The Happiness Project

Good morning!

Today's topic is one that will probably pop up repeatedly in the future, as it relates to a 'project' I was invited to participate in.  A friend had recently passed along a blog site to me, called "The Happiness Project", an extensive personal research project launched by Gretchen Rubin, in which she "test drives every principle, tip, theory, and scientific study (she ) can find" in regards to happiness. On her site, Gretchen recently challenged/invited/encouraged her readers to start their own projects, and what occurred to me is that just the seeking alone.. the turning of one's attention to what brings forth happiness within them... automatically creates a feeling of joy. At least it did in my case.  

This same friend, learning of my intention to begin this process, recommended a book to me that she picked up in the library, Happy for No Reason: 7 Steps to Being Happy from the Inside Out. I've only just started it a couple nights ago, but will report what I learn from it.

In addition to that, I've been savoring Hal French's, Zen and the Art of Anything.. a delightfully simple, joyful and profound book. French has an amazing way of describing a fresh new experience of even the simplest of actions, like breathing or speaking, which even just in the reading of his words, has the immediate effect of shifting one's awareness to embrace and become mindful of the preciousness of those actions.

 So, I invite you now, to take a moment to pause what you're doing. Place both feet on the floor, your hands on your thighs. Close your eyes, and take a breath in, thinking, "Breathing in, I am present. Breathing out, I am alive."

And then, pop over to Gretchen's site. Check out her "One-Minute Movie" for a shift in perspective. Tell me what you think.