The Happiness Dare

Title: The Happiness Dare: Pursuing Your Heart's Deepest, Holiest, and Most Vulnerable Desire

Author: Jennifer Dukes Lee

Genre: Christian Nonfiction, Self-Help, Christian Living

Publisher: Tyndale Publishing House

Source: Library

My review:

Jennifer Dukes Lee is quickly becoming a Nonfiction author that I love. I happened upon The Happiness Dare: Pursuing Your Heart's Deepest, Holiest, and Most Vulnerable Desire at my library and grabbed it, not knowing a thing about it. I had only read one other book by Ms. Lee, and loved it. 

This is central to the Happiness Dare: Invest five minutes in seeking the kind of pleasure that brings happiness to your heart and brings glory to our God. 

When an author starts a book with the words, "This book scares me," you know the author is being vulnerable with you.The Happiness Dare: Pursuing Your Heart's Deepest, Holiest, and Most Vulnerable Desire is written not from the perspective of one who is happy all the time; but from one who is being vulnerably honest with you about what it takes to be happy.

Happiness doesn't deny our pain. It holds it gently. Happiness doesn't ignore the hurt of the world, but it makes a space to sit quietly inside of the ache.

There is so much I loved about this book and I will not be able to get it all into a review. One of the things the author does is invites you to take the Happiness Assessment to see what your happiness style is (doer, relater, experiencer, giver, or thinker). I knew before taking the quiz that I am a giver followed quickly by a doer. However, I still learned more about myself and how I relate to others. I also gleaned information about each of the styles and how they relate to others. I think this is valuable knowledge for all of us. 

The author expounds on each of the happiness styles, encouraging the reader to read those sections, even if they are not your style, to help you better understand each style. Under each style, she describes what makes that style tick, red flags for that style, and how to be the happiest you. She then provides stories and examples to clarify further. Each chapter ends with a digging deeper section.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and it is one I would like to have so I can highlight all the things, and refer back to it. I highly recommend this book to anyone who desires to be happy or understand happiness better. It's not a cure-all, and it's not a five-step plan, but it is good relatable information. 

★★★★★/5

Synopsis (Goodreads):

Would you like to be happier?
No matter who you are or how you feel, chances are you would answer yes. And Jennifer Dukes Lee was no different. For years, she wrestled with a constant nagging sense that she wasn't as happy as she could be. At the same time, she felt guilty for wanting something so "shallow." After all, doesn't God only care that we find joy in our circumstances? Or is it possible that God really does want us to be happy?

Determined to get answers, Jennifer embarked on a quest to find out whether our happiness matters to God and, if so, how to pursue it in a way that pleases him.

In The Happiness Dare, you'll learn what she discovered, including how to:
Understand the five happiness styles and maximize yours
Overcome the four biggest obstacles that stand in the way of your happiness
Find your happiness sweet spot--the place, relationship, or activity that gives you the greatest sense of well-being
Discover what you can do in just five minutes a day to be happier
Will you take the dare?

Join Jennifer in the pursuit of your truest, most satisfied, and most faith-filled self.