Be You Find Happy: A Happiness Starter Kit

LOCAL AUTHOR

Be You, Find Happy by Michaela Renee Jackson is a quick little self-help book focused on giving the reader tools to begin cultivating greater happiness. One of the first things you learn is the importance of journaling. There are several journal prompts throughout the book to help you find problem areas and begin finding solutions. I like that it encourages you to search for a meaningful journal. It’s very true! I find I enjoy journaling more when I have one I consider particularly special.

It looks at stress and the body’s responses to it. This is a gateway to mindfulness or the practice of being present with yourself and your surroundings. You’ll begin to learn your greatest areas of daily stress, and from there, to find ways to reduce it. Next is decluttering. I really found these tasks and prompts useful, as my family and I get overwhelmed by clutter.

The information was good and useful as an overview or introduction. There were several instances of words being in quotation marks. I found this very distracting, as if those concepts weren’t taken seriously. Part (or all) of that is probably my association of quotation marks around single words being akin to using air quotes, which does tend to be of a mocking nature. The writing could be tighter, and another grammar check wouldn’t be amiss. I also wish that more resource ideas were offered concerning learning meditation, mindfulness, and the other practices, instead of stressing going to a particular website. I say this because I did not get the impression this was a promotional book for the site. I may very well have misunderstood that though!! Overall, a good book to get you started on your way to greater happiness. Highly recommended!