I don’t remember exactly how but two months ago I discovered the American author Gretchen Rubin. Now I can’t stop listening to her audiobooks and reading her posts on Linkedin. After listening to her latest book Better than before, I bought Happier at Home and I can’t wait to read The Happiness Project.

I find Gretchen Rubin a great writer but above all I think she is a wonderful woman.

Below you can find some of her quotes I feel to share with you:

HAPPINESS

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 turns out that the happy outperform the less happy.

One major challenge within happiness is loneliness. The more I’ve learned about happiness, the more I’ve come to believe that loneliness is a terrible, common, and important obstacle to consider.

Although we often assume that feelings inspire actions, in fact, actions also inspire feelings. By pushing myself to act happier, I make myself feel happier.

HABITS

Better than before – Gretchen Rubin

“People are powerfully moved by imagination, belief, and knowledge. They can consider the past and future. They can make changes in their behavior out of reason in a way that animals can’t do”.

“Habit allows us to go from ‘before’ to ‘after,’ to make life easier and better. Habit is notorious – and rightly so – for its ability to direct our actions, even against our will; but by mindfully shaping our habits, we can harness the power of mindlessness as a sweeping force for serenity, energy, and growth”.

“We can use decision-making to choose the habits we want to form, use willpower to get the habit started, then – and this is the best part – we can allow the extraordinary power of habit to take over. At that point, we’re free from the need to decide and the need to use willpower”.

“Give warm greetings and farewells. I was surprised by how much this resolution changed the atmosphere of my home”.

GENERAL ADVICES

“If you’re impatient while waiting for the bus, tell yourself you’re doing ‘Bus waiting meditation.’ If you’re standing in a slow line at the drugstore, you’re doing ‘Waiting in line meditation.’ Just saying these words makes me feel very spiritual and high-minded and wise”.

“Turn off your email; turn off your phone; disconnect from the Internet; figure out a way to set limits so you can concentrate when you need to, and disengage when you need to. Technology is a good servant but a bad master”.

“The days are long, but the years are short”.