Many of my happiness-project resolutions are meant to help me keep my vision wide. To counteract my impulse to work all the time, I push myself, with moderate success, to follow resolutions like Force myself to wander, Take time for projects, Read at whim, and Take notes without a purpose.

And my most important resolution, of course, is to Be Gretchen.

These resolutions have dramatically changed the way I react when I develop — as I sometimes do — unusual interest in a new subject. Nowadays, I allow myself to follow a new passion as far as I want.

Sometimes, it’s true, I’m lucky enough to have been able to turn these passions into my work. When I became obsessed with Winston Churchill, I wrote a book about Churchill. What a joy it was to write that book! My preoccupation with St. Therese ended up playing an important role in The Happiness Project.

In fact, quite often, my inexplicable passions end up having a profound effect on my work. But I no longer worry about whether they’ll be useful in that way, or not. I just let myself go.

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