The Happiness Project | Review




I began this year with such good intentions. I am newly single and excited about the adventures I can now plan. I decided this year - instead of just talking about it - I would actually make positive, happy changes in my life. I told myself 2014 would be my year. I would look back and it will be the year I learned to like myself. I would only do things to make ME happy - not in a selfish, I'm the only person that matters kind of way- in a I need to address the issues I have about myself and work on smiling more.

I stumbled across this book the day I got dumped. It was an impulse buy. Picture this, I am in my Christmas pyjamas, I can hardly see through my tears, The Holiday is on the TV - in my opinion the best Christmas film there is - and I'm half way through a bottle of red wine. Amazon 'one click buy' has a lot to answer to most of the time but when this beautiful book landed on my door mat I knew that things were looking up. It was the cover that initially caught my eye, I finished it that night.

All of a sudden my break-up seemed a thing of the past and I began to re-evaluate my life. I looked at the wonderful things around me. My wonderful family, my patient friends, my life was great I just couldn't quite see it yet.

I started first by looking at my negative points - stay with me it gets happier. Why do men walk all over me and break my heart? Why do friends also walk all over me? Why do I nag? Why do I moan? Why isn't anything ever good enough? And then it clicked, I didn't like myself very much at all!

So I set out to make positive changes, I would concentrate on me, and only me for 18-months.

I bet you're all thinking, why 18-months, well I have figured out by my 26th birthday I want to have fulfilled all the things that will truly make me happy. I sat down with my Mum and brother and we came up with 25 things before I'm 26. Believe me it's harder than you think. I have obvious ones on there like travel more, save money, lose weight. But then I decided on things that would make me a better person. For example perform 25 random acts of kindness, learn how to swim, learn another language. All these things shape you as a person and by my 26th birthday I will like me again.

Like in The Happiness Project I will target something in my life each month that makes me unhappy, then at the end of said month I will tell you guys how it's all going.

So welcome to MY happiness project, I hope it inspires you to make positive changes too.





Let's make 2014 the year of happiness,

Laurie Rose