a 60-second habit worth keeping.
Hi friend,
Soundarya here, aka thecuriousmaverick :)
Exciting update: Last week's Secret Session was one of the highlights of my week. We spent 90 minutes talking about finding the right mentors and building a support system that helps you grow. This week, we're talking about the secret to making friends as an adult. I'll share the simple ideas that helped me go from dreading networking events to genuinely enjoying meeting new people and how you can use them to build deeper friendships too.
As always, there's a gift hidden in the newsletter 😉
Every week, I send this newsletter to 9500+ people who are eager to deepen human relationships. Each edition has a short story, a tiny experiment to try, and a question for you, plus a surprise gift hidden somewhere inside. It also has updates on my upcoming novel as we count down to the pre-order launch on August 16, 2026. Were you forwarded this by an awesome friend? Sign up to get your own here. Read all past newsletters here. 💃
We think our life is a sum of the big moments. Weddings. Birthdays. Promotions. Graduations.
In reality, it's mostly made up of the ordinary, mundane, things-you-kind-of-have-to-do-to-survive-daily moments. Sooo, how can you make those moments stand out?
A few months ago, I called up a friend of mine.
Me: Hey, I need you to open Instagram.
Friend: Why? What happened?
Me: There's a gift waiting for you.
That "gift" was a 90-second video that I had shot thanking him for this little thing he did. (The video is in Tamil, but there's English subtitles!)
The reason this happened? A simple habit I learned from a writer named Matthew Dicks back in March 2022.
StoryWorthy Moments.
A StoryWorthy moment is a tiny, magical moment during your day when you change your mind about something.
Imagine you are walking down the street, feeling anxious about a meeting with your manager. Then, you see a tiny flower growing out of a sidewalk crack, and it makes you smile. That tiny switch from anxious to happy is also a story-worthy moment.
Matthew Dicks says that great stories are never actually about big, scary monsters or car chases. Great stories are always about these tiny, five-second moments where a person changes on the inside.
It's the same with a great life.
A great life is a sum of tiny, magical moments.
I began capturing "StoryWorthy" moments in my Roam Research a few years ago, and now I have over 100+ of them. See graph below.
When my friend bought me the phone cover out of the blue, it touched me deeply. So I captured it in my "StoryWorthy" journal that night.
Months later, I decided to create a video thanking him, and it made his whole week.
Now, you know what's coming...
Experiment: Take 60 seconds a day over the next week to capture ONE StoryWorthy moment each day. Tell me how it goes.
Reasoning: These moments give you a chance to slow down time and realize that your life is indeed full of meaning and beauty. Imagine if you captured one moment a day - or even a week - just how many you'd have in a few years.
💡 Bonus tip: Don't overthink it! It doesn't have to be a big moment. Think of the smallest moment that brought joy.
Question: Let's begin the "tiny experiment" now. What is the most recent StoryWorthy moment from your life? Who made it happen?
Hit reply and tell me. I read and respond to all emails.
Last week, I asked you about the person who makes you feel most seen. I got dozens of responses. My favorite response came from Mathumita S (paraphrased):
It's my best friend, Soumya. We've been friends since first grade, and she's stood by me through some of the hardest times in my life. She gave me the kind of emotional support that so many people are searching for. I'm also lucky to have friends who never make me feel left out and who keep encouraging me to chase my dream of becoming a singer. Coming from a family of realists, that kind of belief has meant the world to me.
Mangalambigai found the hidden surprise first and won a free copy of 1000 Days of Love (pre-orders open August 16. Book comes out early 2027). 🎉
This week's hidden surprise is somewhere in this newsletter too. Find it, send me a screenshot, and you might be next. 😉
Quote of the week: Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.
~ Robert Brault
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