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Secrets of Adulthood: Simple Truths for Our Complex Lives

by Gretchen Rubin

Brief reflections on everyday complexity

Bestseller
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Regular price $31.25 USD Sale price $18.75 USD
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Awards & Recognition

  • Bestseller

    New York Times bestseller

AlbakiReads Editorial

Brief reflections on everyday complexity

Gretchen Rubin organizes observations about happiness and daily challenges as aphorisms: compact statements intended to put larger ideas into a few words. The subjects range from procrastination and indecision to change, temptation, relationships, and the pursuit of satisfaction. That format gives the book a different shape from a continuous, step-by-step guide; its ideas are presented as individual reflections that can be considered in relation to particular dilemmas. Drawing on Rubin’s studies of happiness and challenges she has faced, the collection brings together perspectives on self-acceptance, expectations, and the small contradictions of ordinary life.

Good fit for readers who enjoy

  • Adults interested in personal growth and happiness.
  • Readers who prefer short reflections to a continuous guide.
  • People considering perspectives on everyday dilemmas or major life transitions.

Themes

Happiness and satisfactionProcrastination and decision-makingChange and life transitionsSelf-acceptance and expectationsEveryday contradictions

Based on publisher information and book metadata.

Book overview

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - The author of The Happiness Project and Better Than Before distills her key insights into simple truths for living with greater satisfaction, clarity, and happiness.

The right idea, invoked at the right time, can change our lives. Drawing from her long studies of happiness, and also from the challenges she's faced herself, writer Gretchen Rubin has discovered the "Secrets of Adulthood" that can help us manage the complexities of life. To convey her conclusions, she turned to the aphorism--the ancient literary discipline that demands that a writer convey a large truth in a few words.

Perhaps you're paralyzed by indecision, struggling to navigate a big change, fighting a temptation, or puzzled by the behavior of someone you love; whatever you face, the right aphorism can help. From procrastination to the pursuit of happiness, Secrets of Adulthood is filled with witty and thought-provoking reflections such as:

  • "Recognize that, like sleeping with a big dog in a small bed, things that are uncomfortable can also be comforting"
  • "Accept yourself, and expect more from yourself"
  • "Easy children raise good parents"
  • "What can be done at any time is often done at no time"

For anyone undergoing a major life transition, such as graduation, career switch, marriage, or moving, or for those just encountering everyday dilemmas, these disarming aphorisms will inspire you by articulating truths that you may never have noticed but instantly recognize.
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Customer reviews

M
AlbakiReads
Malaika Taylor

I highly recommend to for anyone looking for inner clarity

T
AlbakiReads
Thomas DiMassa

Great service and fast service

Great shopping experience! The book arrived quickly, was well packaged, and matched the description perfectly. I would definitely shop with you again

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AlbakiReads
Olivia

Smooth.