Self-Development Book Club - The Happiness Project

tracymartorana4
Dec 21, 2025
5 min read

We are on number twelve of my Self-Development Book Club books. If you haven't been following along, at the beginning of the year, I set a goal for myself to read or reread at least one self-development book a month and then share it with you. You can find all of my Book Club YouTube videos in this playlist. Be sure to check them out!

What was my final book of the year? I'm re-reading The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin to set myself up for a great 2026! The subtitle to this book is a long one: "Or, Why I Spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning, Clean My Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle, and Generally Have More Fun."

I love Gretchen Rubin. When I decided to pull this book off the shelf for my December read, I realized I own four of her books. As a matter of fact, her book Outer Order | Inner Calm was my SDBC pick back in September. If you missed it, check it out HERE.

The Happiness Project was published in 2009, but it is still very relevant if you want to make some changes to improve your life in 2026. In fact, the reason Rubin wrote this book, according to the dust jacket, is because she had an epiphany that "The days are long, but the years are short. Time is passing, and I'm not focusing enough on the things that really matter."

Watch Me Talk About It

The Happiness Project - Summary

In the beginning of her book, Rubin explains the impetus for the book. She was feeling a bit of "midlife malaise". She knew she had a great life, but felt she was taking too much for granted and not really focusing on the important things. She remembered a quote from an author named Colette, "What a wonderful life I've had! I only wish I'd realized it sooner." Rubin felt that, despite all the blessings in her life, she wasn't as happy as she should be. To remedy this, she set about developing a personalized happiness project for herself.

One of the things I love about Gretchen Rubin is her analytical mind. She had a lofty, slightly woo-woo goal of increasing her happiness. She took that goal, analyzed it, broke it down, and created actionable steps to ensure she achieved it. Not everyone can do that!

She started by identifying 12 categories that the experts (and experience) say play essential roles in your overall happiness...one topic for each month. Then, within each one, she created some specific actions.

And before we get into the monthly topics, we must address two crazy-important lists she shares in the chapter Getting Started.

Gretchen's Twelve Commandments

These are overarching principles she identified that she felt would help her keep her monthly resolutions.

Be Gretchen
Let it go
Act the way I want to feel
Do it now
Be polite and fair
Enjoy the process
Spend out
Identify the problem
Lighten up
Do what ought to be done
No calculation
There is only love

I feel like if you did nothing else but embrace these 12 commandments, you would be doing great!

But then she came up with another list of 21 Secrets of Adulthood. I will share a few of them below. To learn more, pick up a copy of her book!

Gretchen's Secrets of Adulthood (6 of the 21 she shared)

Most decisions don't require extensive research.
Bring a sweater.
By doing a little bit each day, you can get a lot accomplished.
What you do every day matters more than what you do once in a while.
Soap and water remove most stains.
What's fun for other people may not be fun for you - and vice versa.

Gretchens Monthly Focus and Resolutions

Note - some of these won't make a whole lot of sense unless you read the book. Order your copy HERE.

January - Boost Energy

Go to sleep earlier.
Exercise better.
Toss, restore, organize.
Tackle a nagging task.
Act more energetic.

February - Remember Love

Quit nagging.
Don't expect praise or appreciation.
Fight right.
No dumping
Give proofs of love.

March - Aim Higher

Launch a blog.
Enjoy the fun of failure.
Ask for help.
Work smart.
Enjoy now.

April - Lighten Up

Sing in the morning.
Acknowledge the reality of people's feelings.
Be a treasure house of happy memories.
Take time for projects.

May - Be Serious About Play

Find more fun.
Take time to be silly.
Go off the path.
Start a collection.

June - Make Time For Friends

Remember birthdays.
Be generous.
Show up.
Don't gossip.
Make three new friends.

July - Buy Some Happiness

Indulge in a modest splurge.
Buy needful things.
Spend out.
Give something up.

August - Contemplate the Heavens

Read memoirs of catastrophe.
Keep a gratitude notebook.
Imitate a spiritual master.

September - Pursue a Passion

Write a novel.
Make time.
Forget about results.
Master a new technology.

October - Pay Attention

Meditate on koans.
Examine True Rules.
Stimulate the mind in new ways.
Keep a food diary.

November - Keep a Contented Heart

Laugh out loud.
Use good manners.
Give positive reviews.
Find an area of refuge.

December - Boot Camp Perfect

Boot camp perfect - dial in all the resolutions and attempt to keep them all going.

Was she successful? I suppose it depends on your definition of a happiness project's success. Was she perfect at keeping her resolutions? Absolutely NOT! Did she feel happier in the end? DEFINITELY.

Last Thoughts

There are many ways to use this book for self-development. Here are just a few...

Work through the book using her exact resolutions.
Use her monthly themes, but personalize the resolutions.
Use a few of her monthly themes, but also create a few that are unique to you.
Ignore the themes and simply choose 12 of the specific resolutions to focus on throughout the year.
Find inspirations for just 1 or 2 things you want to work on in 2026. Keep them small.

Even if you have no desire to create resolutions, reading the book will likely make you consider a few of your habits and behaviors and possibly inspire you to be a better version of yourself.