Pushkin.

When we think about the factors that affect our happiness, we often focus on the big stuff,

things like finding the perfect relationship, or doing work that gives us a sense of purpose.

But we often forget that the little things can matter a lot too.

A well-timed joke, a touching song lyric, and especially a memorable quote,

these are the sorts of things that can instantly lift our spirits

and even help us tackle tough problems.

And there are a few people who understand that,

better than this episode's special guest.

So I'm Gretchen Rubin. I am so happy to be talking to you today.

Gretchen is a best-selling author, the acclaimed host of the podcast Happier with Gretchen

Rubin, and one of my favorite experts on the nuances of human nature.

Gretchen has just released a new book, entitled Secrets of Adulthood.

In it, Gretchen offers her readers practical insights for navigating the daily challenges that come with being a functional grown-up in the modern world.

But Gretchen manages to share these helpful insights in a truly creative way.

She distills more than 200 complex life lessons into short, concise aphorisms, short punchy sayings that

manage to pack a whole lot of wisdom into just a few words. So tell me the origin story of this

book, because it seemed like it had, you know, a few threads of how you got to it. Exactly. There

were a couple things that came together. One is, I am a writer, and I do feel it sometimes

an idea, maybe just one sentence,

will cross our path, and suddenly we see the way forward, or suddenly we have insight into a situation

in a way that's really illuminating. And I had really been pushing myself over the years to write

...