits to have keeps me young and makes me smile inside, which translate to a smile on the outside too.
I make my bed. I love going past my room and seeing my bed made!
When I roll down the windows in my car (at least when it’s nice out!) and sign really loud to a great CD. Always makes me happy!
Meditate every (or at least most) days. It anchors me and keeps me mindful of the present and what really matters.
I pop an anti depressant;).
Plus I take time to read, play fetch with the neighbours dog, and go for a stroll with my toddler to watch the creek melt.
I try to keep the computer off during the day. I find I’m happier, my girls are happier, and wow, I get so much more accomplished!!
I second it: I make my bed. Sometimes I make it right before I climb in. Something about those neat hospital corners and having to yank the covers down makes me smile every day.
I remind myself that I can choose to be happy.
I try to be kind to everyone and smile at them 🙂
There are a few things I do depending on my mood. Sometimes, I’ll call my grandparents; I always try and sound very cheerful and always try and tell funny jokes at random on the phone, which makes them happy, which obviously makes me happy!
Another thing I do, if it’s sunny, is just sit on my bed, right next to the window, open it, and stick my head outside. Feeling the fresh air and bit of sunshine and having the few bushes outside our house right next to me really help my mood!
Or, if all else fails, I’ll put on some energizing, wacky and funny music and dance around my room like a crazy person.
Mindfully prepare the animal’s meals at work. I work at a nature center located at a wildlife refuge where we have abandoned or donated animals of all sorts inside and the first hour of every morning I prepare their meals from scratch. I absolutely love feeding our injured pelican, Hank, out by the lake. He’s picky, and doesn’t always eat it (he’ll drop it on the ground after catching it in his mouth), but he’s adorable.
Meditate!
I get up extra early 3 times a week and do yoga. I find that it really centers me and I feel calm, happy and ready to take on the world.
Every morning I roll on the floor and bow to the world outside. Then I feel reconnected to the earth, the world, and my life.
I make my bed every single day, even if I’m in a hurry and I just have time for a quick “throw the covers up and add the pillows”. It makes me happy knowing that I did something, and when I get home at night I love walking into a room with a presentable bed.
No matter how late, allow myself at least 10 min to read in bed. I relish that time of relaxation.
I lock myself in my room and read a book. I only normally get about 15 minutes or so, but that’s enough to make me more calm, patient. And, of course, happier!
This book has profoundly changed my life and I have Katy to thank for mentioning it in her blog several times last year. I would love to win another copy to share with friends. Your interview was FANTASTIC. I have a four year old and a one year old…lately I’ve been feeling rather BURNED OUT with parenthood and I think it is because I just can’t seem to find the time to completely re-charge. Thanks to The Happiness Project I have decided to TRY very hard to devote more time to my own happiness / to recharge so that I can not only be happier but so that I can better enjoy this time in my children’s life. I try to remember what Gretchen says: The days are long, but the years are short.
Robin
Cary, NC
Positive attitude goes along way.
The thing I do every day to keep the mindfulness of happiness present is to check out Gretchen’s website. I find that daily perusal very uplifting and freeing. It reinforces an ongoing level of awareness that is personally enriching. Two things that it has inspired me to do are to remember to practice kindness and to make my house clutter-free every morning before I got to work. It feels so good to have things neat and tidy in some part of your life!
A hug and kiss from my daughter and husband makes me happy. A wet kiss from the dogs does the trick too.
i do yoga – it clams me
I loved this book, I have given it as a gift a couple of times but don’t actually own a copy. A deliberate thing I do to feel happier is going to bed at a reasonable hour. I am a much happier person w/ enough sleep!
I read for pleasure every day.
I work in my garden. The fresh air and the beautiful plants just cheer me up.
To make myself happier I go for a daily walk or jog along the water near my condo after work – just being outside breathing in the fresh air keeps me positive! I also subscribe to the Happiness Project blog and read it daily so I would love to have a hard copy of this book!
When my kids say the prayer at dinner I always peek and watch them. I love the way they look when praying out loud.
These are simple things I try to do regularly as they make me smile:
Making breakfast and eating it at my kitchen table;
Clearing the clutter from surfaces at the end of a week or weekend to give a clean start to the days ahead;
Stopping to sit with tea and something to read.
Sometimes the rush of a busy stretch happens and these get dropped, but restoring the practices makes the next time sweeter.
I say a prayer!
Watching my husband and daughter play together – what a gift!
Gardening!! Even thinking about and planning to garden as winter comes to an end makes me deliriously happy as it feels even more like spring is on it’s way. Getting out there and digging or getting my hands dirty is also very therapeutic. Staying organized inside the house also makes me happy. Making my bed in the morning works too.
Giving thanks for what I have always makes me happy.
OH, OH, pick me, PICK MEEEEE!
Trail running makes me happy on many levels.
I try to smile at people when I’m out and about. It makes me feel good because even if I’m not having a great day, it feels good to smile, and I also feel better because most people will return your smile!
I gaze at my sweet daughter’s face as she falls asleep while nursing and try to ignore the fact that I know she’ll be waking me up multiple times in the next 12 hours.
I sit in one of my swings in the yard, the one nearest my three hens and marvel as they meticulously scratch and peck, finding something to eat that I cannot see. I am amused at the things that startle them and things that catch their interest, both making them run about. Fancy eventually comes to me and sits with me in the swing, intently talking to me as I answer. I need this time every day to watch and pet them.
