Wednesday, and just hours to go before the deadline on #119 will pass.  Nothing is over until we say it's over!  Today we want to make you happy, hoping you can pay it forward and make others happy.  Mark Hoppus and his After School Radio crew are back for 2023 with a podcast filled with songs that make you happy.  Happiness and music round out the newsletter; before you get there, stop by the Soul Seeker, Sahil Bloom (again), for advice from life's legends. 

Today's challenge reminds me of the feeling I got a few years ago in the drive-through line at Starbucks.  When I got to the counter, the barista told me the person in front of me had paid for my drink!  I was surprised by the gesture; a person that didn't know me or what I ordered paid for it.  I then asked the barista if I could pay for the person behind me, and I kept the goodness going.  The barista told me the "pay it forward gesture" was going on for three hours that day.  I also called my spouse from the car to tell her how happy it made me.  A simple thing goes a long way.

If you are following along and looking for ideas to make someone's day, go back to the story from Sunday by Emma Beddington – 52 Acts of Kindness.

Changing the Night Journal post, ask yourself the same three questions, throw your answers into the comments, and we will highlight some of the responses.

We ran across a Twitter Thread from Sieva Kozinsky, who talks about the Last Time principle.  Like the Rocking Chair exercise, the Last Time principle makes you think about a finite life and what if this was the last time you could do whatever makes you uncomfortable.  The Rocking Chair exercise is about imagining you are sitting in your rocking chair at the twilight of life.  Would the tough decision(s) you are working through now go a different way if you thought about them from the chair?

When kids are young, and you take them to places like church or a public library and for any of a hundred reasons, they are not happy, and they start to cry, sometimes even scream, there is a little trick we've used with success.  Tell yourself they can't scream for 5 minutes, and start the countdown clock in your head.  9 times out of 10, the kids were done screaming in less than 5; on the rare occasion they went longer, you might have to remove them from the space.  The 5-Minute Rule works with internal issues as well. 

Another thoughtful list from Sahil Bloom; today, he gives us advice from the young at heart.  Forty tips from people who have led long lives.  Bloom does this each year on his birthday, and it's a good practice to start, no matter your age.  Make that tip #41!  Most of this information you have seen before is re-arranged in a way that makes you think, and a few of them have quotes to help out.  Here are a few favorites:

# 13 No one has ever argued their way to happiness.

# 21 Whenever you hug someone, make sure they are the ones to let go first.

# 39 Smile and say good morning to strangers on the street.

Honorable Mention goes to the quote with #37 from Ralph Waldo Emerson

In the first podcast of the year, Mark Hoppus and his buddies at After School Radio did a show about songs that make them happy.  Podcast shows like this fill up the playlists and the tune selections we use at the end of this daily newsletter.  A link to the show is below; here are a few quotes from the crew that made us smile today:

“Let’s start 2023 saying the dog days are over – so let’s just get it over with.” - April Salud

“I want to do rad stuff this year.” – Jake Lowry

Talking about the song Lean into Life, by Petey

"The song is like a friend patting you on the back and saying, get out there and have some fun." – Mark Hoppus.

"I'll see you out there." - Jake

"Let's do cool stuff." - Mark

Matt Baldwin with the finish:

"I want to bring everybody down to my level, which right now is like running a marathon while simultaneously drinking 3 beers at every mile stop; that's where I'm at mentally.”

“Let's listen to LCD Sound System - All My Friends.”

“Hell yes, man - I finally win one” – Jake Lowry

"Fantastic!" – Mark Hoppus

Words | Music | Art | Unknown

Relationships.

Click on the Apple Music image to listen to the song on Apple Music or on the Spotify Image to listen to Spotify.

Thank you for spending a few minutes with us!

With A Shout newsletter is written by Johnny Christian with the support of a thousand idea bits and the help of many people.