The Happiness Project

by Gretchen Rubin

Forget the past. Do stuff. Talk to strangers. Stay in touch. Stop the venting and complaining. Go outside. Spread joy. Never bother with people you hate. Don’t expect it to last forever. Everything ends and that’s okay. Stop buying useless crap. Make mistakes. Give thanks: for the ordinary and the extraordinary. Create something that wasn’t there before. Notice the color purple. Make footprints: “I was here.” Be silly. Be light. Be the kind of woman I want my daughters to be. Shit happens—count on it. Friends are more important than sex. Choose not to take things personally. Be loving and love will find you. Soak it in. This too shall pass. “Be still, and know that I am God.” Remember, everyone’s doing their best all the time. Get a hold of yourself, Meredith! Imagine the eulogy: how do I want to be remembered? Expect a miracle. I am already enough. Let it go, man. Light a candle or STFU. Recognize my ghosts. What do I really, really, really want? Help is everywhere. What would I do if I weren’t scared? If you can’t get out of it, get into it. Keep it simple. Give without limits, give without expectations. React to the situation. Feel the danger (many dangers—saturated fat, drunk driving, not making deadlines, law school—don’t feel dangerous). Start where you are. People give what they have to give. Be specific about my needs. Let go, let God. If you’re not now here, you’re nowhere. Play the hand I’m dealt. Own less, love more. One is too many; a hundred aren’t enough. Not...