Hello, dear readers, and welcome to the final free issue of Happy on Purpose for 2025. I’m so glad you’re part of our warm, thoughtful, and fun crew. There are now over 10,000 of us, which makes my heart explode with joy!
I love end-of-year best-of lists almost as much as I love testing new habits in the pursuit of happiness, so I thought it would be fun to put together a Happy on Purpose version: the new habits that made my life better in 2025, plus this year’s most popular articles and most clicked and coveted things!
Here goes…
At 51, firmly ensconced in midlife, I’m coming to believe that happiness is a combination of enough self-awareness to accept your unique limitations (and strengths), balanced with a healthy curiosity and drive to improve.
Self-acceptance and continuous improvement may seem at odds, but I repeatedly notice this truth in my life.
For example, I’m naturally an early riser. Well into my thirties, I fought this tendency because I wanted to be cool (and “fun”) and stay out late with my friends. I felt like a failure at parties and when houseguests slept over, because I became so tired while everyone else stayed alert. I dosed myself with alcohol and caffeine to change my nature and ended up exhausted and miserable. These days, I’m upfront about my need to go to bed at 9 pm. I will occasionally stay out late for a very special event (and truly have fun!), but I no longer pretend to be someone I’m not.
Another example is skiing. I’m not good at it and don’t like it, but I didn’t openly admit that until my late thirties. Acknowledging that skiing isn’t for me was a surprisingly freeing decision and opened the door to some other personal truths I was previously embarrassed by: I don’t like working for other people, and I don’t value variety in my diet!
This kind of acceptance isn’t resignation, it’s reality. It frees up enormous amounts of energy I’d previously spent on self-criticism, allowing me to focus on improving aspects of myself that are both possible and meaningful.
These improvements aren’t always huge: I have a busy, active, and ambitious mind, which can be difficult to switch off and relax. Learning to meditate (just for five minutes at a time at first!) has helped me manage that, as has writing in a journal each morning.
Another tendency I’m actively working on: I have a very good life, but don’t appreciate it enough, which has long bothered me. Experimenting with different ways to express gratitude is an ongoing project.
I believe one of life’s greatest joys (and something I am truly grateful for) is the opportunity to make mistakes, learn from them, and become better. I’m fascinated by how our bodies and minds change as we age: the self-awareness and acceptance that often arrive with maturity are a gift.
Without acceptance, we waste years trying to fix things that aren’t broken—they’re immutable aspects of our true selves. And without curiosity and drive, acceptance can curdle into stagnation or bitterness, and we stop growing, learning, and becoming the best version of ourselves.
The magic seems to be in the tension between these two forces: knowing yourself deeply enough to accept what won’t change, while remaining open to growing in the directions that matter.
Here are the habits I adopted this year that made my life better. I’d love to hear your thoughts—and if you found any new habits, hacks, or practices that improved your life this year!
1. The rule of three for better conversations with friends. Studies of conversational patterns have found that it’s “genuinely difficult to maintain an everyday conversation with more than four speakers. With the addition of a fifth participant, or more, one conversation typically fissions into two.” There’s something magical about the triangle formed by three people around a table: everyone can take turns speaking and listening, and there’s plenty of fodder for discussion. Plus, in many restaurants and bars, the ambient noise makes conversation difficult (especially for those of us in midlife!): a group of three can sit close enough to combat this problem.
2. A new tea ritual. In a study this year, green tea, which has previously been linked to a wide range of health benefits (lowering blood pressure, improving cholesterol, reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes), was found to regulate weight and blood sugar when given to mice, leading to a hypothesis that it may assist in weight loss and management. I now drink at least two cups a day, brewed in my favorite fancy French teapot!
3. 1980s media management. Closely following the news, which is available 24/7, but is mostly unnerving and negative, makes me feel stressed and anxious. To manage this, I base my media consumption on the amount of time I remember my parents, who were well-informed, spending on news: 30 minutes reading a newspaper each morning, and 30 minutes watching the evening news. I have all notifications on my phone, except for text messages and phone calls, turned off. I do not receive breaking news alerts or social media notifications, safe in the knowledge that if something important happens within my immediate community or my family, I will hear about it directly.
4. Salad for breakfast. I love eggs for breakfast, but am gluten-free, and it’s sad to eat eggs without toast: something must soak up jammy, runny yolks! My solution: a bed of fresh arugula, liberally sprinkled with black pepper and crunchy Maldon salt, doused in olive oil and white wine vinegar, topped with two eggs fried sunny side up. Bonus: I’m getting protein plus fiber, the nutrient we’re all actually deficient in!
5. Watercoloring. Last winter, when I needed something to get through the long, dark evenings, I began spending 15 minutes at the end of each day painting a different bird in watercolors using this adorable workbook. It’s the perfect hobby for anyone who’s time-starved but would like to add a low-key creative practice to their life. If you’d rather paint flowers or a different type of animal, there’s a workbook for that, too!
