Update
Congrats to our old friend Chris Guillebeau of the excellent Side Hustle School podcast! He just launched Idea to Income, a 21-day audio and text-based course to help you identify your most profitable idea.
Try This at Home
Walk away from a bad mood.
Walking offers so many benefits; that’s why so many people love #Walk20in20.
I read this quotation:
Every day I walk myself into a state of well-being and walk away from every illness; I have walked myself into my best thoughts, and I know of no thought so burdensome that one cannot walk away from it. — Soren Kierkegaard, letter, 1847 (italics in the original)
We mention the discussion in episode 295 about doing something familiar in a new way.
Happiness Hack
For a thoughtful gift, give a personalized puzzle. I mention three puzzle-makers:
- The Missing Piece
- Stave
- Shutterfly (or other sites that help manage digital photos)
If you’re curious, here’s Parmigianino’s painting The Madonna of the Long Neck.
Four Tendencies Tips: Rebel and Obliger.
To find out if you’re an Upholder, Questioner, Obliger, or Rebel, take the free, quick quiz! More than 3.2 million people have taken the quiz.
Tip from a Rebel
Use “identity shift” as a way to help yourself make a positive change.
When I learned I really should get a smaller, more affordable vehicle, I tapped into my Identity Shift superpower to help the mental transition…I have convinced myself that I am someone who wants to drive a car that is good for the planet. Therefore, I’m totally ok with driving that RAV4 now. Actually, I’m pumped about it! Now, my new identity is the Environmentally Friendly Car Guy.
Tip from an Obliger
Think about your duty to your past self:
I’m 65 entering retirement after a successful, but extremely taxing, career. Now to keep myself accountable, I think of my past self: the exhausted single mother, the plane-hopping exec, the little girl with dreams. Back then, I longed for the freedom I have now. So I make sure that I will make the best of it and not let those past Karens down.
I’ve launched a new Four Tendencies hub, with interviews with four fascinating people about their Tendency. To watch the interviews, visit gretchenrubin.com/fourtendencies.
Gretchen’s Demerit
Yet again I’m surrounded by notes written on little scraps of paper.
Elizabeth’s Gold Star
Elizabeth gives a gold star to Michelle Ortiz, the new Fantasy Island production assistant to her and Sarah Fain, for jumping in and being so helpful.
Resources
- If you listen to Happier, you hear us ask you to rate and review the show. Why? Listeners respect the views of other listeners, so by rating and reviewing—assuming you have good things to say!—you help other people get interested. Click here for easy step-by-step instructions. It really is a tremendous help to Elizabeth and me.
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What we’re reading: