I recently did a happiness interview with Gretchen Rubin. In case you didn’t catch it, here is a link, and here are some of the highlights:

Q: Is there anything that you see people around you doing or saying that adds a lot to their happiness, or detracts a lot from their happiness?

A: The biggest thing that I see that detracts from people’s happiness is the tendency to compare themselves with others. But the subtlest thing that most people miss that detracts from their happiness is the tendency to “check the boxes” and half-ass things. As Yoda said, “Do or do not, there is no try.” When you half-ass something just to say you did it, you’re putting yourself in a subservient mentality–“I have to do this because someone told me to.” Decide what you want to or need to do, and then do it with all your power.

Q: Have you ever been surprised that something you expected would make you very happy, didn’t–or vice versa?

A: When I introduced myself to people, and they asked me, “What do you do?” I would reply, “I am an unemployed bum.” And that willingness to accept reality and acknowledge helped me recover both my happiness and my career far more quickly than anyone might expect.

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