In her book, “The Happiness Project” Gretchen Rubin challenges herself to find greater happiness in her ordinary life. She chooses to make adjustments that affect her day-to-day existence in order to achieve and sustain the feeling of happiness. She does this so that when a crisis occurs (she worries about the future health of her husband), she’ll have learned the tools to stay happy.

She’s about finding happiness before the crisis.

What about after the crisis? Can a happiness project help increase happiness then? Can tools and techniques be learned after the crisis to increase happiness?

So, starting July 1, 2010, we’re sponsoring a happiness research project. Every month for one year, we’ll change a habit, start a ritual, begin anew. And, then we’ll look to see if there’s a difference in a happiness level from Day 1 to Day 365.

You can join our Happiness Project at any point along the way, whether it be December or April. We’d love for you to join us! When you do, here’s what you’ll commit to:

1. Completing a short survey at the start and end of our project. We’re measuring your happiness and whether or not your happiness affects your health (we’re measuring your health by your weight and blood pressure so be sure to have these numbers).

2. Applying a new tool, idea or behavior each month to your daily routine. Here’s our list of planned actions (not necessarily in order): Plan, Replace, Space, Join, Resolve, Let Go, Quiet, Teach, Learn, Rejoice, Save, Say. The goal at the end of each month is to turn an effective action into a helpful habit.

3. Sticking with us for 12 months. But, life happens. Just let me know if you have to withdraw.

4. Doing your best because that’s all this is about: How can you be at your best during a difficult time of your life?

5. Sharing your experiences each month on Caregiving.com. Each month, we’ll discuss the action. We’d love for you tell us: What’s working? What’s not? If you’d like, you can keep a journal of your experiences with our happiness project.

Participants will receive:

1. A monthly email with an action, plus suggestions and resources, to take during the month. The action will serve only as a guide–you choose how to interpret and apply each action. I’ll also record a special “Happiness Project” show each month on Your Caregiving Journey to further discuss the month’s action.

2. The opportunity to share this experience with a community of other family caregivers.

3. A discount (10%) off coaching services with me. You can choose to schedule a 30-minute coaching session at the discounted rate of $67.50 as often as needed throughout our project. Stuck in a month? Schedule a coaching session to get unstuck.

Be sure to subscribe to our Caregiving Deals weekly newsletter. We’ll do our best to offer deals on products and services to help you with each month’s action.

To participate in our study, complete the quick survey questionnaire here. In the survey, we ask for your weight and blood pressure; you’ll want to have these numbers before you begin the survey. (We’ll keep these numbers confidential.)

Questions? Feel free to email me.

Thanks for joining us!

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