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The Happiness Project

The Happiness ProjectThe Happiness ProjectWell I started reading this book called The Happiness Project. My wife bought it a while ago and after I stumbled through Eat, Pray, Love I thought it would be great to get another soul.empowering type book under my belt

Gretchen Rubin who wrote this book is a real pro in the writing game and seems to write biographies on famous people like Winston Churchill, and JFK so she seem to come from a completely different spot than most of the people in this genre. She points this fact out early in the book as well as her aims for her own Happiness Project.

What is the Happiness Project About?

The book starts with Gretchen Rubin telling us how she is not unhappy but still since there is not an easy way to benchmark happiness she knew that she could be happier, wanted to avoid a conversation on depression and instead see, through research, how someone could be happier in their life.

The book is divided into 12 months and each month has an overarching idea that Gretchen has built resolutions on, and the idea is that every month she will build on what she had done before this newest month, so constant improvement will happen.

The first month was to improve her health, the second month was to Remember Love and Marriage…

The idea that Gretchen Rubin has is not that you will follow her ideas exactly but that she can give you a framework to build your own Happiness Project. Cool idea!

Full of Research and Ideas to Change Yourself

Anyway Gretchen Rubin has a law degree, is a writer, and decided to do this book with her awesome research skills behind her. So in the intro chapter and first chapter I found that the Happiness Project was so chock full of her research and discoveries that were not just touchy-feely that there was just a lot to get through. I have decided to turn this book into more of a project for me, and maybe you should too?

I am not going to take a year to change my life through the Happiness Project but I am sure that over the next few months as I dive into one month at a time I will make significant changes.

You can check out some reviews of the Happiness Project if you are interested in learning more

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General Weight Loss Tips

Another Resolution: Skin Care

I have a whole list of small little goals and resolutions that I’m working on this year. Taking better care of my skin has been on my mind all year. On my mind, and not much else. I wash my face in the shower, but that’s it. I wear makeup on a daily basis and never wash it off at night (cue gasps). And I’ve had a blemish (or five) on my face everyday since I was 16…I’m almost 28. Part genetics and part neglect.

I’ve tried proactiv, viatamins, clean and clear and clinque. I can’t say they didn’t work, but mainly I’ve just not stuck to using them on a regular basis. I did find however, that the acne treatment stuff only irritated my face more and left it peeling and red and brought on more skin problems.

This year, I’m making a valid effort even if I’ve already passed out on the couch and wake back up–to wash my face at night. It’s been five days and my face is smooth, soft, and blemish free. What expensive product am I using?

This $2 frangrance-free soap. I love it. I’m also using Burt’s Bees  Acne Solutions face scrub in the shower in the mornings along with a natural shea butter soap. I don’t love the face scrub mainly because it leaves a residue on my face that I don’t care for, but I follow with the shea butter soap and everything is fine again.

I am using an organic moisturizer lightly as well, and that’s pretty much it.

I’ve use Adobe Illustrator for my calendar and to track my goals. On the outside of my calendar area I have a list of daily tasks that I copy and paste into completed tasks when they are done. I have to say putting “wash face 2x” into completed tasks is satisfying and keeping me on track.

Do you have any little goals that you’re sticking with this year? Taking better care of your teeth, skin, nails, feet?

ps: burt’s bees and neutrogena have no idea who I am, I just use these products because I like them. Or bought them and feel like I need to use it anyway.