I'm Gretchen Ribin and this is a little happier.

In my book Better Than Before, I write about the 21 strategies we can use to make or

break our habits.

I loved writing about every strategy, but I have to say, my favorite chapter was the

strategy of loophole spotting, because loopholes are so funny.

I identified 10 categories of loopholes, including such favorites as Lack of Control Loophole,

fake self-actualization loophole.

Marl loophole, questionable assumption loophole, and my own favorite false choice loophole.

But I think the most interesting loophole is the one coin loophole.

It's absolutely insidious, because it's true.

It always works as a loophole.

I gave the loophole this name from an old teaching story called The Argument of the Growing

Heap, which I learned about when I read Erasmus's Praise of Folly.

The Argument of the Growing Heap is, if 10 coins are not enough to make a man rich,

what if you add 1 coin?

What if you add another?

Finally, you will have to say that no one can be rich, unless 1 coin can make him so.

This teaching story highlights a paradox that is very significant to happiness.

Open when we consider our actions, it's clear that any one instance of an action is almost

meaningless, yet at the same time a sum of those actions is very meaningful.

Whether we focus on the single coin or the growing heap will shape our behavior.

It's true.

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