Audiobook Review: Practical Happiness: Four Principles to Improve Your Life by Pamela Gail Johnson

Practical Happiness: Four Principles to Improve Your Life was written and narrated by Pamela Gail Johnson.  People think happiness is a singular feeling, but it isn't. The real way to feel happier is to expand your definition of happiness and manage your Happiness Zappers.  Pamela Gail Johnson, founder of the Society of Happy People, identified the four practical happiness principles that have helped thousands of people shift their mindsets so they naturally notice more happiness, whether it feels sparse, abundant, or somewhere in between. Pamela shares real stories from real people who put the four practical happiness principles into action. With thought-provoking workbook-style questions, you can immediately apply these principles to your life. You'll discover how happiness is unique to you and your circumstances; how to manage common experiences that zap your happiness; how happiness changes; and thirty-one types of happiness.

Practical Happiness is a well organized book with information and tools for finding and recognizing happiness that could be very helpful to readers. I recognized much of what was written as being true and useful, but mostly things I have heard before in other context and in some cases have been doing for years. Since I am not someone that normally seeks out or reads self help books I found it odd that most of what I was hearing n the audiobook were things that were familiar. However, I did find the descriptions of different types of happiness and it's zappers interesting and mostly new to me. I think many people will find the book helpful, and for me it was a good reminder to be more present and acknowledge the little moments and to allow myself to work through the happiness zappers rather than trying to simply ignore them until they are a bigger issue.  I think that Johnson did a decent job of narrating her book. I find that authors reading their own work do a good job, as they know where they want the emphasis on and what the flow of the text should be. That was true here, but sometimes the pauses were a bit too long- and I feel like she must be a great in person speaker but that does not always translate to a great audiobook reader. Sadly, the pauses and the very natural mouth noises made through out the book often distracted me and made me want to offer her a glass of water. Others might not notice it, but it is one of my irks in life so I found it hard to ignore. 

Practical Happiness is a good book for those looking to learn more about finding and appreciating happiness more.