Gretchen Rubin has written a few books on happiness, but I figured everyone could use a few of her tips on being “Happier at Home.”
Here are some of Gretchen’s quotes from her book “Happier at Home”
They say that research is “me-search.” -Gretchen Rubin I like this thought because it truly resonates with the idea of taking time to figure out your own personal needs. I don’t think we take the time to do this, to truly understand ourselves and our needs on different levels. We have needs on a personal level, home level, work level, relationship level, etc. Those areas become better when we take the time to figure out what we need from the various situations of life.
“In particular, I’d realized that although I possessed all the elements of a happy life, too often I took my circumstances for granted and allowed myself to become overly vexed by petty annoyances or fleeting worries. I’d wanted to appreciate my life more, and to live up to it better.” -GR I think this quote is true for each and every one of us. There are times when we allow things to push us to surrender. We become vexed by the petty and allow things to shadow the beauty in our lives. When we are able to see the happy things, to have a heart of gratitude for the little things that make life better, we begin to come from a place that is good for everyone.
“Certainly I had paradoxical wishes for my home…What would be true for me? My home should calm me and energize me. It should be a comforting, quiet refuge and a place of excitement and possibility. It should call to my mind the past, the present and the future. It should be a snuggery of privacy and reflection, but also a gathering place that strengthened my engagement with other people. By making me feel safe, it should embolden me to take risks. I wanted a feeling of home so strong that no matter where I went, I would take that feeling with me; at the same time, I wanted to find adventure without leaving my apartment. My home should suit me, and also suit {my family]. But as I considered this list, I saw that these weren’t, in fact, contradictory desires. My home could be both wading pool and diving board.” -GR What would be TRUE for you? What desires do you have for your home and the feelings within it? “To ‘feel right,’ I’d look for ways to make my home more closely reflect my values, to make sure that the life I’m living is the life I ought to be living. My ordinary routine should reflect the things most important to me.”
“We need to project ourselves into the things around us. My self is not confined to my body. It extends into all things I have made and all the things around me. Without these things, I would not be myself.” -Carl Jung
“Some research suggests that spending money on an experience brings more happiness than buying a possession” -GR Think back on the experiences with your family–the trips, the plays, the spontaneous adventures. They are priceless. I think everyone would agree that you will always remember the walk on the beach with your Dad over the writing pen he gave you. You will remember the quality time over any possession. One idea to tie things together for memory sake–Maybe you purchase something that reminds you of your amazing trip to the Canadian Rockies. “I read a fascinating study about people’s relationships to their possessions, and in particular, what made a thing ‘special.’ What the researchers found was that usually it wasn’t the object itself that was so special, but the important memories or associations invoked by the thing.”-GR
“There is no one right way to happiness, but only the way that’s right for a particular person–which is why mindfulness matters so much to happiness. To be happier, I have to notice what I’m doing, and why, and how it makes me feel. Research suggests that mindful people tend to be happier, are more likely to feel self-confident and grateful and less likely to feel anxious or depressed, and have heightened self-knowledge.” -GR
It only makes sense to surround yourself with beautiful things that inspire creativity and growth, love and harmony. Look around you. How do you feel?
“I knew that people who travel to new places and try new things are happier than those who stick only to the familiar.” -GR I am sure everyone can relate and understand this quote. When you travel to any new place you have a sense of awakening. It is as if a new door has been opened and their is a spring of newness to enjoy.
“Research shows that people who remind themselves of the excellence and beauty in their lives have a greater sense of meaning and happiness.” -GR A grateful heart has no bounds.
“Benjamin Franklin observed of his own happiness project, “On the whole, tho’ I never arrived at the Perfection I had been so ambitious of obtaining, but fell far short of it, yet as I was by the Endeavor a better and a happier Man than I otherwise should have been, if I had not attempted it.” -GR As we are always striving to become better we will find opportunities to grow. Wisdom comes in all we strive to learn from.
“My home was a reflection of me:It would be serene, festive, loving and welcoming only if I brought that spirit to it. To feel more at home at home, I must carry my home, my treasure, within me. A happy home wasn’t a place that I could furnish, but an attitude of mind I must develop.” -GR Hold forever in your heart that happy place.
“Now is now. Here is my treasure.”-GR This moment and every moment is a gift. enjoy.
Thank you Gretchen Rubin for your thoughts and inspired work.
Peace to all of you today. May it be a blessed day. -H
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