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The Happiness Project

Want To Feel Happier? Enjoy Childish Pleasures

Gretchen Rubin | Posted 01.19.2012 | Healthy Living

Read More: Your Inner Child, Happiness and Children, Happiness, Gretchen Rubin, Mindfulness, Children, Child, My Inner Child, The Happiness Project, Childish Pleasure, Inner Child, Healthy Living News
Gretchen Rubin

My children make me happy for many reasons, of course. But it strikes me that one reason they make me happy is they encourage me to engage more deeply with the physical world.

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My First Book -- And My First Video Book Trailer

Nina Sankovitch | Posted 07.25.2011 | Books

Read More: Tolstoy and the Purple Chair, The Happiness Project, Midge Raymond, Video Book Trailers, Book Trailers, Books, Duma Key, John Yunker, Gretchen Rubin, Youtube, Stephen King, Books News
Nina Sankovitch

Think writing a query letter is hard? Or the synopsis for a book that you hope to have published? Welcome to the next task in presenting your book to the world: the video book trailer.

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False Choices: Do Any Of These Sound Familiar?

Gretchen Rubin | Posted 11.17.2011 | Healthy Living

Read More: Self-Direction, Choice, Happiness, Happiness Choices, The Happiness Project, The Balanced Life, Make Choice, Making Choice, Making Choices, Healthy Living News
Gretchen Rubin

The more I've thought about happiness, the more wary I've become of false choices. It's so easy to frame choices or attitudes in an either/or way, and yet, so often, that choice is misleading.

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Treat Yourself Like A Toddler

Gretchen Rubin | Posted 11.17.2011 | Healthy Living

Read More: Holiday, Unhappiness, Relationships, Behavior, Vacation, Self-Control, Self-Regulation, Happiness, Family, Sleep, The Happiness Project Gretchen Rubin, Unplug and Recharge, The Happiness Project, Healthy Living News
Gretchen Rubin

It's easy to expect that you "should" be able to deal with a particular situation, and of course, to a point, it's admirable to be flexible, to be low-maintenance.

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13 Tips For Sticking To Your New Year's Resolutions

Gretchen Rubin | Posted 11.17.2011 | Healthy Living

Read More: New Year, Happiness Challenge, Resolutions, Happiness, The Happiness Project, New Year's Resolutions, Self Help, New Year's Resolution Tips, Sticking to Resolutions, Resolution Advice, Happiness Tips, New Year's Resolution Advice, Healthy Living News
Gretchen Rubin

New Year's Eve is just a few days away, and that means it's the season for resolutions. I'm a big believer in the power of small changes to make us happier.

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Balanced Life: Be Nice, It Matters

Gretchen Rubin | Posted 11.17.2011 | Healthy Living

Read More: Kindness, Happiness, Be Kind, Happiness Advice, Happiness Tips, The Happiness Project, Happiness Project, Be Nice, Healthy Living News
Gretchen Rubin

I was about to get a promotion. My boss said sternly, "Be polite and be fair. Then you'll do fine." I've always remembered that.

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8 Pieces of Advice From My Sister, the Sage

Gretchen Rubin | Posted 11.17.2011 | Healthy Living

Read More: Happiness, Happiness Tips, The Happiness Project, Happiness Project, Happiness Advice, Healthy Living News
Gretchen Rubin

My sister Elizabeth Craft is a sage. Every time I talk to her, I keep a pen and paper handy so I can write down her words of wisdom.

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Trying to Make a Tough Decision? Try Asking Yourself the 5 Fateful Questions

Gretchen Rubin | Posted 11.17.2011 | Healthy Living

Read More: Decisions, Decision-Making, Choice, Goals, Happiness, The Happiness Project, Happiness Project, Decision Making, Healthy Living News
Gretchen Rubin

When I'm reluctant to take a risk or face something uncomfortable, I ask myself these five questions. They help me think clearly about a situation.

