Gretchen Rubin is one of today’s most thought-provoking and influential observers of human nature and happiness. She has been known for her gift of distilling and conveying complex concepts with clarity and humor and making it accessible to a wider audience. Dubbed as “the queen of the self-help memoir” by the New York Times, she lists being interviewed by Oprah, having dinner with Daniel Kahneman, and walking arm-in-arm with the Dalai Lama as some her writing career’s highlights.
Gretchen is the author of several books, including the New York Time bestsellers Better Than Before, The Four Tendencies, and the Happiness Project. Thanks to her enormous readership, her books have been translated in more than thirty languages and has sold over 3.5 million copies worldwide. As if not enough, her book The Happiness Project was on the bestseller list for two years!
In her work, Gretchen draws inspiration from the wisdom of the ages, cutting-edge science, lessons from pop culture, and from her very own experiences to explore how people can live happier, healthier, and more creative and productive lives. In her new book Outer Order, Inner Calm, Gretchen shares 150 straightforward and concrete clutter-clearing ideas her readers can pick from so they can create a serene and more orderly environment—one that will help them live the lives they yearn for.
This week’s episode talks about the one minute rule and how it can dramatically change one’s day, what the concept of “acting the way we feel” is all about, and why we need to pay attention to our bodies.
Gretchen also shares how she got the idea for the Happiness Project, why the Buddhist approach does not resonate with her, and what her new book Outer Order, Inner Calm is all about.
When it comes to happiness, Gretchen has this to say, “My own approach is to deepen attachment and to try to create and really raise the stakes. That’s where I feel happiness comes.”