Who doesn’t want to be happy? We’re constantly searching for happiness. One of the things that makes me happy as an avid reader and and a blogger is that I get access to a lot of books free! So when I saw an offer from Story Cartel to review Happy Every Day – Simple, Effective Ways To Better Days, I was hardly likely to turn it down, was I?
The author of the book is Bryan Hutchinson, who has a blog called Positive Writer.
In Happy Every Day, Bryan is not attempting to sell you the concept of happiness or promise you the perfect life. To quote him
I learned the secret to living up to and going beyond one’s potential is: Happiness. Being happy is the secret. Not freakishly happy, as if nothing ever goes wrong………No, I’m talking about real, lasting happiness. The kind that lets you know the sun will eventually shine again……
Now that’s the kind of practical stuff I like to read. The book is written like a series of blog posts, which personally, I found quite an interesting style. The idea is to read one chapter a day and journal based on the suggestions given at the end of each chapter. Most of his ideas are quite practical and might seem simplistic at first. But I do believe, if one was to follow them with an open mind, it would definitely make a lot of difference.
For example, one of the chapters is Kindness and he has included simple things we could do to show kindness to others. The journal exercise accompanying this is to write down all the kind things you did in the day. This is a sure way to increase your self-esteem. If you do this on a regular basis, you can revisit all your ‘kindness’ entries and appreciate yourself more.
I found that some of the chapters were a bit shallow and could have been explored in more depth. For example, the chapter on Forgiveness, not the easiest of subjects, could have done with more work.
I would have hoped that the book would be error free, but I did spot some grammar and punctuation errors.
Overall the book gets a 7 on 10 rating from me.
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- Review of ‘Happy Every Day’ by Bryan Hutchinson (charlieray45.wordpress.com)
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A frank review. Its a bit difficult to be happy everyday. If one strives hard just to be happy then that happiness is fake .
Thanks, Kalpana. Happiness is pretty simple actually – a new way of looking at life – no need to try at all – we just make a choice to be happy and we are!
Corinne Rodrigues recently posted..Listen To Your Heart
Being happy all the time is a little unrealistic. At peace with oneself and what happens is doable. Being at peace fuels happiness in my humble opinion. Great review of the book. I loved that you didn’t sugar coat it and told what was lacking along with what was good. ♥
Kathy recently posted..Birthdays
Thanks, Kathy. I think contentment and being at peace with oneself are all part of being happy.
Corinne Rodrigues recently posted..Hers Is The Face I Can’t Forget
Looks like the kind of book I like to read where simple connects are made in small doses. Nice .
Rainbow Hues recently posted..Look Who’s Chatty Now
A brilliant review!!Happiness is a state of our mind. We CAN be happy all the time if we are living in a cordial and peaceful atmosphere.
Usha Menon recently posted..Reading, reading, reading
Love the picture quote… it is so very true! Happiness doesn’t depend on any external conditions, it is governed by our mental attitude.
Shilpa Garg recently posted..Are You A Smartphone Addict?
The book sounds interesting and I’d love to be able to just be happy everyday but I don’t think it’s possible. I’m always a little wary when someone portrays pure happy, laughing, all is fine traits 24/7. But I’m sure this book has some good tips for people to add to their life.
I’ve heard that writing a book is very difficult and to get it published can be a nightmare for some. So, it’s a shame that you found so many errors etc at the end of the process.
Rum Punch Drunk recently posted..Blogger’s Plague
A very balanced review!
I believe I’m a happy person. That does not mean I believe everything is hunky-dory in my life and in the world.
I’m not sure if there can be any easy formula or recipe for happiness.
Proactive Indian recently posted..Can we overcome? Yes We Can!
Agree with the view about adjusting perspectives. Honest review.
AlkaGurha recently posted..Who lit the fire?
I used to think “Happiness” meant running around all giddy and giggly…. but it does not.
To me, Happiness is about feeling peace, contentment, purpose…& knowing this is not the END.
Yes. This is it!
Great post, Sweet Corinne. xx
My Inner Chick recently posted..13 Things That Turn Me On
Great, honest review, Corinne! From what I could gather, I think what the author was really talking about was not the concept of “happiness”, but the concept of “joy.” When we have a deep and abiding joy in the Lord, we won’t necessarily be “happy” every day, but we will be at peace, trusting in His will.
Blessings, my friend!
Martha Orlando recently posted..We Walk by Faith
Being happy everyday is a wonderful concept. BUT for me I can fluctuate being happy from one moment to not being happy in the next. Sounds like an interesting book to check out. I do feel like happiness every single day is a choice we have to make when we get out of bed for ourselves and a path that can be hard to follow.
Amanda recently posted..Glitter, Glitter – EVERYWHERE