The Gratitude Diaries by Janice Kaplan
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
On New Year’s Eve, journalist and former Parade Editor-in-Chief Janice Kaplan makes a promise to be grateful and look on the bright side of whatever happens. She realizes that how she feels over the next months will have less to do with the events that occur than her own attitude and perspective. Getting advice at every turn from psychologists, academics, doctors, and philosophers, she brings readers on a smart and witty journey to discover the value of appreciating what you have. Relying on both amusing personal experiences and extensive research, Kaplan explores how gratitude can transform every aspect of life including marriage and friendship, money and ambition, and health and fitness. She learns how appreciating your spouse changes the neurons of your brain and why saying thanks helps CEOs succeed. Through extensive interviews with experts and lively conversations with real people including celebrities like Matt Damon, Daniel Craig, and Jerry Seinfeld, Kaplan discovers the role of gratitude in everything from our sense of fulfillment to our children’s happiness.
Wow, let's talk about how life changing this book can be if you let it! But I know we need to get something out of the way first - Janice Kaplan lives a charmed life that most of us will not relate to. This doesn't mean that she doesn't need to practice gratitude and can't be an expert on it though! I have recommended this book to practically everyone I know. Because, no joke, this book has made my day to day life so much better! There are daily practices you can do to practice gratitude. There are steps to help with you marriage, with your job, with depression. And let me tell you, it works! I love the quotes from philosophers, I love the stats about mental health and how much gratitude can help with mental health. Most of all I love the actual payoff of reading this book and putting it into practice. If gratitude is a muscle that you exercise, I am determined to be a ripped body builder.Add this to your must read list, you won't regret it!