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Life Got You Down? Frame Your Problem

Gretchen Rubin | Posted 11.17.2011 | Healthy Living

Read More: Happiness, How to Be Happy, Happiness Tips, The Happiness Project, Happiness Project, Happiness Advice, Healthy Living News
Gretchen Rubin

When you're annoyed or frustrated, ask yourself, "What exactlyis the problem here?" This rule seems so obvious that it's hard to explain why it's so tremendously helpful.

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Reconsider the Rules of Thumb You Use in Everyday Life

Gretchen Rubin | Posted 11.17.2011 | Healthy Living

Read More: Heuristics, Happiness, How to Be Happy, Happiness Is, Finding Happiness, The Happiness Project, Happiness Project, Healthy Living News
Gretchen Rubin

My adventures in happiness research led me to the concept of heuristics. Heuristics are "rules of thumb," the quick, common sense principles people apply to solve a problem or make a decision.

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5 Common Happiness Mistakes: 'Boosters' That Do More Harm Than Good

Gretchen Rubin | Posted 11.17.2011 | Healthy Living

Read More: Happiness, How to Be Happy, Be Happy, The Happiness Project, Happiness Project, Happiness Tips, Healthy Living News
Gretchen Rubin

I've found out from long experience that several of the most popular strategies for boosting happiness don't actually work very well in the long term.

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Mother's Day: 10 Best New Books To Give Mom This Year

Christian Science Monitor | Marjorie Kehe | Posted 05.25.2011 | Books

Read More: The Happiness Project, Mother's Day, Mother's Day Books, Eat Pray Love, Books, Mother's Day Gifts, New Books, Major Pettigrew's Last Stand, Books News

Looking for a book for Mom? Try Googling "10 best books for Mother's Day" and you pretty much already know what you will get. And let's face it: She's...

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Overcoming My Fear on the Road to Happiness

Randy Taran | Posted 11.17.2011 | Healthy Living

Read More: The Happiness Project, Women and Happiness, Pursuit of Happiness, OWN Network, Oprah, The Hap, Happiness Project, Happiness Tips, Happy Place, Video, Healthy Living News
Randy Taran

Ask yourself, what is the scariest thing that you could do? For me, it's revealing what's most important me, to a large group of people. Not only did I not seek out these opportunities, I ran from them!

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Balanced Life: What's an Obstacle to Your Happiness?

Gretchen Rubin | Posted 11.17.2011 | Healthy Living

Read More: Happiness, How to Be Happy, The Balanced Life, Being Happy, The Happiness Project, Healthy Living News
Gretchen Rubin

Although it's helpful to focus on the positive, it's also very important to pay attention to what's undermining your happiness.

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10 Easy Ways to Be Happy Now: Exercising the Happiness Muscle

Randy Taran | Posted 11.17.2011 | Healthy Living

Read More: Happiness Methods, How to Be Happy, The Happiness Project, Pursuit of Happiness, Women and Happiness, Happiness Tips, The Hap, Happiness Project, Happy Place, Healthy Living News
Randy Taran

How can we develop that happiness muscle, and start pumping up our happiness? Here are 10 easy tips that can make a real difference.

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Her Husband Of 20 Years Said, 'I Want Out. I Don't love You.' She Said, 'I Don't Buy It.' And Then...

Jesse Kornbluth | Posted 05.25.2011 | Books

Read More: The Happiness Project, Eat Pray Love, Marriage, Divorce, Those Aren't Fighting Words Dear, Books, Families, This Is Not the Story You Think It Is, Laura Munson, Memoir, Books News
Jesse Kornbluth

I like this book so much that don't want to quote, summarize, interpret --- I just hope, if you're in any kind of relationship, that you'll get it and read it.

