Hello, we're here for more Happier, a podcast where we get more Happier. It's the weekend we're having some happiness conversation with a bit of a loose survive. Hey, Elizabeth. Hi, Grudge. Today, we'll talk about a question related to our time in college. And I will share some advice that absolutely no one is interested in hearing, but I choose to try to share it. But first Elizabeth, what's something making us more happier? What's making you more happier?
Well, Gretch, what's making me more happier is I had an actual meeting in person the other day. And you sent me a photo of your outfit and you look terrific. Thank you. You really brought your you brought your A game. Well, I will say when you have fewer meetings in person, it does kind of inspire one to like really put in the effort to look good when you're doing it. Get the fun out of it.
Exactly. But yeah, I mean, Sarah and I, almost all of our meetings have been on Zoom since the pandemic. I mean, we have lunches with people, but actual just general meetings, which are just meetings, we sort of have all the time where we meet executives or producers just to
talk and see if there's something to do, have been on Zoom. And this company said, well, would you mind coming in? And we said, sure. And it was so nice. We were on the universal lot, which is a fun place to be. They weren't a beautiful building. It was just fun to be like back in person with people. And you feel like you get to know them so much more in person.
Yeah. Then on Zoom. Yeah. Well, I find also that if I've only met people through Zoom, it's very hard to remember their face. Yes. My brain is just like, oh, that's just like a tile. They're sort of interchangeable start photos of people. They don't register in the way that they register when you meet an actual person.
No, absolutely. I could meet someone on Zoom for an hour and then see them 15 minutes later and have no idea who they were. It's like, okay, if you don't have the same wallpaper behind you, I mean, how can one tell you apart? But what's nice about it is now I feel like any future meeting we have could be on Zoom. Ah, right. Yes. Now that we've met, I would feel comfortable saying, oh, hey, there's a project we'd love to discuss with you. Can we hop on Zoom this afternoon, which is much easier, but we've established that connection.
Do you think that they've realized that there's some brainstorming, get to know you quality that's lost? Is this their corporate overlords telling them what to do? Why do you think that this particular group said, hey, do you want to do it in person? I think it's just realizing that the connections just aren't the same if you have a met person and probably their own enjoyment of the job. I mean, it's just not very fun to have all these eight Zoom meetings in a row. It's just not organic.
And yes, it's a great tool and it is really useful, but it also takes a lot of the fun of the job away. So I think doing a combination really works. Meeting in person when it's the first time especially. And then you can pick and choose.
It did take a lot more time. Sure. You know, had this been on Zoom, Sarah and I would have been working on the phone, talking, and then we've been like, okay, let's do this Zoom, which would have been half an hour, maybe 45 minutes, and then we would have just gotten back to it. Right. As it was, Sarah picked me up, we had to drive 40 minutes, then we were early, so we had to wait for the meeting, and then we had the meeting, which was much longer than it would have been on Zoom, then we went to eat lunch, so it was the whole day almost.
But at the same time, you know, then Sarah and I talked over lunch in ways that we probably got things out of that we don't get on zoom or the phone. So the question that I'm really interested to see is when you do a pitch because you've talked about the pros and cons of pitching in person and over zoom and it will be very interesting to see how that goes.
Yes, so far, I just inquired about this to somebody yesterday, and she said, as far as she can tell, pitches will stay on Zoom. I think it less probably there's someone very famous involved, a famous actor.
Part of that is probably because it's more people, right? Yes. Harder to negotiate the time. Yeah. Yeah. And I mean, she said something interesting, which is if you're doing pitches in person, somebody might have several pitches in a day that they're hearing and there's something about just constantly having people in your office space that can be wearing where you feel like you have to deal with these people.
Right. Which I get. Time will tell. We'll see how it all unfolds. But Sarah and I really enjoyed meeting in person, dressing up, putting on our makeup, going to lunch. That's making me more happier. What's making you more happier, Grudge? Okay, so what's making me more happier is in episode 508, I gave a gold star to super fans because I so appreciate the super fans. And what's making me happier is I got so many emails from people saying, hey, I'm going to be a super fan.