6. Shower squats! Squats are essential, but they’re a chore. I knew the easiest way to establish a daily habit would be by stacking them onto an existing routine. What do I do every day without fail? Shower! Hence, my new daily practice of 20-30 squats while showering…
7. Two-word gratitude practice. I’ve long wanted a regular gratitude practice because I want to appreciate the wonderful life I have, plus it’s been scientifically proven that grateful people are happier, more successful, and often live healthier, longer lives. But I’ve never found a practice that worked for me. Until now. A few months ago, I began using Oprah’s simple gratitude trick: starting and ending each day with two simple words: “Thank you.”
8. A face-framing game-changer. I’ve finally accepted that thinning eyebrows are an unwelcome midlife reality, and that the only way to reliably frame my eyes is by using an eyebrow pencil—sadly, dyeing my eyebrows wears off within days! I’m learning how to expertly draw in my eyebrows with this Bobbi Brown brow pencil in Warm Blonde, which helpfully has both a brush and an angled tip, for a more natural look.
9. RSVP hack. When an event is weeks or months away and my calendar is clear, but I suspect a conflict may arise, I hesitate and waffle. I don’t want to say yes and cancel later: as a host, I feel let down when friends cancel. My friend Joyann, a consummate host and sought-after guest let me in on her genius rule: “Say no if you’re in any doubt. Later, if you find you can attend, reach out and politely ask if the host is OK with you coming. Most of the time, they’re thrilled you can make it!”
10. Collagen pills, not powder. Years ago, I complimented a friend on her glowing skin. Her secret? Collagen powder. I’ve taken it ever since to help maintain healthy joints, skin, and nails, but I never liked the taste when I added the powder to my drinks. This year, I fixed that by switching to these collagen-generating pills.
11. Mahjong mania. I learned to play Mahjong, the tile-based game of skill (and a lot of luck!) that seems to be everywhere. I love many things about my new pastime: you gather in groups to play, it’s fully immersive (distraction equals disaster!), and the tiles are satisfyingly tactile.
These are the links, articles, and products Happy on Purpose readers loved most this year…
Beauty
Fancy French hairbrush. So many beautiful colors!
The genius tinted moisturiser with SPF that matches the color of your skin.
Fashion
An excellent everyday bag (and you can choose your own strap!).
Accessories
The soft socks I sleep in every night!
The travel pillow frequent fliers swear by.
Slippers to soothe your feet (wearable indoors and out).
Home & Hobbies
Life Lessons
1. 9 Habits I Swear by to Thrive in Midlife. A rushed yes often becomes a regret, fun starts at 40, plus the beauty products I can’t live without!
2. Happy on Purpose. How keeping painful secrets kept me from finding my calling.
3. 51 and Flourishing: 13 Habits That Make Midlife Better! And the unhelpful “rules” I’ve learned to drop, plus the midlife essentials I use every day...
Happiness Hacks
4. A Manifesto for Midlife Happiness. 9 essential rules for meaning, purpose, joy (and fun!)
5. An Easy Trick for a Happier 2025: The “Feelings First” Rule. A simple way to get the most out of life!
6. The Least Funny Thing Tina Fey Ever Said…and why I can’t stop thinking about it!
Relationships
7. 19 Life Lessons for My Daughter’s 19th Birthday. There will be many “best years of your life,” and other truths for young adults, plus a genius tip from Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and milestone gift ideas!
8. 7 Things I Wish I’d Known as a Young Mom. What NOT to worry about, what I’m most proud of, and a recent motherhood fail…
9. My Marriage in 11 New Yorker Cartoons. Vacations, renovations, couples therapy, and more!
Style
10. 7 Affordable Luxuries That Make Life Better. Indispensable products for $35 and under!
11. 27 Excellent Gifts for Hard-to-Shop-for People! Cozy gifts from my home to yours, from $12.
12. The 7 Habits of Self-Assured Midlife Women. “Find out who you are. And do it on purpose.”
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It’s been a delightful year: in January, this newsletter became Happy on Purpose after two years as Some Happy Scribbles, and it finally felt like the name matched what I hope to build: a collection of ideas and advice to help women (and some wonderful men, too!) thrive in midlife and beyond.
I loved chatting with inspiring women like Emily Ley, Annabel Monaghan, Courtney Carver, Elyse Chambers, and Jen Baden Howard, celebrating YOUR everyday accomplishments (with trophies!), indulging in tennis-related trivia, and exploring habits that lead to a happier, healthier life.
This year also marked the beginning of Happy on Purpose paid weekly editions, and I’d love you to sign up: each issue is a fast, 5-minute jolt of joy featuring practical life hacks, recommendations for what to read, watch, make, and do, plus a fabulous giveaway each month! That’s 12 chances to win an amazing prize, each year: click here if you’d like to upgrade (it’s $30/year).
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I love your rule of three. I am finding I come home from bookclub (8 women) exhausted from all the overlapping conversations. And I also am inspired by your 15 minute watercolor sessions. Great habit stacking, too.
7 Amelia’s
I wonder if you would be happier being an early bird/ lark now in your fifties, even without accepting your natural tendency. I am a night owl, and think the world is better set up for larks! And ideally wish I had your natural tendency! I am definitely going to practise this simple gratitude practise though. Thanks for a lovely article.
And I am guessing 27 Amelias! Beautiful name!