Be Anica

I received "The Happiness Project" by Gretchen Rubin for Christmas and I devoured it in about a week, reading and contemplating almost every single word of the book. Typically I don't read what I deem as "self-help" books. I judge them to be too cliche and not specific for me and where I am in my life. But because this was a gift, I figure I'd give it a shot and I'm really glad I did.

The author spent one whole year trying to figure out what made her happy and how to be more happy. Throughout the book, she talks about what she did and how it helped her, while also using research and studies to back up her findings. She did small things like lighting candles in her office to big things like making an effort not to nag her husband.

I really enjoyed this book. It was written in such a conversational tone that I felt like Gretchen and I were sitting in a coffee shop discussing what makes each of us happy. And a lot of her arguments made sense. She never said "do this and you'll immediately be happy." She pointed out how sometimes the changes she made increased her happiness but also how, occasionally, they just didn't.

This book made me think about what makes me happy in my life and since it's the beginning of a brand new year, I decided to transfer these concepts that Gretchen brought up in her book to my loose resolutions.

1. Be Anica. One of Gretchen's personal commandments is to be herself and to realize that sometimes you just don't like things even if you want to like them. I might like the idea of getting all fancied up to go out on the town, but in reality, I know that I really just want to curl up in my sweats and read a book. And I should be ok with that because, well, that's...me.

2. Write and read more. Plain and simple. Those are the things that bring me happiness. Why not do them more often?

3. Do it if it takes less than a minute. Put away that pair of earrings as soon as I take them off instead of letting them pile up on the bathroom counter. Wash the dishes right away instead of letting them accumulate in the sink - they probably take less time to scrub than you think.

4. Embrace the special and the mundane. Basically, be in the moments. In each moment.

5. Don't nag. Whether that's at home or at work, be cognizant of the fact that I live mainly in a world of adults who can do things on their own. While I might tell my boyfriend to not forget his coat more than once and I feel like I'm just looking out for him, he's a grown man who can chose to grab his jacket or not.

6. Spend more time with friends. This one always seems to be on my list but I am going to try to really make an effort to hang out more. I might be reluctant to go at first, but it's totally worth it once I'm in those love-filled moments with friends.