Day 2: The Happiness Project

Chapters 3 recap of Gretchen Rubin's, The Happiness Project:
Aim Higher, Work

Gretchen explains that work is a very important place to be happy.  Happier people are more productive and better leaders at work.  She says, "also work can be a source of many of the elements necessary for a happy life: the atmosphere of growth, social contact, fun, a sense of purpose, self esteem, recognition."  We are at work for most of our days so why not be happy at work?  For this very reason she explains the importance of enjoying what you do.  A good question to ask yourself is what do you do during your free time?  Possibly, this is a potential prospect for your future career choice.  Gretchen was a lawyer before she asked this question to herself.  She was writing a book during her free time, she had her answer and the rest is Happiness Project bestseller history.  She also decided to start a blog which was recommended by her agent.  Even though she was afraid of failing at this new venture to begin her blog she knew that she needed to enjoy the fun of failure.  She began to repeat this mantra over in her head; enjoy the fun of failure.  She knew that to have more success she needed to be willing to accept more failure including the possibility of a failed blog.  In order to be a success she knew she needed to be able to ask for help.   She happens to run into two people who know how to begin a blog (lucky for her).  This can be tough to resist the urge to pretend to know what you don't know.

In order to aim higher with her work she knew she had to work smart.  She asked herself, "When and how long does it take to be most productive?  Can I accomplish enough in 15 minute segments?"  She discovered that she could accomplish a lot in these 15 minute segments.  She learns that the little things daily can add up to a lot over time.  The two last things in this chapter I like the most is to burn a candle in your office.  The aroma is inviting and pleasurable.  Lastly, is to enjoy now!  In the book, Happier, written by Tal Ben-Shahar he discusses the "arrival fallacy" which is the belief that when you arrive at a certain destination you'll be happy.  Because arriving rarely makes you as happy as you anticipate.  Usually it's the process of reaching the goal that creates happiness. Once the goal is achieved then a new goal is created with more responsibility such as a better job or new baby.  It's the growth that creates the happiness.  Goals are a path to happiness as Friedricj Nietzche said, "The end of a melody is not it's goal; but nonetheless, if the melody had not reached it's end it would not have reached it's goal either.  A parable."  Challenge brings happinness because it allows you to expand your own self definition.






Stay tuned for Chapter 4 tomorrow; Lighten Up, Parenthood
Charissa