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Happier with Gretchen Rubin

Little Happier: For Writer Isabel Allende, January 8 Is the Right Day to Begin.

Happier with Gretchen Rubin

Gretchen Rubin / The Onward Project

Education, Health & Fitness, Self-improvement

4.713K Ratings

🗓️ 30 August 2021

⏱️ 4 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In remembrance of her grandfather’s death, writer Isabel Allende starts all her new books on January 8, which for her is the right day to begin. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; [email protected] Get in touch on Instagram: @GretchenRubin Get the podcast show notes by email every week here: http://gretchenrubin.com/#newsletter Order a copy of Gretchen’s new book OUTER ORDER, INNER CALM here: http://outerorderinnercalmbook.com Leave a voicemail message on: 774-277-9336 For information about advertisers and promo codes, go to happiercast.com/sponsors. Happier with Gretchen Rubin is part of ‘The Onward Project,’ a family of podcasts brought together by Gretchen Rubin—all about how to make your life better. Check out the other Onward Project podcasts—Do The Thing, Side Hustle School, Happier in Hollywood and Everything Happens with Kate Bowler. If you liked this episode, please subscribe, leave a review, and tell your friends! To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0

It's tough to stick with workout routines and making time to hit the gym is sometimes even harder.

0:05.0

That's why Peloton offers options that fit into your day with thousands of on-demand classes,

0:09.9

so you can work out when it's right for you. Peloton goes beyond just the bike,

0:14.0

offering classes like yoga, strength training, hit and boxing. Let Peloton help you achieve your

0:19.6

fitness goals. Try Peloton risk-free with a 30-day home trial. New members only, not available in

0:25.1

remote location, see additional terms at onepeloton.com slash home trial. I'm Grechyn Rubin and this is

0:32.0

a little happier. In my book about habit change better than before, I describe the 21 strategies we

0:38.4

can use to make or break our habits. One important strategy is the strategy of first steps,

0:44.9

which is all about the right time to begin. The most important step is the first step,

0:50.9

because until we take that first step, we haven't begun. But beginning is hard. That's why the

0:58.8

strategy of first steps is so important. It helps us figure out how to start. I'm always fascinated

1:05.2

to learn about different ways people grapple with the 21 strategies, so it was very interesting to

1:10.6

read about how the writer Isabel Aende used the strategy of first steps by finding an auspicious day

1:17.2

for her beginnings. In 1981, Isabel Aende was living in Venezuela as a political refugee after

1:24.0

the military coup in Chile, and she was working at a school. On January 8th, she got a phone call

1:30.4

that her beloved grandfather was dying in Chile, and she couldn't go back to say goodbye.

1:36.9

In her grief and frustration, she began writing a letter to him, a spiritual farewell,

1:42.4

and this letter turned into her first novel. She recalled,

1:47.2

I remembered everything he had ever told me about his life, the family anecdotes, the history of our

1:54.2

country. As soon as I began the letter, I realized it was not a normal letter. It was part novel,

2:00.0

part memoir, part family saga, and political chronicle. My grandfather died without reading the letter,

2:06.6

and I continued to write at night and on the weekends in the kitchen of our apartment.

...

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