Book Review: The Happiness Handbook By Jenn Flaa

THE HAPPINESS HANDBOOK
A User’s Manual for Living Your Extraordinary Life

By: Jenn Flaa

Published: May 10, 2012

We arrive on this planet naked and without operating instructions. We live our lives and learn from trial and error (lots of errors) what works, what doesn’t work, what makes us happy and what pisses us off.

Each new person that comes into our lives gets no user’s manual and has to figure us out the hard way. But what if we changed the rules? What if we wrote our own user’s manual, The Happiness Handbook, about what makes us tick and gave it to the people we love most?

Imagine how that would change our interactions and our lives. People would begin to do what makes us happy and … we would be happy! If someone received our Happiness Handbook and chose not to follow it, well then, we could choose not to hang out with them more quickly.
The Happiness Handbook is about empowering the reader to discover their own unique ways of being that lead to unlocking their full potential and becomes their guide for leading the extraordinary life they were born to fulfill.

The Happiness Handbook is written in a warm, friendly and informal tone; as if a girl friend were guiding the reader through their process of self discovery. Peppered with humbling, humorous anecdotes and stories; the reader has a practical, seasoned guide and partner in crime as they work the exercises and use the tools to move from unhappy to happy!


I am reviewing THE HAPPINESS HANDBOOK as part of the Virtual Author Book Tour.  When I read about it, I knew this would be a book that would fit into my focus of being happy, worrying less and letting the anger go.  Even though this book is a quick read, it does encourage a lot of thought, reflection and journaling.  So, it certainly isn’t something you should rush through if you want to get the full benefit of its material.

Flaa starts off by telling the reader that there are 3 Steps to Happiness:  

1. Deciding what makes you happy
2. Communicating that to others
3. Doing your “Happy Dance”

By taking each of the steps, Flaa walks you through your own process of finding out what makes you happy and then how to respond when others do things that make you happy.  It sounds so simple, really, but after reading and writing my way through the book, I found myself having several “AHA” moments. For example, actually naming the things the make you happy and thanking the giver immediately…when someone does something like empty the dishwasher without being asked….that makes my heart happy….and it is important for me to show that happiness.  By saying, “Thanks! Emptying the dishwasher without me having to ask you makes me so happy!”  By doing that, you are much more likely to have it given to you again and again!

This book has several pages for you to journal your own personal happiness.  With pages devoted to your needs, wants and your favorites, you can truly think about what makes you do your own personal “Happy Dance” and then focus on how to get more of those things into your daily life.  I know for me, it was just helpful to answer some of those questions, like my favorite wine, favorite flower, favorite dessert, etc.  Then once you have gotten your journal pages complete, it is your job to make sure those people in your life know what will truly make you happy. As someone who LOVES giving gifts, I would love to have one of these for each of the people I give gifts to.  Being able to give a loved one a gift that is something that truly makes them happy is what I strive for every time I shop for gifts.  You can also refer back to these pages when you need a reminder of all the things that make you happy…like a gorgeous sunset, a baby’s giggle, or watching a favorite movie…and then making the time to find or do those things.    

If you are struggling with a loss of a job, a relationship or have lost someone you love and are trying to work happiness back into your life, this is an excellent book to help you place the focus on the positive.  One idea the book gave was a vision board/collage.  I have found that taping photos of my family, as well as favorite verses and quotes, to my bathroom mirror helps me stay positive.  

If you are trying to get your happiness back, find a new happiness, or just want to focus more on the positive side of life, this is a great book to get you back on track.

To purchase THE HAPPINESS HANDBOOK, click the photo below: