Gretchen Rubin* talks to a business author who believes too many people give up on their goals because they are unwilling to put in consistent effort over time.
I recently interviewed consultant and keynote speaker, Dorie Clark (pictured) who teaches Executive education at Duke University and Columbia Business School.
Dorie is also the author of a number of books, the latest being The Long Game: How to be a Long-Term Thinker in a Short-Term World.
I couldn’t wait to talk to her about happiness, habits, and creativity.
Gretchen: What’s a simple activity or habit that consistently makes you happier, healthier, more productive, or more creative?
Dorie: Growing up, I scarfed down way too much Coca-Cola, and I never liked the taste of water.
Once I realised that water could be carbonated just like soda, I was sold.
Today, I drink inordinate amounts of sparkling water, so I’m very well hydrated, which helps with sleep, mood, and more.
Most of what’s positive in my life comes from finding ways to trick myself into doing the right things.
What’s something you know now about happiness that you didn’t know when you were 18 years old?
When I was a kid, I was always focused on “the next thing.” I was desperate to be 16 so I could drive and 18 so I could vote.
I couldn’t wait to go to college or to get a job.
I don’t think that was wrong, but it was only a piece of the picture.
As an adult — now that I’m able to do those things — I’m in a lot less of a rush and have learned to force myself to pause and enjoy the slower moments.
You’ve done fascinating research. What has surprised or intrigued you, or your readers, the most?
In my research for my new book The Long Game, I found a pair of separate studies that, taken together, revealed something bonkers about the way we live our lives.
In one study of 10,000 leaders, 97 per cent said that strategic thinking was the most important thing they could be doing for the future of their organisations.
In a separate study, 96 per cent said they didn’t have time for strategic thinking!
I realised that, for so many of us, that’s true in our own lives as well.
I wrote The Long Game as a way of helping people think about how to create more white space in our schedules, so we can identify and focus on what really matters.
Does anything tend to interfere with your ability to keep your healthy habits or your happiness?
Travel was very hard for me, because pre-COVID, I gave about 30-to-50 keynote talks each year.
I have really severe motion sickness, so cabs to and from the airport were a nightmare.
I could either drug myself, which made me hopelessly sleepy, or take my chances.
I think I hold a world record for the number of times someone has actually thrown up in a moving vehicle.
I was helped when I discovered a recent invention, Boarding Ring glasses, which worked wonderfully for me.
However, they fog up when you wear a mask, so they’ve been a lot less useful during the pandemic although I haven’t been traveling very much, either.
I actually managed to exercise a lot because there was nothing else to do, but it was simultaneously very depressing.
Have you ever been hit by a lightning bolt, where you made a major change very suddenly, as a consequence of some outside event?
Five years ago, a casual acquaintance brought me to a Broadway show, Fun Home.
It was only the second show I’d seen in a year-and-a-half, but I woke up the next morning with the absolute conviction that I needed to learn how to write a musical.
I had no experience with this, but it was such a strong feeling I decided I needed to follow it, and in the five years since, I’ve been accepted into and completed one of the world’s top musical theatre training programs
I have written a complete musical that I’m working to move forward. Who knows if I’ll reach it, but the goal I’m working toward is getting a show on Broadway in the 2026 season.
Is there a particular motto or saying that you’ve found very helpful? Or a quotation that has struck you as particularly insightful?
My favourite quote is from Theodore Roosevelt: “In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing.”
I’m the world’s biggest fan of being proactive.
In your field, is there a common misconception that you’d like to correct?
I coach a lot of professionals who want to grow their platform and increase their impact.
One of the reasons I was inspired to write The Long Game is that I think having accurate expectations is so important.
Running a marathon is hard but do-able. What’s truly awful is thinking you’re signing up for a half-marathon, being near the end, and having someone suddenly tell you: “Oh, you’re only halfway there.”
Too many smart and talented people give up on their goals too soon, because they haven’t scoped out what it will take to achieve them and they get discouraged.
What I’ve seen is that it takes at least two-to-three years of consistent effort to show almost any progress in getting your ideas heard publicly, and about five years of effort to show clear and demonstrable results.
That might sound like a long time, but the time is going to pass, anyway.
If you have the right expectations upfront, it feels less like a slog, and more like a manageable journey toward something that really matters.
That’s the essence of the long game.
*Gretchen Rubin is the author of the New York Times bestsellers, Better Than Before, The Happiness Project, and Happier at Home. She writes about happiness and habit-formation. She can be followed on Twitter @gretchenrubin.
This interview first appeared on Gretchen’s blogsite.
