I embrace treats, but I'm also very wary of treats. Treats help us feel energized, appreciated, and enthusiastic - but very often,… — Gretchen Rubin Copy Share Image
When we don't get any treats, we feel depleted, resentful, and angry, and we feel justified in self-indulgence. We start to crave… — Gretchen Rubin Angry Copy Share Image
It's about living in the moment and appreciating the smallest things. Surrounding yourself with the things that inspire you and letting go… — Gretchen Rubin Copy Share Image
In the scope of a happy life, a messy desk or an overstuffed coat closet is a trivial thing, yet I find… — Gretchen Rubin Copy Share Image
One major challenge within happiness is loneliness. The more I've learned about happiness, the more I've come to believe that loneliness is… — Gretchen Rubin Copy Share Image
Putting myself into categories is fun, and I think it also gives me insight into my own nature. When I see myself… — Gretchen Rubin Copy Share Image
We've all heard of Dr. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross's five stages of grief: denial, anger, bagaining, depression and acceptance. By contrats, I realized, happiness… — Gretchen Rubin Acceptance Copy Share Image
Say “no” only when it really matters. Wear a bright red shirt with bright orange shorts? Sure. Put water in the toy… — Gretchen Rubin Copy Share Image
Most people enjoy 'potato-chip news' from time to time - to track a presidential election or the Oscars. However, some are particularly… — Gretchen Rubin Copy Share Image
Now, the term 'friend' is a little loose. People mock the 'friending' on social media, and say, 'Gosh, no one could have… — Gretchen Rubin Childhood Copy Share Image
Sometimes, counter-intuitively, it's easier to make a major change than a minor change. When a habit is changing very gradually, we may… — Gretchen Rubin Authentic happiness Copy Share Image
Do I need fifty finger-painted pictures by my toddler, or is one enough to capture this time of life? Mementos work best… — Gretchen Rubin Copy Share Image
“The pleasure of doing the same thing, in the same way, every day, shouldn't be overlooked. The things I do every day… — Gretchen Rubin Beauty Copy Share Image
A person with 'oppositional conversational style' is a person who, in conversation, disagrees with and corrects whatever you say. He or she… — Gretchen Rubin Communication Copy Share Image
One reason that challenge brings happiness is that it allows you to expand your self - definition. You become larger. Suddenly you… — Gretchen Rubin Copy Share Image
One of the most important elements of my identity is my identity as a reader. I love to read - really, if… — Gretchen Rubin Copy Share Image
I enjoy the fun of failure. It's fun to fail, I kept repeating. It's part of being ambitious; it's part of being… — Gretchen Rubin Ambitious Copy Share Image
People often assume that the same approach will work for everyone, that the same habits will work for everyone, and that everyone… — Gretchen Rubin Appetite Copy Share Image
Happiness is a critical factor for work, and work is a critical factor for happiness. In one of those life-isn't-fair results, it… — Gretchen Rubin Copy Share Image
I'm a compulsive note-taker, and I used to feel self-conscious about pulling out my little notebook and taking notes during a casual… — Gretchen Rubin Copy Share Image
“Happiness," wrote Yeats, "is neither virtue nor pleasure nor this thing nor that, but simply growth. We are happy when we are… — Gretchen Rubin Happiness Copy Share Image
It's so easy to use tired, shopworn figures of speech. I love using long, fancy words but have learned - mostly from… — Gretchen Rubin Copy Share Image
Contemporary research shows that happy people are more altruistic, more productive, more helpful, more likable, more creative, more resilient, more interested in… — Gretchen Rubin Copy Share Image
“A sense of growth is so important to happiness that it’s often preferable to be progressing to the summit rather than to… — Gretchen Rubin Happiness Copy Share Image
“Studies show that in a phenomenon called “emotional contagion,” we unconsciously catch emotions from other people—whether good moods or bad ones. Taking… — Gretchen Rubin Contagion Copy Share Image
When you're doing a job that benefits other people, it's easy to assume that they feel conscious of the fact that you're… — Gretchen Rubin Copy Share Image
“Plainness was not necessarily simplicity,” Frank Lloyd Wright cautioned. “Elimination, therefore, may be just as meaningless as elaboration, perhaps more often is… — Gretchen Rubin Copy Share Image
“After someone's death, how strange to see the value drain away from his or her possessions; useful objects such as clothes, or… — Gretchen Rubin Death Copy Share Image
We all want to get along well with other people, and one way to do this is to help people feel good… — Gretchen Rubin Copy Share Image
Don't keep excessive amounts of anything. Those glass vases that come from florists. Those ketchup packets that come with take-out food. A… — Gretchen Rubin Copy Share Image
We’ve all heard of Dr. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross’ five stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. In contrast, I realized, happiness… — Gretchen Rubin Acceptance Copy Share Image
I'm a creature of routine, and I hate feeling incompetent, so I avoided novelty and challenge. Making an effort to push myself… — Gretchen Rubin Copy Share Image
Some kind of clutter is difficult - letting go of things with sentimental value, sifting through papers - but some clutter I… — Gretchen Rubin Copy Share Image
I'd always vaguely expected to outgrow my limitations. One day, I'd stop twisting my hair, and wearing running shoes all the time,… — Gretchen Rubin Copy Share Image
“I have an idea of who I wish I were, and that obscures my understanding of who I actually am. Sometimes I… — Gretchen Rubin Learning Copy Share Image
A blog is something that, everyday there's a new thing and that's part of the fun of it, you're just constantly moving… — Gretchen Rubin Blogs Copy Share Image
Often, the more reliably you perform a task, the less likely it is for someone to notice that you're doing it and… — Gretchen Rubin Copy Share Image
When we're trying to form and keep habits, we often search - even unconsciously - for loopholes. We look for justifications that… — Gretchen Rubin Copy Share Image
Kennedy was president for only 1,037 days, but during his short tenure, he achieved much. At the Cold War's most dangerous hour,… — Gretchen Rubin Copy Share Image
One of the things that you see ancient philosophers and contemporary scientists agree on is that strong relationships are a key to… — Gretchen Rubin Copy Share Image
