Self-Love Book Club - The Happiness Project

I have heard many great things about this book and was extremely excited to read it!

The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin is inspirational and motivating. It offers many terrific ideas and ways to introduce more happiness into your every day life. While some of her goals obviously don't match up to my life, many of them can be altered to better suit my needs.

One nice thing about her Happiness Project is that some of the changes are so small, yet have such a big impact. For example, hugging her husband more to help relieve stress and tension while boosting feelings of closeness. Or even remembering birthdays and taking the time to send short emails to wish friends and family a happy birthday. When you think about it, it's a small gesture but I know that I personally love when people remember my birthday. It makes me feel special.

Sometimes I often wondered how she managed to fit so many tasks into her daily life. All of her different clubs and organizations, making time for projects and new hobbies, added exercise, blogging every day, on top of work and raising a family. It seems so overwhelming.

One thing I've learnt by myself is that you never know what you are capable of until you try. I assume that if I were to design my own year-long Happiness Project, that adding new things to my schedule and workload gradually could actually work out.

All in all, this was a great book. It got me thinking about my own life and the different things I could work on to make myself happier.

For example, near the beginning of the book Gretchen wrote that she needed to take the time to figure out what made her happy, what she was truly interested in and who she really is, in order to design a plan that will actually work.

I think that is a really good idea, and so I've begun to ponder my own likes and interests to figure out what will make me happier.

I also liked that she decided to do this project not in a time of stress or grief, but during a time when she felt she was already happy. It just goes to show that you can begin your own Happiness Project at any point in your life. Gretchen also talked about how she felt guilty sometimes, like she didn't have the right to complain when she already had it so good - loving family, dream career, caring husband, enough money, comfortable home, etc. - but she felt that it would be easier to try and be happier before a crisis struck, so when/if one did she would be better prepared to handle it. Which is a really fantastic way to look at it.

This is a terrific book and I highly recommend it to anyone looking to find ways to bring more happiness into their own lives.

Have you read this book? What makes you happy?

Thanks,
Cole

Self Love Book Club - Red Hot and Holy

When I first started to read Red Hot & Holy by Sera Beak I had a difficult time staying interested in it. So I would read a couple of pages at a time each night, hoping it would get more interesting. And it did!

By the halfway mark I couldn't put it down. I would read it on the bus to and from school, in between classes and before bed. It still took me a while to read it, but that's because I like to read slow so that I can absorb the information and reflect on it as I'm reading. And I dog-eared many pages, and highlighted many quotes.

I think one of the reasons I had a hard time getting into this book at the beginning is because I'm not at all religious and I felt like I couldn't relate to what I was reading. After I pushed that thought of my head and focused more on Sera Beak's journey and how it related to her self, and not so much her beliefs, I found a lot of inspiration in her memoir.

One of the things I loved about this book was how honest it was. I loved how she mentions times when she felt tired, embarrassed, ecstatic, devastated - when she laughed, when she danced, when she cried.

Her honesty made her seem more real, and the story more real.

Sera talks a lot in her book about doubting herself and her beliefs, which is something I can relate to very well. I often doubt myself. I don't believe I can do the things I want to do, and so I don't even try.

Reading about how Sera felt similar, and also didn't want to try at a lot of things, but ended up forcing herself to do those things because she knew it was right, helped me to realize that sometimes things may feel difficult, or even impossible, but those are usually the things worth doing. Those are the things that most define us, the things that have the greatest rewards and importance.

And this book reminded me that I am human, that I am going to make mistakes and that it's okay to forgive myself.

I lost my book for a little while, but eventually found it under Sidney's bed! She had tried to highlight sentences on her own, which I thought was super cute.

Here are some quotes I found especially inspiring:

"The truth is, if I let myself unleash, if I did what I really wanted to do, I'd probably just mack on random people all day. I'd love their shit up..." - Page 60

This part of the book made me laugh, because similar thoughts have crossed my mind! I honestly think that if I let loose I would make a lot of people very uncomfortable. Actually I know I would, because every now and then I do!

"Skin yourself bare of what is not you." - Page 162

This quote really hit home. I often find myself thinking that I am too weird or strange when I'm being myself. That I might freak people out, or they just won't like me in general if I open myself up to them. But when I do this, I withdraw from social interaction and I just end up feeling miserable. It just feels better to be myself, which is something I have been trying to do more.

"Remember, the process is the point." - Page 245

Sometimes I forget that. I forget to enjoy the journey, to enjoy each and every moment.

Reading someone else's self-love journey has been really inspiring as I continue on my own journey towards self-love.

Thanks,
Cole



The Self-Love Book Club

I came across something pretty awesome on this wicked blog I've been following, The Laughing Medusa, and it's called The Self-Love Book Club!

 

Okay, I have always wanted to be part of a book club, but no body I know wants to start one and the ones around town aren't really my style.

 

However, this particular book club which will be entirely online is not just a book club but it's also a way to help you fall in love with yourself! And I think that everyone could use some self-love. I know I definitely can.

 

 

I immediately jumped at the opportunity to sign up, and I also entered the giveaway to win the first month's book Red, Hot and Holy by Sara Beak. And to my surprise, I won! I've never won a giveaway before, and the fact that I won a book is super exciting. There are very few things in life that I love more than a new book to read. Obviously things that beat new books on my favourites list includes friends, family and definitely food, but books are right up there!

 

There's plenty of time for you to join in, too. It doesn't actually start until September 1st. If you're interested, head on over to Sarah's blog The Laughing Medusa to check it out! And I suggest you stick around and read her blog, because it's pretty awesome.

 

Thanks,

Cole