Secrets of Adulthood: Gretchen Rubin on Living a Happier, Simpler Life

Gretchen Rubin is one of today’s most influential observers of happiness and human nature. In addition to hosting the award-winning podcast Happier with Gretchen Rubin, where she shares practical strategies for building a happier, healthier, more creative life, Gretchen is also the bestselling author of The Happiness Project, The Four Tendencies, Better Than Before, Life in Five Senses, and now Secrets of Adulthood, a delightful collection of her signature aphorisms—concise, thought-provoking truths gathered from her own experiences and reflections on human nature.

Today, Gretchen shares a wealth of bite-sized, digestible truths with Jen and Amy that acknowledge problems everyone faces.

• “What we do every day matters more than what we do once in a while.”

• “Outer order contributes to inner calm.”

• “A strong voice repels as well as attracts.”

• “Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good.”

• And our personal favorite, “Choose the bigger life.”

Gretchen also delves into the Four Tendencies and helps Jen and Amy unpack their profiles to better understand whether they are an Upholder, Questioner, Obliger, or Rebel. Anyone want to take bets?

Thought-provoking Quotes:

• “Happier people are more interested in the problems of the world. And they're more interested in the problems of the people around them. They're more likely to volunteer. They're more likely to vote. They're more likely to donate their time or their money. They're more likely to help out if someone needs a hand. When we're happier, we're able to turn outward and to think about the problems of the world.” – Gretchen Rubin

• “Action is the antidote to anxiety.” – Gretchen Rubin

• “There’s really no more eloquent way to put this: one of the best ways to make friends is to make friends with the friends of your friends.” – Gretchen Rubin

• “When we're doing something hard, it feels like the times are hard." – Gretchen Rubin

Resources Mentioned in This Episode:

• Camino de Santiago Pilgrimage - https://santiago-compostela.net/

• Secrets of Adulthood: Simple Truths for Our Complex Lives by Gretchen Rubin - https://amzn.to/4kq8TzF

• The Happier App - https://thehappierapp.com/

• David Sedaris

• The Happiness Project: Or, Why I Spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning, Clean My Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle, and Generally Have More Fun by Gretchen Rubin - https://amzn.to/3S9OXox

• The Four Tendencies Quiz - https://gretchenrubin.com/quiz/the-four-tendencies-quiz/

• The English Understand Wool by Helen DeWitt - https://amzn.to/43iUOgg

• The Last Samurai by Helen DeWitt - https://amzn.to/43tjDaF

• 5 Things Making Me Happy Newsletter - https://gretchenrubin.com/newsletter/5-things-making-me-happy-september-16-2022/

• Sandwich: A Novel by Catherine Newman - https://amzn.to/4m9KGiy

Guest’s Links:

Website - https://gretchenrubin.com/