So that's so great. So if you go to halfyourcast.com slash super fan, you can sign up. And just to be clear, this isn't like a whole big thing. Right. Every once in a while, I'll sort of ask a question or I'll be like, Oh, cover reveal. You guys get to see it first or
Sometimes I have special discounts on a journal or a course or something like that. It's just fun to know that this group of people is especially enthusiastic. Yeah. So it's just a very nice thing to have. So I really, really appreciate it. I was so touched when people put up their hands and said they wanted to join. So happyercast.com's left, super fan. You're really making me happier. Nice. All right, Gretch, coming up, we're going to talk about some quality podcast time. But first, let's break.
Gretz, we're back. Often we talk about quality screen time. Today, we're talking about, I guess we'd call it quality audio time. Okay, so this was an issue that came out of a podcast discussion that I thought was really interesting, so I wanted to raise with you. And it's the Lizna School podcast.
So we are huge fans of Liz Dolan, who is one of the satellite sisters. We love the satellite sisters. And the satellite sisters are a group of sisters, five real life sisters. And together they had a radio show that was them talking. And then of course, as one does, one becomes a podcast. So they lived in all different cities and they would talk. And anyway, it's super fun. And Liz Dolan is one of them. I think she's going to be a guest on Happier in Hollywood, right, Elissa?
She is, yes, we're finding a time for her to come on and talk about Lizna's school because I think it's so interesting. Yeah, so Lizna's school is obviously a take on business school and her name is Liz because she is a fellow in a program called the Stanford Distinguished Careers Institute. So this is what sounds like an amazing program where a year, this cohort of people who have had distinguished careers, so they've had big careers,
They can take a class anywhere at Stanford. And then there's also special programming just aimed at these folks. And on listen school, it's a podcast where every other week she reports in. And this is the thing that I thought was so interesting. So she was talking about registering for classes. And so here I'm going to quote her. This is what Liz said. She said, what am I trying to accomplish? Because when I went to college, I was a compliment major. And compliment, you know, is 17th century French literature and classics and the art of the Renaissance. And I love all that.
And I think looking backwards into art and literature did actually help shape my worldview. But I'm different now. I'm at a whole different point in my life. So I decided I wanted most of the things I take to prepare me for the future in a different way, to really be about the changes that are upcoming in the world. So that's my plan. I want everything to prepare me for the future. Because in the business world, it just forces you to keep up with things. But the further you get away from that, the easier it is to lose touch. And here's my thing.
I realized, as she said, that when I was in college, I never considered for one single moment what I wanted to accomplish.
I never thought about that at all. Looking back, I'm like, how did I decide what I wanted to take? Listen, did you have a vision of what you wanted to accomplish in college? No, I had zero vision. I mean, I think I always knew I would be an English major. Me too. Because I just like to read. Me too. I mean, that's it. Never questioned it. I just like to read novels, and it's like, well, if I can do that, obviously I'm going to do that. Yeah.
But I wasn't looking to sort of accomplish a certain type of education. It's interesting because Columbia, where I went, has a core curriculum, which is a very specific curriculum about the classics that gives you that base, which I did like, but that's certainly not why I went there, nor did I give it a second of thought.
Yeah, I mean, I just thought it was so interesting that not only did I not do it, it never even occurred to me to ask about it. Yeah. Reflect on that question, which I have to say is when I think of my life, I'm not very forward thinking in terms of five-year plan, 10-year plan, having a big vision. But it was also interesting that she said there were three ways that people came in.
And I don't know if she was talking about her program specifically or college in general, but probably would apply equally to both. She said, some people arrived because they want to explore. I think that's what you and I wanted to do. Some people were trying to evaluate thinking, well, what do I want to do? Do I want to go down this path or that path?
