I'm Gretchen Rubin and this is a little happier where each week I take a few minutes to reflect on an experience

highlight interesting new research or share something funny

There's a certain curious kind of experience that

often happens to me. Something will happen or I'll read something or a friend will tell me a story or I'll witness something and it will hit me

with tremendous force. It will be filled with meaning but often I don't know what that meaning is.

I don't understand the symbolism. I don't see the pattern. I can't grasp the lesson. I'll puzzle over these episodes for years. For instance

that's how I got my insight into the four tendencies. A friend told me it's weird. I know I'm happier when I exercise, and when I was

in high school I was on the track team and I never missed track practice, so why can't I go running now?

Well, why? I could think of many possible answers, but what

truly made the difference? I thought and thought and thought about it. And along with

other patterns I'd noticed, that comment led me to my breakthrough

to create my four tendencies personality framework. Here's another story that I've

reflected on for years.

When I was in law school, I had a friend, a fellow law student who had a girlfriend.

They'd been together for two or three years.

She lived in another city but visited

him in law school fairly regularly and she seemed very nice. And for months my

friend and his girlfriend were arguing about whether or not to get engaged.

They were really struggling with the decision, whether or not to do it, the timing, all of it.

Finally, they got engaged.

And almost immediately, they broke up very amicably. This

astonished me. I asked my friend I don't get it. You're so in love that you're thinking of getting married and

...