Thursday, September 06, 2012
Hey guys! Exciting news! I'm giving away 5 copies of Gretchen Rubin's brand new book, Happier at Home, today!
I got an advance copy of the book (faaaancy!) from the publisher, and I read it on the plane to and from Colorado over the weekend... I loved this book.
I was struck by how similar I am to Gretchen in some ways. In the first chapter she wrote:
"...I always have to fight the urge to do nothing. If I didn't have to consider Jamie and my daughters, if I didn't have my mother to coach me along, I'd be living in a studio with bare walls, crooked blinds, and a futon on the floor, forever. For some, that simplicity would seem attractive and perhaps even admirable, but not to me. In my case, it would be the simplicity of evasion and apathy, not the simplicity of beautiful emptiness or voluntary poverty."
It made me think about the way that I engage with my surroundings. While I don't think I'd be living in a studio apartment with nothing more than a futon on the floor if left to my own devices, it did make me realize how I tend to get my surroundings to a point that's acceptable and livable, but not usually much more. I put in the least amount of effort, and then I leave things as they are, often half-finished or not-quite-right. I get apathetic or overwhelmed, and then I do nothing. When Ryan and I moved into our new house in June, we vowed that we were going to work on making our basement into a comfortable hang out space rather than a dumping ground for all the random things we didn't know what to do with, and yet we haven't made the time to do it, and every time I go into the basement it's kind-of depressing and is a reminder of all that I haven't done to make my house a home.
I think I get overwhelmed because there seems to be so much to do all at the same time, but I love how Gretchen broke down the areas she wanted to improve in her home life to increase her happiness and tackled them month by month, one topic at a time, using lists (I LOVE lists!) and charts to keep track. Focusing on just one topic per month makes it seem DOABLE. And that's big for me. If a project or idea seems too big and broad, I will procrastinate and find any reason not to do it.
For example, I've been saying since we moved into our house in June that I want to set up a backyard area for eating and lounging, and I've gotten as far as buying a table. It's sitting sadly in the backyard without any chairs or anything... a little thorn in my side of projects left half-done. While buying chairs isn't a very big thing in and of itself, all of the options for finding chairs overwhelm me: searching for thrift stores to hopefully find the perfect vintage-y chairs, going to IKEA, what about Home Depot?, maybe garage sales are the way to go..... too many options, and then I do nothing.
But Happier at Home is inspiring me to take charge of my home life and make it purposefully happier! I WILL get some chairs this weekend and work on my little backyard area. I'm determined, because I know how happy it'll make me to have a place to sit and hang out in the backyard.
{Gretchen takes on 9 topics in the book, one per month: Possessions, Marriage, Parenthood, Interior Design, Time, Body, Family, Neighborhood, Now.}
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So, now for the giveaway part!
Random House has generously offered to donate 5 copies of Happier at Home to 5 lucky winners!
All you have to do to enter is leave a comment on this post telling me about an area of your home life that could use a happiness injection. :)
Comments will close at 11:59pm on Tuesday September 11th, and the winners will be announced Wednesday morning, September 12th!
Good luck! Can't wait to read your comments.
may you feel connected + seen + adored
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COMMENTS
from me feeling like I'm always confined there. And we put a lot of effort into making it look nice, but now we just kind of take it for granted. My husband and I got married in April, and it would be great to put some energy back into the home, make it a
more enjoyable place to hang out, entertain, to be creative, and just be around... without thinking about work. Cheers!
each other, and literally).
to cook or wash clothes and putting some happiness in my bedroom would be great!!
things that could make such a difference to my happiness in my environment. Gretchen's new book sounds like the perfect antidote; lists and baby steps! I very recently turned my whole world upside down and am working on piecing it back together so that it
finally reflects the true, authentic me. Sometimes I just don't know where to begin, I'm just taking one day at a time and trying not to get freaked out! This book would be a welcome guide!
working from home too! And I asking too mch, you think? :) Would love to have this book, thanks for a great giveaway!
art that I love (mainly your work and Kelly Rae Roberts' pieces) and I'm loving the process of discovering who I am and what makes me happy. I read Gretchen's "The Happiness Project" and loved it. It would be FANTASTIC to win a copy of her new book. :)
& annoyance... ugh! Crossing my fingers for this one!
but now my garage & yard are overflowing. While I run our business - I am actually an artist in my heart of hearts & I'm constantly working towards starting to make the leap & try to sell my art one day. So with all that I often find myself paralyzed by all
that I want to do & my home has many unfinished projects. I plan on purchasing "Happier At Home" to be inspired but it sure would be wonderful to actually win it! -thanks for the opportunity!
REALLY need to focus on gettin my studio together for starters...so many possibilities!
when my surroundings are beautiful! Looks like a great read!
love this book!
to do all of this easily, and I could for anyone else, but when it's for me I get overwhelmed with the possibilities! It spills over into everything else too! I'm adding this to my list of books to read, whether I win it or not. Thanks for sharing!
is right and happy. I started to make my studio more inspirational just last week, but there is still a lot to do, I guess this book would help. : )
and exciting all in one. Deciding what to do with her house full of furniture and things has been a challenging part as has developing the patience to prioritize what needs to be done: it's hard for me to look outside at the mounds of ivy and the dead grass
in the yard yet I need a functioning kitchen and bathroom first. This book sounds like a fantastic way to do all that we're doing, but in a happier, more fun way. Thank you for the giveaway.
in the same area. That's my weekend plan!