Nate’s Notes 132: Gretchen Rubin | There Is No Magic, One-Size-Fits All Solution for Happiness

What great lessons Gretchen shared:

There is no magic, one-size-fits all solution for happiness. Just as there is no one best way to cook an egg, or to be a leader, there is no one best way to be happy.

For Gretchen she had to learn that she didn’t like games, but did like exercise; that when it came to sweets, “abstinence was as easy for her as temperance was difficult.” In other words, she had to find what worked best for her.

In the words of Yogi Berra: “If you can’t imitate them, don’t copy them.”

And in the words of Gretchen Rubin, by accepting ourselves, and then expecting more of ourselves, we can gain the self-knowledge that will help us find the path that is best for us.It’s a simple idea. Please take it seriously.

Gretchen Rubin Bio:

Gretchen Rubin is one of today’s most influential and thought-provoking observers of happiness and human nature. She’s the author of many bestselling books, such as The Happiness Project, Better Than Before, and The Four Tendencies, which have sold millions of copies in more than thirty languages. Her most recent book is Life in Five Senses.

She’s also host of the popular podcast, Happier with Gretchen Rubin, and founder of the award-winning Happier app, which helps people track their happiness-boosting habits.

Gretchen has been interviewed by Oprah, eaten dinner with Nobel Prize-winner Daniel Kahneman, walked arm-in-arm with the Dalai Lama, had her work reported on in a medical journal, been written up in the New Yorker, and been an answer on Jeopardy! After starting her career in law, she realized she wanted to be a writer while she was clerking for Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor. Raised in Kansas City, she lives in New York City with her family.