Dreams and Wishes

Wallflower in Bloom by Claire Cook

What do you do when you've lived your life for everyone else? Deidre Griffin has done just that and more. She is in charge of her famous brother's schedule, right down to the tee. With her whole life wrapped around her family's PR for the new age guru Tag, Deidre tends to fall in the background and watch her brother shine. But what she has always wanted to do is dance and live her life for herself. Dragged down by everyone's expectations, and going insane from the fact she seems to be nothing but a scheduler in her family's eyes, Deidre decides to risk it all, and use her brother's massive fan club to gain her own fifteen seconds of fame in the spotlight. As one thing leads to another, from the endless supprt Tag's fans give her to the actual offer on Dancing with the Stars, Deidre learns that in order to be herself, she must follow her heart and trust that she will land on her own two feet.

I enjoyed this novel. It was told in a voice that I found extremely familair and amusing. Deidre's family is not your usual group of people, from their quirks to goofy obsessions, you learn to see them as Deidre does, and you see Deidre as a person whose only obstacle is herself. Once she gets past the most difficult hurdle, Deidre learns more about life than she would have if she was still stuck in a job she only stayed with for fear of her family's disapproval. I recommend this book to anyone who feels like they have not bloomed themselves. It's important to recognize what the real obstacle is when you look at your life and your dreams. A fun and enlightening read.

The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin

I have heard a lot about this book, and I decided to give it a try. What's interesting is that the person who wrote it wasn't unhappy. She just felt that she should be happier. Some of these techniques didn't apply to me, but I loved this idea. A "happiness project" is a period of time that you devote to making yourself happier. you start by asking basic questions. "What makes me happy?" and "What makes me unhappy?" then you go into deeper questions that are more specific to your personality and situation. It's a very powerful thing, and unlike the story in Eat Pray Love, this project involves changing your routine instead of making major changes like a trip or a vacation. I found this useful because there is some wisdom to the outline of the "happiness project". Even thinking about how to make yourself happier can make you happier. So this book is about one woman's quest to dedicate a year to finding ways to be happy, but you read everything very differently when you outline your own "happiness project". I think this is extremely useful for people that have to hurry up and wait while they pursue a dream or goal to be happier. You don't have to drive yourself crazy waiting for a big change. You can make little changes to yourself and discover a way to appreciate your life without taking things for granted. I highly recommend this book to anyone at any time. Even if you're already happy, like Gretchen Rubin when she started the book, pursuing happiness is not selfish. The atmosphere you create around you can be a positive or negative influence to yourself and others around you. Another important note is that this book isn't about faking happiness. It's about discovering what makes you happy and working toward staying that way.