The Happiness Project

"We Are Never So Much Disposed to Quarrel As When..."--What?

“We are never so much disposed to quarrel with others as when we are dissatisfied with ourselves.”
--William Hazlitt

Yet another reason why we have a duty to be happy. I know I'm less quarrelsome when I'm happy.

* I'm not a foodie, so I don't often explore the wild, delightful world of foodie blogs. But I know Melanie Rehak, so I regularly check out Eating for Beginners -- "on food, farming, and raising a family" -- where my favorite feature is "Friday Food Writers."

* No matter where you like to buy your books -- from the Amazon to the Indies -- here you'll find an appropriate link for purchasing The Happiness Project. Buy early and often!

What is "The Only Payment That Can Never Fail"? Guess.

“These testimonies of a good conscience are pleasant; and such a natural pleasure is very beneficial to us; it is the only payment that can never fail.”
--Montaigne

Less poetically, I remind myself, "Do good, feel good."

* Design Mom has a very specific focus (a quality I appreciate in a blog); if the intersection of parenthood and design interests you, you'll love it.

* If you’re in a book group and think you might choose The Happiness Project as a reading selection, please let me know. I’ll send you a discussion guide when the book hits the shelves, plus I plan to give away some free advance copies of the book, and I’ll choose addresses from these emails.
--Email me at gretchenrubin1[at]gmail.com (don’t forget the “1”) with the message “book group"
--include your name and address if you’d like to be eligible for a free book
--if you’re willing, I’d love to know a little about your group: how many members, what you read, etc. No particular reason, I’m just curious about book groups!

"Natural Inclinations...Are Hardly Ever Altered or Overcome."

“Natural inclinations are assisted and reinforced by education, but they are hardly ever altered or overcome.”
-- Montaigne

This brief line from Montaigne is probably one of the top three biggest influences on the decisions I make as a parent -- along with the memory of my own upbringing and the book How to Talk So Kids Will Listen and Listen So Kids Will Talk.

* This post about My Current To-Do List on Citizen of the Month had me laughing out loud.

* I send out short monthly newsletters that highlight the best of the previous month’s posts to about 28,000 subscribers. If you’d like to sign up, click here or email me at grubin, then the “at” sign, then gretchenrubin dot com. (sorry about that weird format – trying to to thwart spammers.) Just write “newsletter” in the subject line. It’s free.

"When Happiness is Absent, We Do Everything to Possess It."

“We must, therefore, pursue the things that make for happiness, seeing that when happiness is present, we have everything; but when it is absent, we do everything to possess it.”
-- Epicurus

This statement is much more challenging and mysterious than it appears on first glance. What things really brings happiness? How do we pursue those things?

* My friend Abigail Pogrebin's book, One and the Same: My Life as an Identical Twin and What I've Learned about Everyone's Struggle to Be Singular, just came out. Her book trailer is terrific; the book sounds fascinating, even to a person like me who is not a twin, let alone an identical twin, and I've ordered my copy -- but also, I must admit that I could look at photos of identical twins for hours.

* Interested in starting your own happiness project? If you’d like to take a look at my personal Resolutions Chart, for inspiration, just email me at grubin, then the “at” sign, then gretchenrubin dot com. (Sorry about writing it in that roundabout way; I’m trying to thwart spammers.) Just write “Resolutions Chart” in the subject line.

"No One Thinks of Changing Himself."

"Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself."
– Leo Tolstoy

* I love checking out Lisa Belkin's Motherlode blog -- "adventures in parenting." I always come away with a lot to think about.

* I send out short monthly newsletters that highlight the best of the previous month’s posts to about 29,000 subscribers. If you’d like to sign up, click here or email me at grubin, then the “at” sign, then gretchenrubin dot com. (sorry about that weird format – trying to to thwart spammers.) Just write “newsletter” in the subject line. It’s free.

"You Are the One Who Must Grow Up."

“Is life so wretched? Isn’t it rather your hands which are too small, your vision which is muddied? You are the one who must grow up.”
– Dag Hammarskjöld

* Vast amounts of interesting material to explore at Big Think.

* Join the happiness discussion on the Facebook Page.

"I Began to Bawl...I Would Never Be So Happy Again."

In 1920, after marrying Zelda and publishing This Side of Paradise, Fitzgerald wrote,
“Riding in a taxi one afternoon between very tall buildings under a mauve and rosy sky; I began to bawl because I had everything I wanted and knew I would never be so happy again.”

* I always find interesting things to read on the excellent blog LifeDev -- "empowering creative people."

* If you're interested in starting your own happiness project, check out the Happiness Project Toolbox. Lots of great tools there -- plus you can see what other people are doing, which is addictive.

"The Hardest Victory Is Over Self."

“I count him braver who overcomes his desires than him who conquers his enemies; for the hardest victory is over self.”
--Aristotle

* Fascinating post on Starfish Envy about "numbness." Numbness is a very helpful term for a particular state of mind, and the post really got me thinking.

* Have you pre-ordered your copy of The Happiness Project? No? Well, here's your chance! Lucky you!

"We Feel More Satisfied...If We Have Stirred Up Our Minds."

“A man does not work only for the sake of producing, but to set a value on his time. We feel more satisfied with ourselves and with our day if we have stirred up our minds and made a good start, or have finished a piece of work.”
--Eugene Delacroix

* Good stuff at Work Happy Now!

* I send out short monthly newsletters that highlight the best of the previous month’s posts to about 27,000 subscribers. If you’d like to sign up, click here or email me at grubin, then the “at” sign, then gretchenrubin dot com. (sorry about that weird format – trying to to thwart spammers.) Just write “newsletter” in the subject line. It’s free.

"Live Each Season As It Passes."

“Live each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit, and resign yourself to the influences of each.”
--Henry David Thoreau

* Interested in starting your own happiness project? If you’d like to take a look at my personal Resolutions Chart, for inspiration, just email me at grubin, then the “at” sign, then gretchenrubin dot com. (Sorry about writing it in that roundabout way; I’m trying to thwart spammers.) Just write “Resolutions Chart” in the subject line.