The Happiness Makeover: How to Teach Yourself to Be Happy and Enjoy Every Day

by M.J. Ryan

We all want the things that we’re sure will make us happy—money, success, independence, love. But when we finally get them, we can find to our surprise that we are the same miserable, moody, or just neutral people we always were. Why is that? Is it us? Is our ability to be happy genetically programmed in us like the color of our eyes?

Luckily not. You can teach yourself to be happy and enjoy every day, and M. J. Ryan, bestselling author of The Power of Patience and Attitudes of Gratitude , shows you how. In her international coaching practice, M. J. Ryan has shown hundreds of clients how to find and really feel the joy in their lives. She gives them tools to unearth what stands in their way and revolutionize the way they experience life. Now it’s your turn for a Happiness Makeover.

Ryan’s own desire to be happier first led her to study what is known about happiness from brain science, psychology, and the wisdom traditions of the world. The Happiness Makeover draws on this wide-ranging knowledge and presents a plan that will help

• Clear away happiness hindrances like worry, fear, envy, and grudges

• Discover happiness boosters like flow, meaningful work, challenge, and gratitude

• Literally rewire your brain to experience contentment—even joy

• Learn to think optimistically (it really is possible!)

• Find daily ways to truly enjoy, even relish, the moments of your life

Full of moving stories, inspiring quotations, and the wisdom of one who has been there before, The Happiness Makeover offers the means to find elusive happiness at last.

Genres: Nonfiction, Self Help, Personal Development, Personal Growth, Psychology, Audiobook

208 pages, Hardcover

First published May 10, 2005

About the author

MJ Ryan is one of the creators of the New York Times bestselling Random Acts of Kindness series and the author of The Happiness Makeover (nominated for the 2005 Books for Better Living award in the Motivational category), Attitudes of Gratitude, The Power of Patience, Trusting Yourself, The Giving Heart, and 365 Health and Happiness Boosters, among other titles. Altogether, there are 1.75 million copies of her titles in print.

Reviews

[Carissa · Rating 2 out of 5]

this is a short little book that i picked up at work. at one point during reading it, i realized that the book is largely composed of quotes and references to other books about happiness. my first thought was, what a mooch! she’s just re-hashing other people’s ideas and occasionally adding personal anecdotes. but the more i read it, the more i liked it. other books on happiness where the authors do their own research projects and write about them tend to bog down somewhere around 3/4 of the way through–just rehashing their same theory in as many permutations as possible. this book is a good introduction to lots of different happiness theories and philosophies. it’s nice because you never get tired of hearing a single idea repeated over and over and it’s also a good introduction to these other theories. if one resonates with you, you can go find the book she’s quoting from and read the whole thing for yourself. i think my favorite chapter was #22 “before freaking out, wait for the end of the story.”

[Manday · Rating 2 out of 5]

The problem with this book is that

(1) It points out a lot of things people do to be unhappy and says change them, without offering any real ideas or techniques to do so

and

(2) Most of the good ideas it does offer, and quite a few of its major points, are quoted from other self help books.

I am sure I would have been better off reading one of the books she quoted instead of this one.

[Holly · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book! I found it most useful to read a couple chapters a day or to pick it up when I was in a bad mood. The author does a great job of putting our lives, various situations, and happiness into perspective, and if you are like me and need reminders every once in a while, this book will definitely help! I plan on keeping this book around, rereading it for reflection, and hopefully sharing it with others who need a little happiness boost as well!

[Sidney · Rating 1 out of 5]

I can get more information on happiness from reading the scriptures and implementing this into my life than I could ever get from this book. By the way, I am a VERY HAPPY PERSON; I was just curious about the title!

[Shanna Mae · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would recommend this book for someone who has some experience with positive psychology or has gone through some therapy or has some practice with examining their own thoughts and habits. It is a great little book that just lists all different ways you might be getting in the way of your own happiness. It is a good reminder but doesn't go in depth into any one aspect. That you need to do for yourself. For that reason I wouldn't reccommend it to anyone currently in the grips of depression or as a first book on positive psychology. It is more a great reminder to take inventory and maybe identify where you need to work, then you can pick up another book on or talk to a confidant or counselor about that topic.

[Wendy Kremer Manning · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have bought so many inspirational/educational books throughout the years. I would start them and never really finish, so I decided to try and conquer some of these books sitting in my bookcase by "educating" myself a little bit each day. This one was short and sweet. Not really an in-depth "makeover" book, but gives good tidbits of advice on loving the life you have, treating others without judgement, getting rid of negative thoughts, worries. Lots of info and lots of ways to enrich your life and the lives of those around you.

[Amanda Turner · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just another standard book full of the usual advice, definitely exaggerated with shorter time frames like daily gratitudes work overnight, they do not. It's mainly based around Buddhist teachings and nothing really new just a collection of other people's wisdoms collated into a book.

If this is the first book you come to on happiness or Buddhist wisdom, you'll love it, if not, you'll see it for what it is.

[Harlow Love · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely incredible! This book is short and to the point. Everything inside is very inspiring and informative. I would recommend this book to anybody. I’ll probably be giving copies as gifts this year.

[Kathy Cooley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of simple little daily tricks to help us lead a happier life

[Nehal · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was okay.. just okay
Bunch of articles that are pleasant to read but easy to fort

[Ciprian Sf · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book for personal development

[Linnea · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5*

[Brianna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Changed my life

[Shay VanAusdal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gave some very good tips on how to find happinees in your life.

[Patrick Clancy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not for me. Mostly quotes and then a few nuggets here and there about appreciation. Not awful, but can’t say I’d read again.

[Mallory Cameron · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great, quick read. It was just the kind of book I needed to start the new year on a positive note!

