Highlight Reel 2021: “Into Them” Year in Review, Part Two

Our 2021 Highlight Reel: Part Two

So we’re another year older and feeling so much wiser after talking to our many featured rock stars. We wanted to be kind and rewind the tape (yup, we said tape) in case our dear readers had missed some of the best things we learned from them last year. Dip into their advice and you, too, will see why we can’t stop crushing on our Into Them subjects—the many fascinating doers, thinkers & shakers who have answered the call of our small (but mighty) team by generously sharing their stories with us.

Arthur Brooks

“The hard truth is you're going to decline in what once made you great. This is the striver’s lament. It's the winner's curse. It’s what got me to write From Strength to Strength. But it turns out that it is possible that you’ll be happier than you ever were in your most glory-filled days of supercharged, early-adult success. By refocusing on certain priorities and habits that anyone can learn, such as deep wisdom, detachment from empty rewards, connection and service to others, and spiritual progress, we can set ourselves up for increased happiness. This is your opportunity to have a second half of life that's blissful compared to the first half.”

Dorothy McCally

“I think it's so important that you have a plan B, that you always have a hand in multiple interests and think: What if something catastrophic happened? What if I lost my job? What would I do? Where would I go? Have a financial plan, a little bit of a safety net, because, it's just life, right?”

Tessa Wegert

“I’m a big proponent of writing every day. It isn’t always easy, and there are times when sitting down to write might be impossible, but I’ve found that writing in fits and starts is much less productive and more frustrating than adopting a regular routine. Eventually, that comes naturally—and once you get deep enough into the story, you’ll probably be snatching up every free minute you can get.”

Cameron Silver

“We’ve been saying for some time that ‘it is chic to repeat,’ and Decades has always been a proponent of sustainability, but the fact that The New York Times had to write a story about Jill Biden repeating her outfits is really exciting. Because that's how people should dress. Social media really f’ed us all up thinking that you can only wear something once. All of the iconic figures of the past, anyone who's had a retrospective at the Met Gala, be it a Nan Kempner or an Iris Apfel, has always been a proponent of repeating. Style is how you take something and repurpose it within your wardrobe.”

Anthony Klotz

“This is also the time to talk about inclusivity. Employees want to bring their whole selves to work. A lot of the reason we don't want to go back into the office is because we have to hide part of ourselves there; we have to fake who we are. It's draining to engage in these antics, where we're pretending we're someone we're not. So really thinking seriously about inclusivity means making sure employees can bring their whole selves to work—while also recognizing that you don't want employees for whom work is the only thing in their lives.”

Samantha Boardman, MD

“My point is, we don't have to download something or eat, pray, love our way into wellbeing. We can boost our vitality in everyday ways, but we really have to prioritize them. Because studies show we are more resilient to major life events, but we have a lot of daily stress, and lacking that little r, resilience, can let the pebbles pummel you. Vitality is a way to reorient how we’re thinking about mental health in an everyday way. This is an essential component to wellbeing, that it is both physical and psychological and is that positive experience and feeling of aliveness and energy.”

David Welch

“I would like to say my first attempt at running a private catering business was a huge success, but the truth is I failed at it. I have had to sacrifice a lot, but have now built my business back over the last ten years, and I am really excited about where I am. The key for me was to stop second guessing myself. I charge prime prices—but I give my clients a prime product. I had to trust that people would value what I am doing—and if they don’t, I am not the chef for them.”

Barbara Waxman

“Now, the moment I say ‘adolescence,’ you get a quick intellectual and emotional response. You understand the powerful potential and challenges of that life stage. We experience that again in the messy middle; I call this second adolescence ‘Middlescence.’ This time around we have the wisdom to go along with it. We can figure out not just what do we want in our next chapter (because we have multiple chapters), but can also reflect on the wisdom we have to guide our next best steps. Middlescence is not a crisis; it's a potential-filled time.”

Jaqueline Woolley, PhD

“It’s funny—we tend to think of our beliefs and desires as motivating our actions. So if we believe in Santa then we’ll hang our stockings on Christmas Eve. But I think things can also operate the opposite way—sometimes doing something that is typically associated with a belief, even if one doesn’t share the belief, can bring those same joys. So hang your stockings, even if you and your partner (rather than Santa) fill them. Get dressed up for Halloween, even if you’re just handing out the candy.”

Rachel Wu

“We're living in a world that is rapidly changing for many reasons— and a pandemic that expedited that change. So at some point, we have to choose, do I learn this thing or do I become dependent on somebody else to do it? Do I learn how to access my medical records online? Or do I depend on somebody to do it? Do I learn how to use Uber or do I always depend on somebody to give me a ride? The older you get, the more these things stack up. We can find ourselves limited by the inability to adapt when our environment changes.”

Rachel Rosenthal

“I know we all like to make New Year’s resolutions around organizing, but if I could give you one piece of advice it would be to stop making your organizing an overall project that you are going to do one day or over a weekend. You can just put a timer on for 15 minutes, and work in one area. Rome wasn’t built in a day. Think about this as a way of life, rather than this one-time event, because you don't get organized and then you stay organized for the rest of your life. It is a lifestyle—things happen and you make tweaks as life unfolds and your needs change.”