Review: 30 Days to Happiness: Daily Meditations and Actions for Finding True Joy Within Yourself by Rhonda Sciortino

4 stars for 30 Days to Happiness: Daily Meditations and Actions for Finding True Joy Within Yourself by Rhonda Sciortino.

I read this book because I am curious about its content. Is it possible to find true happiness in a mere 30 days?

What is happiness? According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary, happiness is a state of well-being and contentment. Sure, everyone wants to be happy, but not many know the way to get there and this explanation of a feeling of being happy doesn't actually tell us much, does it?

This book tells us what happiness, or rather, true happiness is. It is a treasure trove of rich wisdom and practical tips for acquiring and maintaining true happiness. It recognises the need to first determine that which stands in the way of our being happy and then the steps to take in order to pursue, attain and maintain happiness. It tells us how courage, honesty, reliability, listening and many more can help with lighting the path to a happier life and how the choice to stay positive will lead to genuine sustainable happiness.

I like that each chapter is short and starts off with a quote. Some of the quotes actually stick with me that I decide to include them in my list of quotes taken verbatim from books I have read. The concepts are easy to grasp and self reflect upon. Overall, this little book is a do-good book. It tells us to be good, to do good and to improve upon our character. It is a good book, all right, but the reality is, it is easier said than done, especially for the recommended actions at the end of each chapter. I know I am being skeptical, but seriously, I doubt anyone can attain that level of goodness listed herein.

30 Days to Happiness is actually not a 30-day effort in the real sense of things, but rather a daily practice to be adopted as a way of life. This book is after all only a guide, one that spells everything out in words and in print, to bring us closer to inner peace and joy. To attain and maintain genuine happiness, there must be a willingness to change, commitment to improve and the perseverance to see the actions through to where we want to be.

Daily actions to finding true happiness. Anyone?

Review: Spark Joy: An Illustrated Guide to the Japanese Art of Tidying by Marie Kondo

3 stars for Spark Joy: An Illustrated Guide to the Japanese Art of Tidying by Marie Kondo.

Marie Kondo is the envy of most, if not all, simply for what she has done by turning her passion into a business, and a successful one at that judging from her TV shows and millions of copies of books sold. The thing is, precisely because of all the hype, I have been put off reading her book until now.

According to Marie Kondo, the goal in tidying is to create a living environment filled with the things we love and what matters ultimately is keeping the things that bring us joy and discarding those that do not. She believes that tidying up is more than simply deciding what to keep and what not. She advocates that it is a priceless opportunity for learning, one that allows us to reassess our relationship with our possessions and in doing so, create the lifestyle that brings us the most joy. Hence, Spark Joy.

The book is aptly titled. Short and sweet and to the point. It is interesting to read about the Japanese way of tidying, specifically the KonMari method. Her illustrations are charmingly good; easy to understand and self-explanatory. But that's all to it. I will say her methods and solutions are kind of peculiar. Perhaps that's because it is the Japanese way or maybe it is just uniquely hers. But no matter which, it is not likely to be a method I will use in my decluttering. For one, it sure feels funny to give thanks to my belongings before discarding them. It may be a method I employ for young children during a clean-up exercise, but not for an adult, and definitely not me.

I actually read Spark Joy first, way before I started reading Change Your Habits, Change Your Life. But in the end, I finish the latter first as I have difficulty picking this one up where I leave off almost every single time. It just doesn't spark the - reading or tidying or cleaning - joy that I expect it to. Sorry to say, there are a few times I almost feel like giving up. I am glad when the end is in sight.

Though I still cannot understand what the hype has been all about after reading Spark Joy that does not give me sparks of happiness, I think it may still be a good book for those trying to get organised.

Review: Change Your Habits, Change Your Life: Strategies that Transformed 177 Average People into Self-Made Millionaires by Tom Corley

5 stars for Change Your Habits, Change Your Life: Strategies that Transformed 177 Average People into Self-Made Millionaires by Tom Corley.

This book reminds me of another book originally published in 1989 titled The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey. It's kind of embarrassing to say this, I have crossed path with that book umpteen times over the years but I have never read that book nor intended to. Somehow that title just never appeals to me. Now that I have read this book, I may get down to reading The 7 Habits some day. One day.

There is pretty much nothing new that we don't already know about the key to transforming our lives. Habits. It is all about habits. Good habits versus bad habits. Rich habits versus poor habits. New habits versus old habits. Eliminating old poor habits versus replacing them with new rich habits. Yes, rich habits not only put us on the path to success, they will also put us on the path to happiness. And ain't success and happiness on everybody's radar?

However, before we can change for the better, we need to first understand habits. This book is a good place to start. It provides a good understanding to why habits exist and how they are formed. Armed with a better understanding to habits, the book then goes further to highlight the powerful habits that create success before revealing to us the strategies to getting rid of habits that are holding us back in life.

After reading Change Your Habits, Change Your Life, I am beyond happy to say that unconsciously, I am already practising many of what the author coined as powerful habits that create success. This book helps to reaffirm my habits, that they are good habits and I need only to keep up with the good work and perhaps make a few other changes, to fulfill my own version of success and happiness.

The change has started.
My life is changing.
It will never be the same.

Review: Slow: Live Life Simply by Brooke McAlary

3 stars for Slow: Live Life Simply by Brooke McAlary.

January's been a busy month with lots of changes and adjustments. I don't remember ever posting just one book review in an entire month. It feels just so... not me. Where has all my time gone to? Deep down, actually, I do know the answer. I have made the deliberate decision to slow down, to exercise more, to rest more and to not stay up late into the night to read.

That brings me to this book. I read it because I like the laid-back title. I do admit, the thickness of this hardcover book put me off initially, but eventually, I decide to borrow it from the library and lug it all the way home.

All things considered, this is not bad a book on self-help except for the sheer volume. I enjoy reading the part where the author talks about mindfulness and her version of a slow life, which in her mind's eye is that of a cabin in the woods. I believe each of us has our own version of the cabin in the woods. It may be a house by the beach, or the beach itself, or a tree or a river or even a hilltop. It is a place where we want to seek refuge in when the hustle and bustle of life seems too much for us to bear.

Truth be told, in this Year of Less, not only am I taking action to drop things out slowly until I am left with only what I deem necessary, I am also looking forward to my version of a cabin in the woods, to slow down and to live life simply. To that end, this book is a good introduction to why a slower life is a more contented one and how we can go about achieving it.

I agree with the author that there is no perfect way to live life simply, only the recognition of what to rid of slowly but surely until one is left with what is necessary and with what makes one happy. I also agree with the way the author describes slow living. So, I will end this review off with a passage - that I really like - taken verbatim from the book.

"Slow living is a curious mix of being prepared and being prepared to let go. Caring more and caring less. Saying yes and saying no. Being present and walking away. Doing the important things and forgetting those that aren't. Grounded and free. Heavy and light. Organised and flexible. Complex and simple."