Book Review: 31 Days to Happiness by David Jeremiah

ISBN: 0849921937
Published: September 17th, 2013
Publisher: Thomas Nelson Publishers
Read from September 22nd to October 8th, 2013
Synopsis from publisher:

Don’t you deserve a little happiness?
Ever wonder . . .
Why is life so frustrating?
Is happiness within my reach?
Is it too late for me?
Dr. David Jeremiah takes a look at history’s wisest and most successful man, King Solomon, and challenges readers to find what really matters in life. Solomon tested life’s haunting questions head-on. Tasted the fullness of life’s riches. But found his answers in the last place he thought to look.
If you thought happiness was only an empty hope, maybe you’ve simply been looking in all the wrong places. In this book Dr. Jeremiah reveals the way to the happiness you have longed for, the never-dimming light of your fondest dreams.

Review:

This book is meant to be read over a course of 31 days. Each day you read another bit of the book. Each chapter/day focuses on one or more things that Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes. The hope is that you'll reflect over what you read each day, and it will help you feel happier in life.

I wasn't a huge fan of the book. I just didn't really feel inspired or anything while reading. I didn't take the full 31 days to read the book either. I went a bit faster because I didn't really feel like the book was giving me anything to reflect on. It was all stuff I had heard before, and it didn't make me feel any different after hearing it. The vast majority of it was stuff I already thought anyway. However, that isn't to say that what it said wasn't good stuff. It was; I just had heard it all before.

I have no doubt that this book is exactly what some people are looking for. If you're in a really bad place and want to turn around how you look at life, this book is worth a shot. If you're already happy, you still might enjoy the book, but you may also find that it is all stuff that you already know.

Overall, I found it to be a book full of good information, and it was written in an engaging style. I just didn't feel like I was getting anything new out of it.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com® <http://BookSneeze.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Done with Midterms and On to Scheduling

My midterms are finished. It is so great to be able to say that. It's not fall break for me yet, as I still have a class tomorrow, but the tests are over with. It is great to have that stress over with.

Now I'm going to have to focus on scheduling for next semester though. Registration begins about a week and a half after break ends, and one of my advisors has already emailed us telling us to sign up for a meeting. I went by there the other day, but she didn't have the sign up sheet up yet, so now I think I'm going to wait until after break to sign up. I don't leave campus until noon tomorrow, but her office is on the other side of campus and I don't go over there for tomorrow's class. I just hope that the slots aren't all full by the time I sign up. I think I'll be fine though. My other advisor hasn't said anything yet, but I assume she's just waiting until after fall break before she starts scheduling appointments.

I don't know what class scheduling is like for other majors, but it is a nightmare for me. It's bad enough being a double major with two advisors I have to check with, but one of those majors being secondary education makes it even worse. Every single semester something (from the way our school does our program to the state laws and requirements) has changed that means my entire four year plan gets moved around a lot. I don't know how I'm going to graduate in four years. I already know I have to take summer classes at least one summer if I expect to be finished in 2016.

Anyway, I'm not messing with all of that until after break. For now I'm just focusing on class tomorrow and then a break for four days. I'll have time for scheduling afterwards.

Hectic Week

This week is proving to be a bit more hectic than I had hoped it would be. Yesterday was insane, and I was not expecting that. I knew I would be busier than normal, but I was not expecting to be so exhausted by the end of it.

Today probably won't be much better. I've been awake for less than an hour, and I've already been doing a ton of homework. I have some more to do in between classes and a meeting today. I also need to schedule some meetings if I can because I didn't realize how close it was getting to the time when we sign up for next semester's classes.

Plus, I have to present in one of my classes today, and that's never an incredibly easy thing for me.

I'm just ready for this week to be over and for it to be break. Break cannot come soon enough. I just have today and tomorrow and then an hour on Friday, and I will be going home for a few days (with a paper to work on but still). I need a break.

The Beginning of Midterm Week

It's midterm week at my school, which means everyone is feeling pretty stressed. I've paced myself pretty well, so I know I'm nowhere near as stressed as I could be. I've gotten several of my essays that are due already done, which is awesome. Still, I will be beyond relieved when this week is over.

In my lab today, my professor could tell that me and the other student were really stressed, and she gave us a pep talk. She even let us leave early, and when she email us what she wanted us to do for homework, she included "do something nice for yourself" three times on the list. Believe me, I plan to do that over fall break.

I don't think this week will be too bad though. There's a lot to do of course, and I have to do a presentation on Wednesday that I'm a bit nervous about, but none of my classes are overwhelming at the moment. Let's hope it stays that way.

Nervousness and a Recital

It's just as rainy and dreary as yesterday. Actually, it may even be more so. Still, I am extremely close to being done with my homework for the day, and it's not even noon yet. I consider that a huge accomplishment.

I actually have to go to this recital thing later, and I'm a bit nervous about it. It's for one of my classes, and I have no idea what to really expect, which always makes me nervous. I like having a clear idea of what is going to happen at things like this. All I know is that it is a faculty recital thing. I don't know how long it will be or anything else. Also, I'm going to have to write a paper on it, and I'm not sure how to do that about a music recital. I just hope everything goes well.

I know everything will go fine at the recital, but that doesn't mean I won't be nervous about it until I actually get there, and quite possibly a little after I get there. Hopefully, it is interesting though. I'm not a huge classical (I'm just going to assume that it will be classical) music person, but I do enjoy it to an extent. Plus, I used to be in band, which helps with enjoying these things I think.