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

First, I would like to thank Red Wheel/Weiser, LLC and goodreads for sending me a copy of this book as a First Reads giveaway winner.

This book could not have come at a better time! At the time that I won, I had recently learned about the passing of a close family friend, and was in such a fog/funk that I didn't even see the email that I had won a copy of the book. Then, one night I was scrolling through my unread emails (still in a daze) and saw the email from goodreads that I'd won. It really is the "little things" in life, because I was so giddy about winning something at all, even more so given the title/subject, and the timing - I could not have asked for a more appropriate book. I honestly felt that there HAD to be a message in here for me... and I was right!

Side note: I really wish we could give partial stars via goodreads. That probably sounds silly, but I don't know that this book was a 5 for me, but I'd definitely say that it was somewhere between a 4 and a 5. Some insight into why... back in college, as a Psych major, I had to write a literature review and that's what (at times) this book felt like to me. That was the only thing preventing me from going with a full 5 - it felt as though the lines were blurred between original material and that which is pulled from 100 other sources. BUT, that said, that is also one of my favorite parts of this book (contradictory much?) - it's somewhat of a one stop shop regarding Happiness. This book pulls info, advice, quotes, etc from numerous sources and makes them applicable to daily life. In fact, I actually put a few of the other sources on my to-read list, in order to explore them further. I really enjoyed that each "lesson" is only a few pages, so they are short and sweet, making for a quick/easy read. Initially, I wanted to get through the entire book, cover-to-cover, as quickly as possible, to see what all the lessons were; yet, I also found myself savoring the book by only reading a few sections per night. Not often, but a few times I did skim, but that was just me being impatient. I now want to go back and read the full book all over again, this time to take notes. And this is a book that I will likely refer back to at various points in the future. In conjunction with other personal development I've been doing, this book definitely helped me to reframe my funk-inducing thought pattern. Finally, this was my first MJ Ryan read, so I may check out a few of her other works. Thank you again to Red Wheel/Weiser, LLC.

[Bibliomanic Marley · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book was an easy read. It's good for those who are on the go and want something simple to get through, considering happiness is a very philosophical and psychological subject. It givees very nice quotes within each chapter and explains some meanings of happiness, activities that can boost your happiness, and why some people are afraid to be happy, as described in one chapter. Overall, a fairy nice and enjoyable read. M.J. Ryan gives nice concepts and stories on this matter, as well as in her other books, Attitude of Gratitude :)

[Tamra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great, great, great. Quick read and really good ideas. Of course there are some obvious statements, always are with these kinds of books. But it was good, and helpful. Because. . . Brace yourselves here . . . Sometimes I'm just not happy. Ahhhhhhh, I bet the shock you've experienced with with this confession is great. But I speak the truth. Not everyone is as happy as you, yes, you, the one reading this right now. Some of us have our own personal little hell, I mean struggles we move through from time to time. So, for those of you like me, I would suggest the book. I liked it!

[Alex Guelff · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have never delved into the self-help section of the bookshelf, but I’m happy this was my first pick from the genre.
This short book was about general happiness and realizing the beauty of everyday living in order to create a more positive spirit and habits. The vast majority of problems and solutions presented to me were incredibly relatable, and I did find some very useful tips, habits, and tricks to uplift myself throughout the day.
I overall rate this book a 3.5 and would recommend to anyone looking to be more positive in their everyday life.

[Deb · Rating 5 out of 5]

This upbeat and positive little book teaches that we are all responsible for our own happiness and there are ways to change the attitudes that become obstacles to happiness. There were some excellent strategies and ideas in this book and I will be referring back to it often, especially on those days when I might not be feeling as happy as I could. Highly recommended especially to anyone who wants to be happier!

[Deb (Readerbuzz) Nance · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a lot new here, nor does the author have a beautiful prose style, but still worth browsing. Some of my favorites are practicing gratefulness, reminding yourself that this is not the end of the story, and learning to think optimistically.

"To experience the 10,000 joys," the author quotes writer Jack Kornfield, "you must be willing to touch the 10,000 sorrows."

[Joan Funk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Starts each chapter with a quote that's applicable. For example the chapter on finding your tribe has "There's no house like the house of belonging". The chapter "to touch the 10,000 Joys, be willing to Touch the 10,000 sorrows" has the quote "happiness would lose its meaning if it were not balanced by sadness- Carl Jung.

[JustJay · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pretty quick read and provided some good lessons that I can definitely carry with me. It's a good little reminder for myself. However, I felt like some anecdotes she provided were unnecessary and some chapters too short. I did like the format of the book though. The first part asks questions while the second part gives advice on what you can actively do.

[Emily Mellow · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is much less superficial than it's cringe-worthy title implies. It's basically saying "we can all be happier, here's why it's important and here are some ways to do it". There are so many people who could also benefit from reading this one!

[Beth Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Perhaps worth it to learn about the Buddhist concept of "mudita" or sympathetic joy. However, mostly it read like a crib sheet for an exam on happiness. Still, it made me feel happier when I read it, which is more than can be said for some books.

[Kiersten Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun short read that is inspiring after a long day of work. It's always good to throw in a "happy" book amongst the serious ones. This one does the trick and will make you wake up smiling. A good refresher when one is needed.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful little book! It is rooted in psychology, but is a light read. I liked it so much that I bought a copy so that I can always go back to it for reminders. I expect that different parts will jump out at me each time I read it.

[Dustin the wind Crazy little brown owl · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was very good filled with great quotes, wisdom and ideas. Well worth the approx $5 that I paid for it at Barnes & Noble. I am very happy with the investment I made with this book - I shall reap the benefits for the rest of my life. Highly recommended!

[Colleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although there was nothing revolutionary about this book, it reminded me of things I know, but often choose not to acknowledge. The key lies not in the reading of the book, but what you do with the ideas afterward.