Story: I Must Do the Work That I Am Best Suited For.
This week’s video story: I must do the work that I am best suited for.
As I mention, that story appears in Edward Weston’s Daybooks.
I can’t resist adding a bit of what he wrote about photographing peppers:
How about you? Do you have to remind yourself to “Be Gretchen” (substitute your own name) and to do what you’re best suited for? Self-knowledge! Always, it comes back to self-knowledge.
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As I mention, that story appears in Edward Weston’s Daybooks.
I can’t resist adding a bit of what he wrote about photographing peppers:
“It is a classic, completely satisfying,–a pepper—but more than a pepper: abstract, in that it is completely outside subject matter. It has no psychological attributes, no human emotions are aroused: this new pepper takes on beyond the world we know in the conscious mind.Sidenote: It’s surprising to me how many great visual artists are also great writers.
To be sure, much of my work has this quality,–many of my last year’s peppers, but this one, and in fact all the new ones, take one into an inner reality,–the absolute,–with a clear understanding, a mystic revealment.” — Daybooks, August 8, 1931
How about you? Do you have to remind yourself to “Be Gretchen” (substitute your own name) and to do what you’re best suited for? Self-knowledge! Always, it comes back to self-knowledge.
If you can’t see the video, click here.
Find the archives of videos here. Almost 1.8 MILLION views. Don’t forget to subscribe.
If you’re reading this post through the daily email, click here to join the conversation. And if you’d like to get the daily blog post by email, sign up here.
I'm deep in the writing of my next book, Before and After, about making and breaking habits, and there's nothing more satisfying than reading the success stories of people who have changed a habit. If you have a Before-and-After story of a habit you changed, and you're willing to share it here on the blog, please contact me here. Once a week, I'll post a story. We can all learn from each other.
Blatant Self-Promotion: Paperback of “Happier at Home” Is Available for Pre-Order.
Brace yourself for some blatant self-promotion, folks. I have some big news (well, big for me). The paperback of Happier at Home is available for pre-order.Check out the new jacket design and slightly tweaked subtitle. What do you think? I love the new jacket.
If you’re considering buying the book, I’d so appreciate it if you pre-order it now. Yes, right away. No delay! A fact about the book market these days is that pre-orders really help build buzz for a book, with booksellers, the media, and other readers. The more pre-orders, and the earlier they come, the better for a book.
If you do order it, I think you’ll enjoy it. Although I love all my books equally, my sister says that Happier at Home is my best book–and it is a New York Times bestseller. (See, I told you I was going to be self-promotional.)
Now, you might think, “I’ve read The Happiness Project. What else can Gretchen Rubin have to say? Maybe it’s just a re-hash.” No! I thought about this very carefully as I was writing. Even if you just finished reading The Happiness Project last week, Happier at Home will be fresh—new ideas, new information, more stories. Where The Happiness Project goes wide, Happier at Home goes deep. Plus: photos! (Which I took myself.)
Of course, it might be of special interest to anyone particularly interested in “home”: college or grad students, recent graduates, empty-nesters, newlyweds, new parents, people who have just moved, people overwhelmed with clutter, people who feel like they have no leisure, single people, people with spouses and/or kids, people with health issues…hmm, looks like that covers just about everyone. Because for most of us, home is a very significant element of our happiness. If you’d like a “Ten Tips for Happiness in Your New Home” signature card, for fun or if you have the audio- or e-book, sign up here (sorry, U.S. and Canada only).
Also, you might think, “I read Gretchen Rubin’s blog. C’mon, how much does she have to say?” But a book is very, very different from a blog. Ideas can be presented and developed in much richer ways. I tell longer, more interesting stories. I can be funnier (well, I try to be funnier). Also, I think a book is more likely to inspire you to make changes in your own life. In a book, you can more easily take notes about what applies to you. Underlining, highlighting, and taking notes in the margin allow you to engage with the material.
And I have to say, my specialty as a writer is endings, and the ending to this book may be the best thing I’ve ever written in my life. If you want to know more, look here.
I so appreciate the kind words from everyone who has read Happier at Home. I’m thrilled to hear that it’s resonating with so many people. If you’ve read it, you might enjoy the Behind-the-Scenes video or the Behind-the-Scenes extra (email me to request it). It was so fun to do these–I’d never done anything like this before. Yes, you can know the true story of “artisanal pickles.” All is revealed.