So they're trying to learn more about a subject or an area so they can figure out, well, where do I want to go deeper? So they're evaluating. And then some people are preparing for launch where they know where they want to go. And so they are very explicitly doing the things that are going to prepare them for a very specific course.
Right. Like taking a marketing class, taking a marketing class or taking structural engineering or whatever. I know. Or, you know, if you know you're going to apply to medical school, then it's very clear that you know exactly many of the classes that you need to take. Right. So anyway, I just thought that was interesting because I was walking and I literally stopped mid-stride thinking, huh?
I do think that I had a sense that there were sort of these major works that everybody talked about all the time, and I wanted to read those major works, even if I wasn't even particularly interested in those major works.
Molflanders. Did I really want to read Molflanders? Not particularly, but did I think it was important that at some point in my life I read Molflanders? Yes, I did. So in that way, I sort of had this sense of touchstones that I wanted to become familiar with, but in a very broad, unsystematic way.
I mean, that is the nature of time. As time passes, we look back and see it much more clearly. It's not surprising to me that neither of us had this vision of what we wanted to accomplish. And I don't think Liz did either. She was just interested in conflict.
But it was interesting, just the final point, that what did she decide to take? I'm not sure she got into all these classes, but what she registered for. So taking a class in AI, because that's going to be a huge part of the future, neuroscience, because she said that she's much more interested in understanding how the brain and body work at this stage in her life, a class called How to Look at Art and Why, very interesting class, and then a class about memoir writing.
So that's what she felt like would help her accomplish what she wanted to accomplish. So anyway, I found it to be a fascinating question to think about. Yes. And it's a really interesting podcast just hearing her talk about this experience. It's definitely making both you and me want to do this program. That is for sure. Absolutely. Yes. Absolutely. It sounds amazing.
All right, Gretchen, what is our spotlight on a tool this week? Okay, this is something that is going to require fast action. If you want to request a free personalized book plate, because you want to give one of my books to somebody and you want to personalize it, because Elizabeth, as you are often pointing out, personalizing things makes them seem so much more thoughtful. You can go to halfyourcast.com slash book plate. But this is something that I actually have to
do in person and mail to you. So do it fast because I will want to get these in the mail so that they get to you with plenty of time for the holidays. But I will act fast myself, hapiercast.com slash book plate. And again, there are book plates where I would write dear Liz onward, Gretchen Rubin, that you would put in somebody's book to just personalize it. So you can get it for yourself. A lot of times people get them for themselves. Question, someone I assume could put this in a journal too. Oh yeah. And anything. It just sticks in. Yeah.
Alright, Grudge, coming up, there's something you've been meaning to tell me, but first, this break.
Okay, Gretz, we are back. And there's something you've been meaning to tell me about the Met, one of your favorite subjects. Yes, okay. So I'm going to tell you Elizabeth, because then that doesn't want to hear my advice. They don't have an advice box in the Great Hall asking people to pipe up with their big ideas. But here's my idea. And I love this idea. So it makes me happier to just think about it.
I think that an exhibit that people would really enjoy, it's not the most high-minded or scholarly exhibit, but I think people would get a real kick of like an exhibit of the superlatives. So the Met would show its oldest piece, the biggest piece, the smallest piece, what was the most expensive piece that the Met ever acquired? What is considered its most famous piece?
What is the most popular item in the gift shop? What is the most fragile thing? What's the most reproduced thing? Which postcard sells the most? Which artwork has the winning postcard? What's the best backstory? Some of these art pieces have amazing backstories.
What's the most recently acquired? Do they know which one is the most visited? Who's the artist who has the most works on display? Here's something bananas. As far as I can tell, there is not a piece by Leonardo da Vinci in the map. It's kind of amazing. Who has the most artworks on display?
on display, not owned by the Met, because they have so many things that aren't on display, but consistently on display. What's the most featured in films or media? Is there one where people are constantly putting it in a TV show or a movie? I don't know. Don't you think that would be fun? I think visitors would love that. It's exactly the kind of thing people love. I think it's a great idea.
