I love traditional proverbs, and one of my favorite collections is Thomas Fuller’s 1816 compilation, Gnomologia: Adages and Proverbs, Wise Sentences, and Witty Saying, Ancient and Modern, Foreign and British. A few that I find myself quoting often include “A stumble may prevent a fall,” “A good example is the best sermon,” and “Those are miserable pleasures that must end in pain.” I’ve had to face that fact that I’ve turned into the kind of person who drops a proverb into practically every conversation.
5 Things to Try This Month
Discover your “Friendship Style.”
This quiz from the New York Times offers insight into how you approach social interaction. There’s no right way to connect with others, but frameworks like these can help us to understand our own patterns.
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Practice failure.
Mathew Knowles, father and manager of legendary musicians Beyoncé and Solange, shared a lesson about performing: “We would practice how they’d respond if their microphone got cut off, if their shoes broke on stage, if the wrong song got cued up in their performance set. Anything can happen and they were always prepared to have a response!” While we don’t want to catastrophize or upset ourselves by imagining failure in dozens of different ways, it can help us feel calmer and more confident if we ask ourselves: What might I do if something unexpected happens? What are the obvious things that can go wrong, and how can I prepare?
Start a newsletter.
Writing a regular newsletter can be a fun creative outlet and a great way to develop or demonstrate expertise on a subject, connect with other people, and get accountability for your aims. As with any aim, remember to focus on the action (send one newsletter per week) rather than the outcome (reaching a certain subscriber count).
Find the right thing to say.
One of the great challenges of life is finding the right thing to say during a difficult conversation. We all want to find the phrases that will allow us to show sympathy, compassion, understanding, acceptance, or connection. Listen to this recent Little Happier for more ideas.
- We’ve all done it.
- That sounds really hard.
- Thank you.
- I’m sorry.
- I see your point.
- What do you think?
- You were right, and I was wrong.
Harness your Tendency to exercise regularly.
These ideas come from our recent Very Special Episode filled with listeners’ exercise hacks.
- Rebels: Remind yourself that working on your mobility and flexibility now will allow you to keep having fun as you get older.
- Obligers: Check in with an accountability group using an app like Marco Polo or Peloton.
- Upholders: Find a type of exercise you love and make it non-negotiable to do it every morning. Schedule it and make sure your partner is on board.
- Questioners: Write down three words to describe how you feel before and after your workout. This practice will help clarify the benefits of exercise for your mood, energy level, and focus.
JUMP-START YOUR HABITS
Spark new creative ideas with the Happier™ app.
To be happy, we need to feel growth—and creativity is an essential part of that process. This month’s Jump-Start in the Happier app offers seven quick prompts for sparking your creativity, right now. Download the app for free and scroll through to see previous days’ prompts.
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