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Why The Elegance of the Hedgehog Is For Grownups

Delia Lloyd | Posted 11.17.2011 | Healthy Living

Read More: Concierge, Possibility of Change, Gretchen Rubin, Book Clubs, Junebug, Paris, Happiness Movies, Embracing Change, Social Mobility, Change, The Elegance of the Hedgehog, Female Friendship, Up in the Air, Personality Tests, Bittersweet Endings, Feelbad Feeling, Making a Bold Move, John Edwards, The Happiness Project, Social Class, Love, Two Americas, Muriel Barbery, Parenting, The Inner Life, Healthy Living News
Delia Lloyd

This is a small, intimate novel about an exceedingly well-educated concierge in a Paris apartment building and her relationships. Here are five reasons I think this book is essential reading for grown ups.

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Balanced Life -- Relish the Moment. In My Case, 10 Weeks on the Bestseller List

Gretchen Rubin | Posted 11.17.2011 | Healthy Living

Read More: Psychology, Tal Ben-Shahar, Goals, Happiness, Gretchen Rubin, Happiness Tips, The Happiness Project, Healthy Living News
Gretchen Rubin

In his book, Tal Ben-Shahar describes the "arrival fallacy," the belief that when you arrive at a certain destination, you'll be happy. But arriving rarely makes you as happy as you expect.

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What to Do When Your Friend Writes a Book

Michael Melcher | Posted 11.17.2011 | Healthy Living

Read More: Publishing, Lawyers, The Happiness Project, The Creative Lawyer, Gretchen Rubin, Books, Happiness, Healthy Living News
Michael Melcher

Publishing The Creative Lawyer meant more to me than being on the cover of Men's Health's "Ripped in Their 40's" special issue.

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Balanced Life -- Buy Needful Things

Gretchen Rubin | Posted 11.17.2011 | Healthy Living

Read More: Psychology, Purchases, Money, Happiness, Relationships, The Happiness Project, Gretchen Rubin, Video, Healthy Living News
Gretchen Rubin

I'm working on my Happiness Project, and you could have one, too! Everyone's project will look different, but it's the rare person who can't benefit....

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Exercise Quiz: Are You A Work-Out Drop-Out?

Gretchen Rubin | Posted 11.17.2011 | Healthy Living

Read More: Fitness, The Happiness Project, Happiness Tip of the Day, Resolutions, Exercise, Happiness Tips, Personal Health, Healthy Living News
Gretchen Rubin

I discovered the key to my Happiness Project. What is it? Resolutions. It has been the ability to make and keep my innumerable resolutions that has al...

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Happiness Tip Of The Day: Secrets Of Adulthood

Gretchen Rubin | Posted 11.17.2011 | Healthy Living

Read More: Happiness Tip of the Day, The Happiness Project, How to Be Happy, The Inner Life, Healthy Living News
Gretchen Rubin

I'm working on my Happiness Project, and you should have one, too! Everyone's project will look different, but it's the rare person who can't benefit....

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Why Rituals Make You Happy

Gretchen Rubin | Posted 11.17.2011 | Healthy Living

Read More: The Happiness Project, Happiness, How to Be Happy, The Inner Life, Happiness Tips, Healthy Living News
Gretchen Rubin

Until I started my Happiness Project, I didn't think much about rituals and whether they made me happy. But when I reflected on them, I realized that...

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5 Tips For Giving Good Praise

Gretchen Rubin | Posted 11.17.2011 | Healthy Living

Read More: The Happiness Project, Happiness, How to Be Happy, The Balanced Life, Healthy Living News
Gretchen Rubin

I'm a praise junkie. I really, really need those gold stars. I know I've got to get over it. One of my most important happiness-project resolutions is...

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Tips For An Impending Divorce

Gretchen Rubin | Posted 11.17.2011 | Healthy Living

Read More: The Happiness Project, Happiness, How to Be Happy, The Balanced Life, Healthy Living News
Gretchen Rubin

A while back, I read a New York magazine article by Katie Roiphe, "The Great Escape", in which Roiphe discusses her friends' reaction to the news of h...

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