I make sure to hug and kiss both of my kids each day. They are teens now, and often don’t initiate those hugs and kisses themselves anymore, but I love that moment when they squeeze me back and I’m reminded that even though they’re both nearly as tall as me, they’re still my babies.
Every day may not be good but there is something good and in every day- attitude is everything. A sence of humor is a definite asset to everyones day!
For 12 years I mentored teenagers through an after school drama program I took over when no one else would. I now have so many former drama students who keep in touch, it’s like having dozens of nieces & nephews.
I’m recently a divorced empty-nester who is downsizing & leaving this community, so I’ve had to give up the drama program. But I know my choice to devote so much time & energy to “other people’s kids” has given me so much happiness, that I will look for ways to find this joy in my new town.
Gaze at my children.
I follow Gretchen’s blog and one of the things she recommended to do when feeling blue was reading some of your childhood favourite books. Works for me, especially in our cold winters! PS I found your blog via hers and love it!
One deliberate thing I do that makes me happy is to regularly have a cup of tea. I think tea is such a soothing drink, and it always gives me that time I need to just relax and recharge.
I remind myself that I have a choice today, to be happy, or to wish to be happy. I think today I will just be happy! 🙂
Beautiful weather makes me feel happier, but of course I don’t have any control over that. I just make certain that I get out in it when it arrives — so that’s what I’m off to do today!
One think that make me happier always, is maintaining my “Savings Dairy”. I got to this idea when I started keep track of day-to-day expenses in a budget planner so that I may introspect on our expense paradigms . But then at the end of the month, it was not that rewarding to re-view all impulsive expenses. To counter this, I started a “Saving Dairy”. Now, I log all savings that I did, by doing online research, or making homemade stuff etc. I cannot measure, how rewarding this is. Plus, this activity fuels other good activities, like curbing impulsive buys, making healthy eating choices (Subway Vs Restaurant), looking for deals and so on.
I love to “plan”… I am a day dreamer. I use to control that habit earlier thinking that if I do not execute anything, I should not plan it. But later I realized planning (as in imagining) a getaway can be so much fun than a real life experience. If I have to do a nagging task, like cleaning/dusting etc, I imagine I am in a hotel room in Florida and its spring all over and there is lovely weather outside (in the midst of severe winter) and start planning a Florida vacation all together. This instantly lifts up my mood and makes me happy!
As a person suffering from multiple chronic conditions, this sounds like a must read for me.
This book is definitely on my list of reads. One thing that makes me incredibly happy is having a great cup of coffee in a favorite coffee mug I purchased from someone on Etsy and sitting in silence every morning. It’s the only silence I’ll enjoy until the following morning!
Listening to books on tape is one thing that I do most days that makes me happy.
I need this more than I can say!
I have an axiety disorder that has caused a couple of other problems in my life. I’m striving to use cognitive therapy (instead of medicine) to change my behavior and the way I see the world. I’m trying to be much more optimistic and enjoy my day rather than constantly feeling like I have to get things done. I think this book would help me on my path to success. It’s a long road but I’m committed to improving myself and my life. I love your blog! : )
I began going to my local Barnes & Noble bookstore to keep from going home at night & vegging out. I have made a number of friends there. I deliberately meet them on Friday nights to socialize and crochet. This makes me happy!
Thanks for the opportunity to enter your give-away. I really enjoy your blog.
Beverley
Overall I think I am happy, but I need to learn to FEEL HAPPY. Doesn’t make sense, I know. I would love to read this book.
I run. It clears my head and gives me an endorphin boost. Plus it helps me see the positive in my body. You can constantly add and achieve goals with running.
Deliberate action for happiness? Take the 11-year old black lab to the shore of Lake Erie and throw a stick. No happiness like a big dog running on the beach.
My gratitude journal every night helps me focus on the good things!
I attend a Sunday afternoon yin yoga class with an amazingly inspirational teacher. The time for myself, combined with the deeply relaxing stretches of the class, energizing aromatherapy, soothing music, and educational tips from the instructor about mirror neurons and letting your body set its own pace leave me feeling joyful and uplifted – the perfect end to my weekend.
I knit teddy bears for charity.
I always try to stop and keep myself form taking anything personally and forgive the other person, whatever the problem.
This has saved me countless stress, worry, resentment, etc, allowing me to move past many a slight large and small and be happy even during the rough times.
It is especially helpful since I’m a high school teacher! I don’t take a student, parent, administrator, etc actions or words personally. I realize a lot of what we say or do to each other has nothing to do with the person we are currently directing it at, and even then, it still has more to do with the person saying/doing than you. Take criticism and see if you can use it but don’t take it as a personal attack. You woke up late, the coffee was bad, the roads are blocked, and you forgot your lunch. The world isn’t out to get you, you just need to take a deep breath and start fresh from there.
I have a notebook in which I list items that I get for free (samples, trial packages, etc.) and how much they would cost if I purchased them. When I feel that my childcare isn’t making a significant difference in our finances I look at that and the few hundred dollars extra that I “make” each month.
I do Zumba! I just started going and I feel like a complete dork because I don’t have much rhythm- but I really don’t care because it’s fun and makes exercising more bearable.
I do a page in my scrapbook. I spend quite a bit of time making it special. I feel like a child at the end of the day when I present it to my family for inspection. I love all the oohs and ahhs I get from them.
It makes me happy when my pooch is cuddled by my side snoring and I choose to stay on the couch and leave the laundry for a little bit longer and just enjoy the snuggling.