A Little Happier: Do You Suffer from “Lost Wallet Syndrome?” I Do.
Happier with Gretchen Rubin
Gretchen Rubin / The Onward Project
4.7 • 13K Ratings
🗓️ 12 January 2026
⏱️ 6 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
When we lose our wallet, we think finding it would make us happy forever, but once found, we quickly start taking it for granted again. Colette said of her life, "What a beautiful life. It's a pity I didn't notice it sooner." But we don’t have to lose our wallet to note the joy of possessing it.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | As a business owner myself, I know that owning a business means long days and lots of hard work. |
| 0:06.0 | You need to be able to adapt to new challenges as they pop up, and you certainly need the right technology to help you do that. |
| 0:13.5 | Spectrum business keeps businesses of all sizes connected seamlessly with internet, advanced Wi-Fi, phone, TV, and mobile services. |
| 0:23.5 | Spectrum business has tailored connectivity solutions and packages built for your business's budget. |
| 0:29.1 | No contracts, no added fees. |
| 0:31.5 | And right now, business owners can get free business internet advantage forever when you add four or more mobile lines. |
| 0:39.4 | Visit spectrum.com slash free for life to learn how you can get business internet free forever. |
| 0:46.1 | Restrictions apply, services not available in all areas. |
| 0:52.0 | Lemonada |
| 0:52.8 | I'm Gretchen Rubin, and this is a little happier. |
| 0:59.0 | Recently, I was having some issues with my computer. |
| 1:03.0 | I use my desktop, my laptop, or both many times every day, so this problem was really weighing me down. |
| 1:10.0 | Those issues are fixed now, and I am so |
| 1:13.5 | happy. I take my word processor, my email, my internet access for granted, but when they aren't |
| 1:19.7 | available as easily as usual, I realize how much these tools add to my happiness and how much |
| 1:25.2 | they contribute to my ability to work easily and smoothly. |
| 1:30.1 | However, I expect that before many days have passed, I'll take my tech setup for granted once again. |
| 1:36.7 | In college, a friend told me about what he called the lost wallet syndrome. |
| 1:41.5 | No matter what's happening in your life, he explained, if you lose your wallet, |
| 1:45.3 | you think how happy I would be. If only I could find my wallet, I'd be happy forever. But then, |
| 1:51.8 | if you find it, you're happy for about two minutes, and then you're right back where you started. |
| 1:56.8 | One of the unhappy truths about human nature is that it's hard for us to appreciate what we have |
... |
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