Happiness Is

:o)

Happiness Is

written by: Matt Madeiro

last updated: Sunday, August 5th, 2012

What on earth is this?

This is a book! And a free one, at that, dedicated to some of the greatest (and simplest!) pleasures I know: the little things in life.

The idea sprung from a conversation about stress, life, happiness and hookah(!), and how the middle two never really ask for much. Think about it. We stress about a whole slew of problems, some more serious than others, but one thing never changes: they don’t last. Even the big, bad and scary seem like a distant memory just a week or two later as we move on to new stresses and new concerns.

Some things don’t change, however. Some of them stick with us a lot longer — maybe even every single day of our lives. These little things, at the end of the day, are always with us, and they can offer a simple kind of happiness if only we’d stop and say thanks.

So instead of panicking about every new bump on the horizon, why don’t we share a little gratitude—a little happiness—for the little things that never leave us?

Let’s give it up for the simple pleasures. That’s what this book is about.

Why should I read it?

Because it is awesome. That’s not ego on my part — every single simple pleasure in the book is packaged with a custom piece of art from one of twenty-something awesome people.

You read that right. Rather than release several pages of white space, I wanted to take Happiness Is to the next level. I wanted a community art project. And so I put out the call, a month or so back, to see if people dug the idea, hoping a small handful might volunteer to add a little color to the mix. The response still has me reeling. I have a list of beautiful people, here, that I want to thank for contributing, as I know this book would be absolutely nothing without their generosity and talent. Give it up for:

If you’d like to know more about them, check the Contributors section at the end of the book for biographies, links, and general shenanigans.

How do I get it?

Subscribe to the Make Every Day Count newsletter using the box below.

Once you’re all signed up, you’ll receive an email with a link to grab a copy of the book. Simple as that!

But what if I hate lists?

If you’re not interested in subscribing but still want to check the book out, I’ve got you covered. You can grab it on the Kindle store for just a little under a buck. And hey, why not leave a review while you’re at it?

But the Book Isn’t Finished?

Not exactly.

See, Happiness Is is more than just a book — it’s an art project. The community came together and helped me illustrate it, so here again I want to kick the door wide open for submissions. This book is not done. So long as I have simple pleasures that I want to include, and so long as artists, readers, and generally cool people volunteer to illustrate them, the book will see a steady stream of updates.

Want your art featured in the book? Here’s a list of pleasures I’d love to have illustrated:

If you see one you like, shoot me an email and let me know you’re drawing it. Once the art is in, I’ll add a page to the book, insert your biography into the contributors section, and announce a new update here on the blog to encourage people to check out the sparkling new content. Everyone wins!

Here’s the subscribe box one last time in case you missed it: