Weekly: Messy at the start

It's been such an exciting week! New Happy launched on Tuesday and I wanted to thank you all so much for your support: your preorders, your kind words, your photos.

I don't feel like this is my book—I feel like it's our book. You made it possible, you contributed to it, you are the ones helping to spread our movement. Thank you for everything. I am truly grateful.

In this week's newsletter, we're covering one of the most important perspective shifts that you need if you're trying something new.

With love,
Stephanie Harrison, founder of The New Happy

This Week

It has to feel like this before it feels like this

Old Happy: I should be able to get it right on the right try.
New Happy: I will be patient with myself as I work to get it right.

It's always going to feel messy at the start.

This is how it works: learning, creating, changing, living. As painful as they are, the messy parts have to be experienced before they can turn into something that's understandable and meaningful.

While this dynamic is present in so many domains of our lives, it's especially important to remember if you're trying to create or build anything — whether that's a piece of art, a project, a business, or a life.

Here are a few (famous) examples:

J.R.R. Tolkien didn't even have the eponymous ring in his first drafts of Lord of The Rings — it took multiple revisions to land on this idea.
Ed Catmull, president of Pixar, says that "Early on, all of our movies suck."
Ernest Hemingway wrote the ending of A Farewell To Arms 39 different times before he was satisfied.

You can't skip the messy part, either. It's the process of engaging with the mess that actually allows us to turn it into something else. Through our attention, we can make something beautiful, interesting, and authentic.

The next time you are struggling with this, try treating yourself with compassion.

Say, "This is how everyone feels when they're facing the mess. We all struggle with this. It doesn't mean I'm not talented, capable, or resourceful. It just means I'm a human, going through the messy parts first."

Tips and Tools

1. The world got happiness all wrong — Old Happy’s three lies.

2. Make someone glow — The core message of our philosophy.

3. How Old Happy makes you feel — Why you feel sad and lost.

4. What if it all works out? — Try this idea on.

5. The secret to happiness — There are two steps.

More from TNH

Book — Order New Happy today to find true happiness.

Podcast — Get a daily morning pep talk — in five minutes or less

Speaking — Book us to speak to your team about well-being, resilience, and productivity.

Articles — Read more articles on our website.

Community

What is one of your strengths?

One of my strengths is that I always look for beauty around me. I don’t mean a superficial, rigid sense of beauty but the kind of beautiful that exists in all of us and in nature; I always feel deeply moved and touched when I come across that beauty and it makes the world more precious to me. It could be children laughing, a sudden smile or when someone shares their favourite food with you, dogs playing among themselves or a cat lounging by the window—it’s my strength when I actively look out for beauty around me despite the odds!

I’m empathetic and caring for my colleagues. I suppose being a good listener is my greatest strength.

Connecting people, processes and ideas! I like to call connecting my super-power!!

I know I’m funny and make people laugh!

I find that one of my biggest strengths is being able to emotionally connect with people. Some might not see it as a strength but I think those who I connect to appreciate this.

I see the beauty of nature every day. I appreciate it. I photograph it. I share it. I paint it.

Read more