Yesterday, I had the chance to interview Gretchen Rubin about her blog, The Happiness Project. I first came to know of Gretchen earlier this year. My husband called me while I was on my way home and told me that there was another lawyer who went on a search for happiness and had a blog about her journey. I was so happy to know that I was not the only legal professional to go on such a search. I have been an avid reader of her site ever since that day.
Every day on her blog, Gretchen shares with her readers what she has discovered on her quest. Gretchen decided to go on her search for happiness after having an epiphany one day while on a New York City bus. She asked herself what she wanted out of life and decided that she wanted to be happy. According to her, she thought she was happy but felt that the issue could be researched a bit more thoroughly. She wanted to take an analytical approach into the search for happiness.
Gretchen thus began researching everything she could find on the subject. Her Happiness Project began in 2006. She wanted to try all the things that experts had suggested to do in order to find happiness. Here is a list of some of those things:
- Yoga
- Drawing
- Hypnosis
- Gratitude Journal
- Wearing a pedometer
- Working on trying not to nag
- Creating a blog
I asked Gretchen what was her biggest surprise while embarking on a happiness project and she told me: “It is true that by accepting yourself and being yourself, you do find happiness. Happiness is knowing yourself”. She also acknowledged that “the downside of that is coming to accept and admit your limitations”.
However, at the close of our interview she shared with me one of her discoveries from her Happiness Project which I have found to be true as well and I think is really profound: “Many people think we act because of how we feel. However, if you act the way you want to feel, you come to feel it too. So if you want to be happy, act happy and you feel happy”.
Gretchen has written a book on her journey to discover happiness. It is entitled The Happiness Project and will be released in January 2010. Until then, please go read her blog: The Happiness Project.
Special thanks to Gretchen Rubin for taking the time from her busy schedule to talk to me.
{ 19 comments }
Nadia, thanks for sharing these thoughts here. I like the analytical approach you describe here .. and the conclusion at the end that happiness is something that needs to be done, not researched. That was my conclusion anyway.
Ian | Quantum Learning’s most recent blog post..I also have a dream
What a neat experience for you to get to talk to a fellow happiness-seeking lawyer! I completely agree with the idea that “Happiness is knowing yourself.” I don’t struggle so much with the limitations side anymore, because I’ve realized we all have them. All I can do is the best I can do.
Thanks for sharing your interview with us!
Lisis | Quest For Balance’s most recent blog post..Music Therapy: Adam Lambert “Mad World”
@ Ian – I am glad that you enjoyed the interview. I think everyone who goes in search eventually realizes in the end that it is within you and it is up to you to recognize it. I do have a post coming up soon on this subject. So stay tuned!
@ Lisis – Yes, happiness is knowing yourself and learning to accept all aspects of yourself. I think once you do that then the concept of limitations does not really hold any power anymore.
Nadia congrats on your interview!
“So if you want to be happy, act happy and you feel happy” I find this to be true and in doing so you tend to attract happy people as well and from there it just perpetuates itself.
Thanks for sharing!
Sherri (Serene Journey)’s most recent blog post..How You Can Become A Catalyst For Change
Thanks for sharing these Insights about Happiness.
Sunny Jamiel’s most recent blog post..18 Truths about Life You Must Know without Having a Heart Attack
Oooh, I love Gretchen and her Happiness Project. I’ve been a fan for quite some time. I like how she has a list of Secrets of Adulthood.
Great interview!
Kirwin’s most recent blog post..Who am I?
I, too, have been a fan of Gretchen’s for some while now. I read her blog every day. There are so many great nuggets of wisdom in her archives. I often go to her blog first when I need to “happy myself up”. I think she has done an amazing job of explaining happpiness and how to achieve it for yourself. I love that her blog is full of practical advice…little things that you can do right away to increase your overall level of happiness.
This is a great interview! Thank you, Nadia!
Jay Schryer’s most recent blog post..7 More Things, Non-Profit Edition
@ Sherri – Thank you so much! Happiness is contagious!
@ Sunny – It is great to have you back!
@ Kirwin – Thanks so much and I am happy that you enjoyed the interview.
@ Jay – I am so happy that you enjoyed the interview!
Happiness can definitely be had by all!
The Happiness Project is great and I have to say that Gretchen has taken time out of her busy schedule to provide me with some very helpful advice about blogging. In fact, it was her blog that inspired me to start Positively Present!
Thanks for posting this. Gretchen is awesome and so is The Happiness Project!
Just yesterday Gretchen made a post asking for her readers’ favorite lessons from the Happiness Project, and this is the one I sent her. It is counter-intuitive but really quite brilliant. Our emotionss are trained to react to our behavior, as much as our behavior is trained to react to our emotions.
Thanks for sharing this with us, Nadia!
David Cain’s most recent blog post..9 Thoughts Worthy of Immortality
@ P.P. – That is wonderful that Gretchen gave you some advice about blogging and was an inspiration for your own blog. Good for you!
@ David – You are welcome. I have come to realize that obtaining happiness is quite different than what people may think. So when it comes to happiness, in my opinion, everything about may seem counter-intuitive.
That is so true… discovering who you are deep down, and then accepting yourself makes you truly. Being yourself will naturally attract people who accept you as you are, and thus, you are surrounded by those who will encourage your continued discovery and personal development.
~ Kristi
Kikolani’s most recent blog post..The Japanese Friendship Garden in Phoenix, AZ
Hi Kristi!
Welcome to Happy Lotus! I agree with you 100%. By accepting who we are and loving who we are, we can attain happiness. Happiness is contagious. So by being happy, we can attract like minded people.
Nadia,
Congratulations on the interview! I look forward to seeing the book.
Interesting…I thought there could only be one person like you.
Has Gretchen tried meditation?
Roger – A Content Life’s most recent blog post..What’s Your Favorite Charity?
Hi Roger,
Thank you! You are so sweet. There is only one Happy Lotus and that is ME!
Just kidding.
I have no idea if she tried meditation. It did not come up in our interview. However, if she tried yoga, I would think meditation would have crossed her path.
Happy people do things unhappy people neglect to do. Taking 100% responsibility for my life and my happiness go hand in hand. I set my self up for happy thoughts, emotions, words and actions that keep me feeling that way. Great interview.
Tess The Bold Life’s most recent blog post..Magical Mondays Make Them 1/7 Of Your Life
Thank you for sharing this, Nadia. I was happy to find both Gretchen and you in one fell search! It’s great to see what Gretchen is doing, and to also find on here other like-minded people doing similar things. I’m a big believer in the Law of Attraction. What we think about and give most of our energy to is what we ultimately attract unto ourselves. I prefer the positive any day.
Chania Girl’s most recent blog post..Joy and Sadness
Two lawyers searching for happiness. That sounds like a great book
Personally I believe that the only true happiness come from within. So, I 100% agree with her on the “accepting yourself and being yourself …you will find happiness.” I have read her work, and now I got a better feel of her as a person because of your interview.
Thank you,
Giovanna Garcia
Imperfect Action is better than No Action
Giovanna Garcia’s most recent blog post..Chinglish Lesson.
@ Tess – Glad you enjoyed the interview. You are absolutely right, we are all 100% responsible for our own happiness.
@ Chania – Welcome to Happy Lotus! I am a big believer in being positive and in the Law of Attraction, too. It is up to the individual to create the reality he/she wants. Thank you also for all the kind things you wrote.
@ Giovanna – That would be an interesting book! I am so happy that you also reached the same conclusion which is that happiness is within and that we are responsible for achieving it.