Gretchen Rubin’s year-long journey to increase her happiness through monthly resolutions. She used a mix of scientific research, philosophical ideas, and personal experiences to explore the concept of happiness, with each month focusing on a different area of life (energy, marriage, work, leisure, personal, relationships, spiritual, etc)
The book supports the idea that effort and small changes in daily habits can increase overall personal happiness because happiness is a skill that can be cultivated through intentional practice and self-reflection, not just something that happens to those that are deemed worthy.
Key concepts
1. True rules: she creates a set of guiding principles for her life. Kind of like a personal mission statement that Stephen Covey uses in 7 habits of highly effective people, or John Wooden’s Personal creed.
2. Resolutions chart: Ben Franklin did something like this with his virtues. Gretchen tracks her progress on specific goals each month with the last month going for “perfect”
3. Happiness boosters: Small, actionable steps to increase daily happiness. Andy Frissella would call this her “power list” – 5 actionable tasks that you can complete everyday to move you closer towards your goals. Win enough days, win the week, win enough weeks, win the month, win enough months, win the year, and win enough years and you win in life. This is a powerful tool.
4. The “Four Splendid Truths” – Gretchen’s insight about happiness and how to achieve it.
- To be happier, you have to think about feeling good, feeling bad, and feeling right, in an atmosphere of growth.
- One of the best ways to make yourself happy is to make other people happy; One of the best ways to make other people happy is to be happy yourself
- The days are long, but the years are short.
- You’re not happy unless you think you’re happy.
5. “Be Gretchen” The importance of self-knowledge, authenticity, and being yourself.
True rules
Gretchen comes up with several personal rules or guidelines that she calls her “Twelve Commandments” and “Secrets of Adulthood.” This was an important concept of the book and here are some of the notable “true rules”:
1. Be Gretchen – know yourself and be true to you.
2. Let it go – not holding onto negative emotions or dwelling on past mistakes.
3. Act the way you want to feel – behavior can influence emotions.
4. Do it now – tackle tasks immediately to avoid procrastination.
5. Identify the problem – clearly define issues before trying to solve them.
6. Enjoy the process – find joy in the journey, not just the destination.
7. Spend out – appreciate what you have rather than hoard for the future.
8. There is only love – approach situations and people with compassion and understanding.
9. What you do every day matters more than what you do once in a while – the importance of daily habits.
10. If you’re not failing, you’re not trying hard enough – take risks and embrace failure as part of growth.
These rules are personal to her but I feel they are meant to inspire us to develop our own set of guidelines for happier living.
Reflections
I thought this book was inspiring, witty, and well written. It’s not really a book that I turn to when I need more happiness in my life, it’s a book I often turn too when things are going well and a healthy reminder to keep doing what I am doing to keep his happiness train going. There are some practical action items and theories throughout the book, but also some un-relatable moments at times.
Take what is useful, ignore what is useless, and add your own flare. This book has a spot on my bookshelf for a long time.
Think about starting your own happiness project. Maybe reflect on these rules and consider which ones resonate with you, creating your own list of true rules.
What principles would guide you towards a happier, more fulfilling life? Remember, the power list and that the path to happiness is often paved with small, consistent actions.
Your journey towards greater happiness begins with that first step.
Why not take it today?
Joe DiAndrea 