Self-Help Happiness Blog

There are some people who pooh pooh self-help books, and perhaps it is true that for them reading is not the ideal way to make improvements.  Perhaps some of them don’t think they need to improve, so I won’t argue with “perfect” people (Who could win an arguement with a perfect person, anyway?)

I came across this interview with writer-director Judd Apatow, commenting on his first time as a producer and how he learned to manage teams:

The first job I had was creating The Ben Stiller Show.  I was 24 and had no idea what I was doing, so I read all these Stephen Covey books like The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.  They are actually really good!  I haven’t read them since, but I have to say, all the answers were in there.” 

The May / June edition of No Limits Magazine features a story by somebody I know well…me!  It came as a surprise, but it was arranged by my Australian publisher, where you can pick up a copy of 9 Habits of Happiness if you live in Australia or in New Zealand.

The story, by the way, is one of my favorites from a few years back, when we ran into some unexpected adversity on what should have been a highlight of our honeymoon…and how we turned things around (so it ended up being a highlight of our honeymoon, despite the Wicked Witch Stella!).

The story is just one of many tales I weaved into the book. 

The third annual World Conference on Gross National Happiness has just finished a couple months ago, and I just came across this interesting report on the conference.  I like this article, contrasting Western and Eastern values.  I can also refer you to a somewhate dated but much more detailed NY Times article on the topic. 

Here is a map of Gross National Happiness among nations:

Gross National Happiness Map

Maclean’s Magazine, November 5 - one of the cover stories is:

Why Men Are Getting Happier (and women more miserable)

The article reviews how the changing roles of women and men in western society are leading to happier men and less happy women.  Just for the record, yes I did choose to stay at home with our kids, no I did not bum around, yes I did build a business from home, and yes both my wife and I share in the joys and stresses of balancing two kids and two careers.

*  Maclean’s is Canada’s national news magazine, and should be available at pretty much any major library in the world.