the happiness project: getting started

Hiyaa! Been living under a rock for days now 'cause my laptop is freakin' buhrokenn. Finally thought of squatting downstairs, in our good ol' desktop, to accomplish a little something for ze blog today. 

I digress. Let's talk about this awesome book I'm currently reading -- The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin. If it sounded like a self help book, that's because it is, actually. I bought it back in 2012 {surprise, surprise!} when I was having a li'l life drama. Heehee! I finished a single chapter and left the rest hanging, just like that! Anyare sa "I loathe unfinished businesses" ko? Haha! Oh well.. It was a tough time back then. At least I finally got to pick it up again, thanks to my recent visit to the doctor. I couldn't have survived the morning waiting game without it.

Let's start off with how Gretchen {sorry guysss, first name basis na kami} got the idea of writing the book. She had an epiphany one rainy afternoon in a city bus, no less, that the days are long but the years are short. She felt like time is passing and that she's not focusing on the things that really matter. In a flash, she decided to dedicate a year to her happiness project. She chronicled her adventures during the twelve months she spent test-driving the wisdom of the ages, current scientific research and lessons from popular culture about how to be happier. ❤

I was hooked, yet again, the moment I started reading it. She began by giving a general picture of her life -- her husband & two kids, her work, where they leave, her parents & sisters, her friends.. She knew exactly that she has so much to be happy about yet admitted to feel dissatisfied at times. She said.. "I had everything I could possibly want -- yet I was failing to appreciate it."  Sapul ka? Ako rin eh! That line alone, I knew the book will help me realize all the good in this life.

Here's another line that hit me like a moving truck.. "When life was taking its ordinary course, it was hard to remember what really mattered." Just.So.True!! There are a lot of things that I failed to take into consideration back when I was too busy making a living. For one, I forgot that I needed to take care of my health. Kung hindi pa ko napompyang ni Lord, malamang, nagpapakamatay pa rin ako sa pagtatrabaho. I may not be the best person to give you an earful, but at least listen to this, STOP FOR A MOMENT AND THINK. What do I really want? What are the things that really matter to me? Let's drop for a second that we're trying to outlast everyone else. It'll make a huge difference.

Here's one more.. "Just because I wasn't depressed didn't mean that I couldn't benefit from trying to be happier." I believe it's a wrong connotation that when one reads books like this, that person isn't happy or worst, depressed altogether. The way I see it, that person is only wise enough to prevent a difficulty that can possibly come. Gretchen said.. "I didn't want to wait for a crisis to remake my life." True, true and true! Why didn't I think of those words first? Hahaha! Asa naman ako!?

  

She also shared her resources, greatest minds from Plato to Oprah! She also has these lists, Twelve Commandments and Secrets of Adulthood. I have yet to appreciate all of them as they get applied in her monthly journey. I'm sooo psyched to share more of the book. Ha! I've almost memorized the things she wrote for January. :P

Also, HELLO MARCH! Something tells me this is gonna be a fun month! Starting off with my father's and cousin's birthday! HAPPY BIRTHDAY YOU TWO!! This psycho loves you! ❤

the happiness project: january (part 1 of 2)

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