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| April 2008 Newsletter Good Books Happy For No Reason: If you've spent any time browsing nonfiction books lately, you might have noticed quite a few titles on the shelves with the word happy or happiness featured on the front cover. There are books reporting on the science of happiness, books revealing the habits of already happy people, and books teaching how to become happy or be happier than you are. Below are some of the books I've seen: 100 Simple Secrets of Happy People by David Niven For the record, I've been unhappy and I've been happy, and I definitely prefer happy. But glancing at the list above, I'm reminded of how many expectations there are around being happy. What if you aren't happy now or never really have been? What if you've already tried your best and happiness still escapes you? Is happy better than unhappy? What can we learn about being happy that will deepen our understanding and experience, and move us toward an authenticity and wholeness that includes depression and unhappiness? I chose to review Happy For No Reason because of the title. Learning about the possibility of being happy—for no reason—struck me as a powerful life tool, especially when I discovered that author Marci Shimoff described herself as “unhappy from the get-go.” Her book was born out of her “own deep longing to be happy.” In researching the question “Could a person actually be happy for no reason?” Marci Shimoff eventually located and interviewed 100 deeply happy individuals who she refers to as the Happy 100. Regardless of the particulars of their stories, Shimoff observed that these individuals seemed to live free of the Myth of More and the Myth of I'll-Be-Happy-When. Their stories also exhibited several principles at work in their lives: what expands you makes you happier, the universe is out to support you, and what you appreciate, appreciates. The seven steps mentioned in the subtitle make up the how-to chapters of the book and include: take ownership of your happiness, don't believe everything you think (my favorite), let love lead, make your cells happy, plug yourself into spirit, live a life inspired by purpose, and cultivate nourishing relationships. Each of the steps introduces three happiness habits, all of which are followed by one of the Happy 100 interview stories, and an exercise to do. In her choice of accompanying exercises Shimoff often draws from, and credits, the work of others, so that readers are introduced to many helpful resources they might choose to explore further. The book begins with an excellent overview of what is already known about happiness. It offers readers inspiration and ideas to try on their own, simple ideas that can significantly influence the way we feel. At the back of the book there is a generous list of resources that includes books, web sites, techniques, and more. ”When you're Happy for No Reason, you bring happiness to your outer experiences rather than trying to extract happiness from them. You don't need to manipulate the world around you to try to make yourself happy. You live from happiness, rather than for happiness.” -Marci Shimoff The Happiness Project The Three “Only” Things: If you desire to be more awake in life, to expand the limits of your awareness, and to gain a deeper experience of unseen connections, this book is a useful guide. Moss uses stories—from history, his own life, and the lives of people he meets through work and travel—to demonstrate how dreams, coincidence and imagination make their appearance in our lives and how we can tap their power for guidance and healing. This is not an in-depth how-to book; it's more an introductory overview, but an excellent one. The title comes from reactions the author encounters repeatedly: “It's only a dream.” “It's only a coincidence.” “It's only my imagination.” Instead of minimizing these experiences, Moss teaches how to recognize them and how to extract the messages, direct or indirect, that they contain. In each of the three parts of the book, there is a chapter devoted to everyday ways to develop the ability to use our own dreams, coincidence and imagination: Everyday Dream Games, Asking the Everyday Oracle, and Building in the Imagination. By taking time to read The Three “Only” Things and apply these three chapters, you will acquaint yourself with simple techniques for using information that is readily available, but frequently overlooked. According to Moss, this underutilized information will help you feel more clear and confident about life. “Living this way—even for just five minutes of dedicated time each day—we put ourselves in touch with our inner truth. We find our inner compass and get a “second opinion” on vital personal issues in the midst of confusion and conflicting agendas. We open and sustain a dialog with a Self that is wiser than what Yeats called “the daily trivial mind.” We allow ourselves to move effortlessly into creative flow.” -Robert Moss
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phone: 651-644-7766 • mail@LaurieMattila.com • www.LaurieMattila.com Bless the time spent here… seeking listening dreaming.
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