How do you find happiness in your Second Act? That was the question author Gretchen Rubin was determined to find an answer to in her new book, Secrets of Adulthood
The writer became a happiness expert after spending a year trying to discover what brought her joy after realising the only thing she wanted in life was to be happy, but did nothing to make it happen.
Her 2009 book, The Happiness Project, was loved by Oprah Winfrey and went straight into the New York Times bestseller list, with over two million copies sold worldwide. The project has since become her life's work with podcasts, talks and daily blogs helping millions of people to find their happiness.
© InstagramNow as she approaches her sixth decade, Gretchen's new book, Secrets of Adulthood, has a section dedicated to the project of happiness.
She serves up nuggets of advice she has gleaned from her life and tries to answer the burning question everyone has for her – "How can I be happier?"
"We're all different, there can't be a one-size-fits-all answer to tell us how to achieve our aims," Gretchen says, adding that self-knowledge is the key to opening the door to happiness, building on the foundation of our own values, interests, strengths and temperament.
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It can however be hard to know ourselves, she says. "We can be distracted by the way we wish we were, or by what we think we ought to be, or by what others assume we are, we lose sight of what's actually true. But when we know ourselves, we can shape our lives to reflect our own nature and values."
© GettyHere on World Happiness Day, we share the thought-provoking takeaways from the chapter from the book titled 'The Project of Happiness' - read, reflect and be happy.
1. Happiness doesn't always make us feel happy
Living up to our values, challenging ourselves, facing our mistakes, depriving ourselves… these aims make our lives happier, but they don't always make us feel happy in the moment.
2. One of the best ways to make yourself happy is to make others happy
And in turn, one of the best ways to make others happy is to be happy yourself.
© Getty Images3. There is no right way to create a happier life
Just as there is no best way to cook an egg.
4. It's hard to be happy
If we're not happy at home; it's hard to be happy if we're not happy at work.
Secrets of Adulthood by Gretchen Rubin is out April 3
