I'm Gretchen Rubin and this is a little happier. I love epigrams, aphorisms, true rules, secrets of adulthood, paradoxes, proverbs, and so I love the work of Oscar Wilde.

I find myself quoting him and thinking about his observations all the time. There's one line from his novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, that I think about all the time.

I find it very true and also puzzling. In the novel, The Character Harry observes, there are many things that we would throw away if we were not afraid that others might pick them up.

I've experienced this myself and I've seen other people struggle with it. I don't really want that promotion but I don't want someone else to get that job.

You don't really want that boyfriend but you know that someone else will snap him up the minute you break up with him.

You don't want to pass up an opportunity and then see someone else take advantage of it.

The problem is because of this phenomenon, we sometimes do things that we don't want to do just because we don't want to see others do them.

There are many things we would throw away if we were not afraid that others might pick them up.

I think it's very helpful to recognize this so that we can try to take it into account when we make our decisions.

If it's right for us to throw something away, we should. Even if someone else will pick it up.

I'm Gretchen Rubin and I hope this makes your week a little happier.