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LONGBEACHMAGAZINE.COM 65 Caring For Your Pets Like Family Greg Perrault, DVM 627 Redondo Ave, Long Beach 562.439.4228 catsanddogsah.com *mention this ad for a complimentary exam (new clients only) ANIMAL HOSPITAL TM She asked herself in that moment, "What do I want from life, anyway?" The answer was simple — "I want to be happy." However, she had never really reflected on what made her happy, or on the things that she could do to make herself happier. Rubin wasn't ungrateful for the life that she had going for her. She was married to the love of her life, had two beautiful daughters, and lived in her dream city, New York. But, she realized that too often she would get snippy with her husband and lost her temper more easily. She'd drifted from her friends, and would have sudden bouts of melancholy or insecurity. She knew she wasn't depressed or suffering from a midlife crisis, but wondered if because she was feeling so comfortable with everything that had fallen into her lap, could it really be her? Was she really so fortunate that she was simply going through the motions? She didn't want to look back on her life and realize she was only happy sometimes. And so, she made the decision to dedicate a year of her life to improving her happiness. Rubin knew this was going to be no effortless task. "I could barely remember to stop at the drugstore to buy toothpaste," she writes. "It didn't seem realistic to think that I could incorporate these high aims into my everyday routine." Realizing that she didn't have time to spare to start this project, she knew she had to make the time. Knowing she wanted to focus on a different subject to improve each month, she decided that a new task each month — for a year — would be an excellent start. The subjects range from her different social bonds of "marriage", "parenthood", and "friends", to her perspectives, like "attitude", and "eternity". Being a former lawyer and knowing that work was crucial to her happiness, Rubin also incorporated "work", "play", and "passion" into the project's subject list. "'Energy' seemed like a basic ingredient for the success of the entire project," she states. "Money" was also a subject she knew she wanted to address, and decided that December would be the month she concentrated on all of the resolutions together. Starting on January 1 of the following year, Rubin was determined to kick off her happiness project. Each subject had an assigned chapter in the order she accomplished them, and each chapter had a set of routines to aid in further accomplishing the task at hand. For instance, "Energy" was chosen in January as the first step in Rubin's happiness project, and with it came such goals as going to sleep earlier, exercising more, and acting more energetic. The organization and details of the project help in guiding the reader through Rubin's personal experiences, and show that the right amount of effort can go a long way. The Happiness Project, while giving examples of simple tasks one can change to better their satisfaction of the connection between inner joy and outer order, also shows that you can do it, too. All it takes is a little thinking and reevaluating of the things that really make you happy, and how you can increase the steps that get you there. Rubin suggests that the time to start is when everything is going smoothly. "I didn't want to wait for a crisis to remake my life." n The Happiness Project Harper Collins, 296 pp $25.99