And you know what I was just thinking, Gretchen, in your open door phase of life, it does seem like somehow you need to get more into the Met. You need to get in there and meet some people and become more a part of the Met community, because it's your favorite place.
Well, maybe I get the sense that many people have that impulse, I would guess. No, many, many people want to lob their good ideas at the Met, whatever. I'm not saying you should lob your idea at them. Get to know them somehow. Because yes, as a TV writer where people are always coming up to me with their ideas, they understand that. Yes.
But I just think that would enrich your life to... I don't know how it will come about. It's just putting it out there as a thought. That's interesting. Yeah, no, it would be fun to have some official connection. Even if they just gave me a pin that was like, I'm an ambassador or something like that.
We want to recognize the fact that you talk about the Met enthusiastically. You're an ambassador. Kind of like you get your pilot pin when you're a little kid on an airplane. Exactly. Some kind of little recognition. Yeah, maybe like a page of stickers kind of thing with George Washington crossing the Delaware. Then again, it is your recess, you say. So maybe that would take out some of your recess feeling.
Well, you know, now that you say that, I think you're exactly right because part of what I like is that I go in there and I'm just on the loose. Nobody knows I'm there. Sometimes people will come up to me and say hello, which I love. So it's not like I don't, I like it when people do that, but I do like the idea that
It's purely play. It's purely voluntary. There's nothing that I meant to accomplish or get done. I just let it roll over me. And it's interesting, too, because when I'm reading, and maybe you feel this way about TV, Elizabeth, but when I'm reading,
I'm always somewhere thinking, oh, that was a really good word choice. Or it's getting bogged down here. What's going on? Now, I don't do it as some people are extremely systematic about it. I would say that I'm not that systematic about it. But like, if I read a beautiful passage or there's something really interesting, I always mark it up and I put it in my notes and stuff. Even just rereading a children's novel, part of me is like, oh, this would make a great
Little happier story, bad little angle, wrinkle in time. I got something to say. Whereas it's in that I'm just looking. So it does feel more like Reese's time. I think that's the reason I like reality TV is because I don't have to do that. Whereas I do feel when I watch regular TV, I'm always evaluating, could I have written this or could I have written this better? Would I have written this worse? I'm always thinking about that.
And then are you also thinking like, oh my gosh, I can't believe how much did they pay for that location? The price is always the top of mind. How much was the budget for this? Yeah. That's so funny, right? Well, the more you know, the more you notice, that's one of my secrets of adulthood. So you're watching TV in a completely different way, which can make it richer, but it can also make it more distracting and feel less relaxing. Yes.
Okay Gretchen, what is our quotation this week? This is a quotation that comes from Essays in Idleness by Kenko. In everything, leaving something incomplete makes it interesting and gives one the feeling that there is room for growth. Someone once told me, even when building the imperial palace, they always leave one place unfinished.
So Elizabeth, are you feeling more happier? Yes, I'm feeling more happier. Thank you, Chuck. Get in touch, Gretchen's on threads, TikTok, Facebook, and Instagram at Gretchen Rubin, and I'm on threads in Instagram at LizCraft. Our email address is podcast at Gretchen Rubin.com. And for everything related to this episode, links, photos, and more, go to happiercast.com.
Bye, Grudge. Bye, Elizabeth. The best time to start a happiness project is 20 years ago. The second best time is now.
Gretchen, the quote reminds me of someone who got their kitchen redone was showing me a place in the tile that was not quite right. And he said it was because the person doing the tiling said, you always have to leave something imperfect to show that you're not God because only God is perfect.
I've heard that about quilts. I've heard that about shaker furniture. And I tried to track that down. Like, where is the origin of that? Because you're right. It's that man is not supposed to attempt the perfection of God. I've heard that too. But it works if you don't observe it. And it works if you do observe it. Either way, you're satisfied. Yeah. From the onward project.
