This message comes from Harvard Business School Executive Education. Now is the time to invest in yourself and change the world with your voice. Our programs connect you with faculty at the forefront of their fields, introduce you to a global network of leaders, and help you step into your full potential. The next chapter is yours. Let us help you write it. Apply today to accelerate your future. Learn more at hbs.me-accelerate. That's hbs.me-accelerate. I'm Gretchen Rubin, and this is A Little Happier. One of my favorite things about reading a book is when it contains a reference to something, a novel, a song, a TV show, an anecdote that leads me to something else. For instance, as a child in reading the brilliant novels for children by Edward Eager, written between 1954 and 1962, I discovered the equally brilliant children's books by E. Nesbitt, which were written in the early 1900s. In fact, Edward Eager quite deliberately included allusions to Nesbitt's books to help his readers discover her work because he had been so inspired by her novels. He wrote of E. Nesbitt's influence, I am always careful to acknowledge this indebtedness in each of my stories, so that any child who likes my books and doesn't know hers may be led back to the master of us all. Through reading Thomas Merton's acclaimed spiritual memoir The Seven-Story Mountain, I discovered the spiritual memoir of Story of a Soul by St. Therese of Lisieux, a book that I have read and reread many times, in which led me to a profound and lasting interest in St. Therese. Often, one book leads to another book, but a book can lead to other places as well. For instance, a few years ago, I read the outstanding novel, Martyr by Kave Akbar. I highly recommend this book. It's the story of Cyrus, a 20-something recovering alcoholic, an orphaned son of Iranian immigrants, as he wrestles with deep questions related to how to be an artist, his family roots, and the meaning of death. It strikes me that this description may not make the novel sound very enjoyable, but I promise it is. At one point, Cyrus calls his uncle, who describes how he once had a car that had a cassette tape stuck in its tape player. Because he couldn't change the music, as he made long trips through the countryside, he listened over and over to a piece of music by composer Allegri called Misere. The whole tape was just 20 minutes long, and over the years, his uncle listened to it perhaps more than a thousand times. His uncle said, It felt like a miracle every time. It didn't matter if I came in just for the last minute, the last 90 seconds of the tape. There were five voices, and I heard something new every time. Of course, after I heard this description, I had to learn more about this music. Its full title is Misere Me Deus, which is Latin for Have Mercy on Me, O God. It's a setting of Psalm 51 by the Italian composer Gregorio Allegri. It was composed around 1638 for the exclusive use of the Sistine Chapel during the services during Holy Week. A lot of fun myths have grown up around this music, but unfortunately, they aren't true, so I won't include them. After I read and learned about this music, I wanted to hear it for myself. It is beautiful and haunting. I haven't listened to it a thousand times, but I've listened to it many, many times. Through a novel, I was led to deep engagement with a piece of music. Something I've learned about myself is that for me, an appreciation of my senses almost always comes through words. I guess that's why I wrote my book Life in Five Senses. I had to write my way toward a deeper, sensual appreciation of the world. I'll post a link to Martyr by Caveh Akbar. I also did another little happier about something else that happened in the novel. I'll post a link to that little happier episode as well. And so you can hear this music too. Here it is. Allegri's Misere. 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Hi Gretchen, Craig Robinson and my little sister Michelle here. We host a new podcast called IMO with Michelle Obama and Craig Robinson. We know you're the queen of giving advice, so we wanted to get a few tips from you. You know Gretchen, a lot of our listeners are going through some major life changes. What advice do you have for folks who are trying to stay grounded in the midst of major life transitions? Craig and Michelle, I am so happy to be talking to you. Here are a few questions that might help us gain perspective. So consider questions like this. What activities take up my time but are not particularly useful or stimulating for me? Do I spend a lot of time on something that's important to someone else but is not very important to me? If I could magically change one habit in my life, what would I choose? And here's a question. Would I like to have more time in solitude, restorative solitude, or would I like to have more time with friends? Just thinking about questions like this can help us start to figure out how we might make our lives happier. With greater self-knowledge, we're better able to make hard decisions that reflect ourselves, our own nature, our own interests, our own values. In my own case, I have found that the more my life reflects my nature, the happier I get and the more grounded I feel when I'm going through a period of major change or transition. For more great advice, search for IMO with Michelle Obama and Craig Robinson wherever you get podcasts. You can listen to Issa Rae on letting go of certain friendships. Kiki Palmer on why disappointment is actually the key to career success, Seth and Lauren Rogan on caring for aging parents, and so many more.
