Happier with Gretchen Rubin

We talk why it’s valuable to “go for the no” instead of avoiding rejection and failure. Plus we give our suggestions for excellent same-day books and a hack for making email more efficient. Resources & links related to this episode: Get the Winter Bingo card here Subscribe to my "Five Things" newsletters here  The English Understand Wool by Helen DeWitt (Amazon, Bookshop) Foster by Claire Keegan (Amazon, Bookshop) Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark(Amazon, Bookshop) All Systems Red by Martha Wells (Amazon, Bookshop) Heartburn by Nora Ephron (Amazon, Bookshop) Wise Blood by Flannery O’Connor (Amazon, Bookshop) Elizabeth and Her German Garden by Elizabeth von Arnim (Amazon, Bookshop) The Summer Book by Tove Jansson (Amazon, Bookshop) Happy All the Time by Laurie Colwin (Amazon, Bookshop) Strangers by Belle Burden (Amazon, Bookshop) Different Seasons by Stephen King (Amazon, Bookshop) A Month in the Country by J. L. Carr (Amazon, Bookshop) Oh, William by Elizabeth Strout (Amazon, Bookshop) The Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger (Amazon, Bookshop) Piranesi by Susanna Clark (Amazon, Bookshop) Train Dreams by Denis Johnson (Amazon, Bookshop) A Child’s Christmas in Wales by Dylan Thomas (Amazon, Bookshop) A Murder Is Announced by Agatha Christie (Amazon, Bookshop) Elizabeth is reading: Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel (Amazon, Bookshop)  Gretchen is reading: Random Harvest by James Hilton (Amazon, Bookshop)  Get in touch: [email protected] Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. Find the transcript for this episode on the episode details page in the Apple Podcasts app. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A famous quip illustrates an important point: Small debts burden the borrower; big debts burden the lender. Resources & links related to this episode: Get in touch: [email protected] Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. Find the transcript for this episode on the episode details page in the Apple Podcasts app. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We talk about the power of reframing—specifically, reframing the meaning of a siren. We also talk about a passage from the novel “Little Women” that illuminates our experience of our father’s death. Resources & links related to this episode: Secrets of Adulthood newsletter on Substack Happier in Hollywood newsletter on Substack  Find tips and hacks for No-Spend February here Get in touch: [email protected] Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. Find the transcript for this episode on the episode details page in the Apple Podcasts app.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In honor of No-Spend February, we talk about why it’s a good time to turn in your coins and to use up your gift cards. We also talk about the juggler vs. aerialist distinction, and how the Four Tendencies framework can illuminate an experience of family estrangement.  Resources & links related to this episode: Coinstar Wall Street Journal article by therapist Rachel Glik Elizabeth is reading: Strangers by Belle Burden (Amazon, Bookshop)  Gretchen is reading: Pnin by Vladimir Nabokov (Amazon, Bookshop)  Get in touch: [email protected] Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. Find the transcript for this episode on the episode details page in the Apple Podcasts app. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The traditional Russian practice of “sitting on suitcases” is an excellent ritual for anyone setting off on a trip. Resources & links related to this episode: Get in touch: [email protected] Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. Find the transcript for this episode on the episode details page in the Apple Podcasts app. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.