Start your own side hustle, avoid the happiness stumbling block of “raising the bar,” and whether we should plan our encounters with friends. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; @elizabethcraft; podcast@gretchenrubin.com; happiercast.com/116; 774-277-9336.
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Try This at Home
Start a side hustle. We were inspired by Chris Guillebeau‘s excellent podcast Side Hustle School (which is part of The Onward Project, by the way). Elizabeth and I interviewed Chris during our live event in Seattle. If you want to listen, it’s in episode 87. Chris’s terrific book, Side Hustle: From Idea to Income in 27 Days, is available for pre-order. If you want to take the quiz to see if you’re an Upholder, Questioner, Obliger, or Rebel, take it here.
Happiness Hack
When Christa travels for work, she takes pictures of Mr. Potato Head in various places. This gets her out of the conference venue and is a fun thing to send to her children. Elizabeth mentions the father Stephen who photo-shops pictures of his baby in dangerous places (see above). You can see more photos here.
Happiness Stumbling Block
Sometimes, with very good intentions, people “raise the bar” in a way that takes the satisfaction out of our achievements.
Listener Question
Sarah asks whether it’s a crazy idea to keep a chart of “keeping-in-touch goals” to strengthen her relationships.
Demerit
Elizabeth doesn’t make timely decisions.
Gold Star
I give a gold star to my daughters’ school, which has many lovely, fun traditions for seniors to celebrate the end of high school. If you want to hear Eliza talk about a school tradition on her podcast, Eliza Starting at 16, listen to the bonus clip at the end of this episode, or listen to the whole episode here.