Happy Monday, the struggle to get ahead of the year, the challenges, and all the work is real.  Today we changed up the way the challenge updates are laid out.  The 7-Day Happiness Challenge ended, and we recap that adventure; stoic challenges continue, and then on to the news of news.  The rest of today's letter is on the lighter side, a questionable study on loud music and 2022 top ten recipes you will want to try this year.  A big story from last year you might have forgotten, we did, and a story about the writers of stories.

New format to challenges, in the future, we will add the highlights as the challenges continue.

The seconds you lose by not addressing some problems adds up over time.  Unsubscribing from email lists, calling about an accounting problem, or fixing a non-critical car problem.  It takes more time every day you re-read a list with the little things on it.  Reviewing the list and deciding what to get off the mental checklist is a good idea.  January is an excellent time to clean up a few older issues.  If you are still trying to figure out where to start, take a look at all your monthly subscriptions, an annual audit of your subscriptions can uncover several nagging problems.

Today was the recap of the 7-Day Happiness Challenge.  It makes a few recommendations for how to keep improving your relationships:

Relationships are complicated; with them, your life is hard, and your life can be impossible without them.  Digital relationships are not relationships; can they enhance genuine relationships?  Can too much time in digital relationships enhance loneliness? 

The 7-Day Happiness Challenge was a great challenge; it was short, thought-provoking, and helped push me to reach out again.  I plan to reduce the junk food I put into my system over the holidays; the effects of eating better will not show up on my scale tomorrow.  If I stick with a better diet, I will look and feel better in a couple of months.  Relationships are the same way; you can decide to improve your genuine in-person relationships, but they won't change overnight.  If you stick with a better relationship plan, reach out to more people, and get back out in the world, you will look and feel better in a couple of months.

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.

Morning Brew did a story on a few things most of us forgot from last year.  We have to admit, The Winter Olympics completely forgot about that.  It might have been the World Cup in Qatar or the war, but the Olympics in 2022?

In a story that reminds us of why writing can sometimes beat all other forms of media, the NYT tells us a story about Good Fantasy Writing.  Our favorite Quote from Rotella:

There are very few limits to writing fantasy; if the bones are good and the story can lead you along with enough rope to hold it to something possible, the movie you create in your head is one of a kind.  The adventure awaits one page at a time.

Every once in a while, a food story pops up on our radar; this is one of those times.  The Spruce Eats put together a top ten list of new recipes in 2022, and more than wanting to try most of these recipes is the creative names people are using to come up with the foods (and drinks).  Marry Me Chicken, Italian Hot Dogs, and The Dirty Shirley! 

[Music Notes]

Record material is getting expensive, Spotify stock is getting cheaper, and Gaslight(ing) Anthem is planning to make more noise!

In a story that has us tied up in mental knots, MailOnline reported that The University of South Florida study found it’s better to have low or no music when trying to eat healthily.  Before we dissect this music blasphemy, review the statements here:

After making these statements, the article says playing soft music in a supermarket or restaurant increases the sales of healthy food.  We can handle this study if you want to limit this study to the grocery or a restaurant.  What kind of music should you listen to at the gym?  How about when you are mowing the lawn? 

Loud music can enhance excitement levels (duh?), and softer music can be more relaxing.  Neither one makes us want to eat.  Food for thought!

Words | Music | Art | Unknown

They saw you.

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.