Quote

When I find myself focusing overmuch on the anticipated future happiness of arriving at a certain goal, I remind myself to 'Enjoy now'. If I can enjoy the present, I don't need to count on the happiness that is (or isn't) waiting for me in the future.

Gretchen Rubin

Change background

T
T
T

Change font

TAGS & TOPICS

Gretchen Rubin
Age: 58
Born: 1965
Born: December 14
Author
Blogger
Motivational Speaker
Kansas City
Missouri
Gretchen Craft Rubin
Find
Count
Need
Present
Needs
Waiting
Goal
Overmuch
Happiness
Anticipated
Future
Arriving
Enjoy
Focusing
Certain
Remind

More quotes by Gretchen Rubin

Image
Forbearance is a form of generosity.
Gretchen Rubin
Image
I spend a lot of time saying to myself, Well, is that really what I like to do? Is that really something that makes me happy? and letting go of the things that don't make me happy.
Gretchen Rubin
Image
One of the great joys of falling in love is the feeling that the most extraordinary person in the entire world has chosen you.
Gretchen Rubin
Image
Turn off your email turn off your phone disconnect from the Internet figure out a way to set limits so you can concentrate when you need to, and disengage when you need to. Technology is a good servant but a bad master.
Gretchen Rubin
Image
Say “no” only when it really matters. Wear a bright red shirt with bright orange shorts? Sure. Put water in the toy tea set? Okay. Sleep with your head at the foot of the bed? Fine. Samuel Johnson said, “All severity that does not tend to increase good, or prevent evil, is idle.
Gretchen Rubin
Image
The belief that unhappiness is selfless and happiness is selfish is misguided. It's more selfless to act happy. It takes energy, generosity, and discipline to be unfailingly lighthearted.
Gretchen Rubin
Image
Volunteering to help others is the right thing to do, and it also boosts personal happiness
Gretchen Rubin
Image
Sometimes, counter-intuitively, it's easier to make a major change than a minor change. When a habit is changing very gradually, we may lose interest, give way under stress, or dismiss the change as insignificant. There's an excitement and an energy that comes from a big transformation, and that helps to create a habit.
Gretchen Rubin
Image
One of the findings that really interests me is that, although we think we ACT because of the way we FEEL, we often FEEL because of the way we ACT. So an almost uncanny way to change your feelings is to act the way you WISH you felt.
Gretchen Rubin
Image
I've found that I snack less and concentrate better when I chew on a plastic stirrer - the kind that you get to stir your to-go coffee. I picked up this habit from my husband, who loves to chew on things. His favorite chew-toy is a plastic pen top, and gnawed pen tops and little bits of plastic litter our apartment.
Gretchen Rubin
Image
Nothing,' wrote Tolstoy, 'can make our life, or the lives of other people, more beautiful than perpetual kindness.
Gretchen Rubin
Image
It's the task that's never started that's more tiresome.
Gretchen Rubin
Image
Feelings follow actions. If I'm feeling low, I deliberately act cheery, and I find myself actually feeling happier. If I'm feeling angry at someone, I do something thoughtful for her and my feelings toward her soften. This strategy is uncannily effective.
Gretchen Rubin
Image
[S]tudies show that one of the best ways to lift your mood is to engineer an easy success, such as tackling a long-delayed chore.
Gretchen Rubin
Image
The 20-minute walk I take is better than the 3-mile run I never start. Having people over for take-out is better than never having people to an elegant dinner party.
Gretchen Rubin
Image
I can DO ANYTHING I want, but I can't DO EVERYTHING I want.
Gretchen Rubin
Image
I used to be very disciplined about only buying three books ahead of what I was reading, but my husband corrupted me, and now I'm dozens ahead of myself!
Gretchen Rubin
Image
It's about living in the moment and appreciating the smallest things. Surrounding yourself with the things that inspire you and letting go of the obsessions that want to take over your mind. It is a daily struggle sometimes and hard work but happiness begins with your own attitude and how you look at the world.
Gretchen Rubin
Image
Some kind of clutter is difficult - letting go of things with sentimental value, sifting through papers - but some clutter I find very refreshing to clear. I drive my daughters nuts because I'm always wandering into their rooms to clear clutter.
Gretchen Rubin
Image
I'm a creature of routine, and I hate feeling incompetent, so I avoided novelty and challenge. Making an effort to push myself in that way has brought me surprising boost.
Gretchen Rubin