We’re halfway through the year...what?! In January, Melia and Gill came up with a list of 19 for 2019 goals (inspired by the Happier with Gretchen Rubin podcast) – some small, some large, some one-offs, some ongoing – to accomplish by December. They talk about where they’re making progress and where they’re not, and share strategies for overcoming obstacles that you can apply to any goal you’re working on.

The language we use matters, especially when talking to and about ourselves. Melia and Gill explore the ways our words shape the way we think, feel, and act, and how to use them to empower ourselves. 

Do you tend to long for the past, wish for the future, or appreciate the present? Research shows that a healthy mix of all three tendencies – a balanced time perspective – fosters greater happiness, optimism, well-being, and life satisfaction. Melia and Gill share their own time perspective tendencies and offer five strategies for finding an optimal balance.

The beliefs we have about our capabilities aren't actually facts, and they can often hold us back from change and new possibilities for ourselves. Melia and Gill discuss their own limiting beliefs and how to replace a fixed mindset with a growth mindset. 

Melia and Gill check in on how they're dealing with regrets and should-haves. They share a listener question on the topic and a couple of reasons to be grateful for finding your path later in life.

Your genes and your environment are only part of what makes you an optimist or a pessimist. Scientific happiness research shows that you can adopt small daily practices to rewire your brain for a more positive worldview. Melia and Gill talk about their own tendencies and the "happiness hygiene" habits they're trying. 

Melia and Gill check in on how they're doing with erasing "should" from their vocabulary. They share some listener feedback on the subject and even more reasons to stop shoulding.

We can spend a lot of time dwelling on regrets, those small and large “should-haves” that haunt us. But obsessing over mistakes and missteps can have a negative impact on our mood, sleep and behavior. Melia and Gill talk about their battles with should-haves and the 5-step process they’re using to make peace with them.

There’s a simple but life-changing action that you can take to be happier starting today: Eliminate the word “should” from your vocabulary. There is no “should” – it's totally made up! There's only could, want to, and will, and you get to decide which actions fuel the life you want. Melia and Gill discuss their own struggles with “should,” how liberating it is to stop saying it, and what to say instead.

We all have triggers that send us into negative moods or downward spirals. When we can identify and be on the lookout for them, we can figure out how to cope. Melia and Gill talk about their own triggers and share in-the-moment audio diaries that capture their raw emotions and strategies to tame them.