I know many book groups are reading Happier at Home, and the one-page discussion guide is ready; it’s also aimed at spirituality book groups, Bible study groups, and the like. Email me to request it.
Many of my readers have written that they want to buy Happier at Home to show their support—a “thank you” for everything I do for free. Which I very much appreciate.
If you’re thinking, “Yes! I’m intrigued! But, Gretchen, how can I learn more about Happier at Home?” you’re in luck. You can…
– read an excerpt from the chapter on “Time”
– listen to a clip from the audio-book
– watch the one-minute video trailer on “Ten ways to be happier at home”
– request the one-page book-group discussion guide
– watch the Behind-the-Scenes video ( spoiler alert, I reveal the book’s secret motif there)
- sign up for personalized, signed bookplates for you or or friends, (U.S. and Canada only, sorry)
Thank you, dear readers, for your enthusiasm, ideas, and support. You make me very happy.
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“The Anguish and Tragedy He Had to Overcome to Manage to Capture That Light…”
“If people knew what Matisse, supposedly the painter of happiness, had gone through, the anguish and tragedy he had to overcome to manage to capture that light which has never left him, if people knew all that, they would also realize that this happiness, this light, this dispassionate wisdom which seems to be mine, are sometimes well-deserved, given the severity of my trials. ”–Henri Matisse, interview, Matisse on Art
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Before and After: Using StickK.com and a Referee to Create a Habit of Productivity.
I’m writing my next book, Before and After, about how we make and break habits–an issue very relevant to happiness. Each week, I’ll post a before-and-after story submitted by a reader, about how he or she successfully changed a habit. We can all learn from each other. If you’d like to share your story, contact me here.This week’s story comes from Marissa Postler:
I’ll be honest, I’m not 100% changed quite yet, but I wanted to share a tool that is currently helping me considerably. I’ve explained your character index to several friends of mine and elaborated on why I consider myself an Obliger and why that’s a problem when I want to get things done that aren’t enforced.As Marissa points out, for Obligers, the secret to building a habit is to create a system of external accountability. She’s using StickK.com and her friend to give her double accountability. Brilliant!
A friend of mine found StickK.com and suggested we give it a try. StickK.com is basically a website all about helping “Obligers” stick to resolutions. You set a goal (mine was to spend at least an hour each day doing something productive – studying, cleaning, practicing music, exercising, etc.) and determine the rules/time frame of it first. Then you’re given the option to automatically charge your credit card an amount of your choice whenever you fail to report a successful week. The money can either go to a good charity or an “anti” charity, which might motivate you even more to not fail!
The part I’ve found most helpful though is the “referee” aspect of the site. My friend and I are each other’s “referees” so whenever one of us submits a successful report, the other has to confirm the validity of it. There is also a spot on each of our profiles for comments, much like a Facebook wall. We use that to keep tabs on each other’s progress throughout the week and encourage one another. I haven’t been doing this long enough to really claim that I’ve changed, but so far it’s been going really well and I highly recommend it to all the Obligers out there!
By the way, if you’re wondering what an Obliger is, read here.
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Secret of Adulthood: Experience the Experience.
Further Secrets of Adulthood:
I constantly struggle to experience the experience, to experience now. Not to think about the past, or the future, but now. In fact, the last chapter of Happier at Home is titled “Now.” It always seems as though experiencing the present moment should be easy, but it’s so challenging. At least for me. But then I struggle so much with mindfulness.
How about you? Do you have a mantra or a habit or a Secret of Adulthood that helps you “experience the experience?”
If you’re reading this post through the daily email, click here to join the conversation. And if you’d like to get the daily blog post by email, sign up here.
I constantly struggle to experience the experience, to experience now. Not to think about the past, or the future, but now. In fact, the last chapter of Happier at Home is titled “Now.” It always seems as though experiencing the present moment should be easy, but it’s so challenging. At least for me. But then I struggle so much with mindfulness.
How about you? Do you have a mantra or a habit or a Secret of Adulthood that helps you “experience the experience?”
If you’re reading this post through the daily email, click here to join the conversation. And if you’d like to get the daily blog post by email, sign up here.
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