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Gretchen Rubin seemed to have it all a few years back. She was a graduate of Yale Law, had established herself as a bestselling author, was happily married to her law school sweetheart, had two beautiful girls, lived on Park Avenue, and also happened to be the daughter-in-law of Robert Rubin, the fantastically wealthy former co-chairman of Goldman Sachs and Treasury Secretary under President Clinton. (Bonus!) And yet she still wasn't happy. So, naturally, Rubin took a year off to clear up her "midlife malaise."

What Rubin discovered during her journey of self-exploration is now contained in a new book, The Happiness Project: Why I Spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning, Clean My Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle, and Generally Have More Fun.

Of course Rubin did more than just sing in the shower and read Aristotle during her year off. She also "eliminated clutter, took long walks, got eight hours sleep, read voraciously, drew self-portraits and splurged on $2.91 uni-ball Micro Deluxe pens." She made an effort to avoid the things she didn't enjoy doing. Like, say, tending to her personal hygiene. ("Among her dislikes, she writes, are talking on the telephone and taking showers.") And used a set of 12 resolutions ("boost energy," "pursue a passion") and 12 commandments ("let it go," "do it now") to guide her each day.

And it worked! You'll be thrilled to hear that Rubin is much more content than she was a few years ago:

Rubin, who wrote a "Happiness Project" blog while working on the book, said she's behaving better these days. She relaxes by jumping up and down in her apartment ("my children laugh hysterically") and participating in book groups she started that read children's literature.

Oh, one caveat: If you pick up Rubin's book looking for other incredibly useful tips on how to achieve a joyful existence, don't expect her to help you with any issues you're having in the bedroom. She wouldn't have any idea how to help on that front:

"I only talk about the things that I had to work on," Rubin said.

Rubin's In-Law Finds Happiness in Sleeping, Jumping, $3 Pens [Bloomberg]