Nina Lesowitz - The Grateful Life: The Secret to Happiness, and the Science of Contentment

Praise for The Grateful Life

With inspiring stories and practical tips, The Grateful Life reminds us that gratitude is as much a part of a healthy lifestyle as diet and exercise. Practicing gratitude is like taking your vitaminsyou dont just take them when youre sick; you also have to take them to stay healthy.

Janine Kovac, former editor of the Community Gratitude Journal for the Greater Good Science Center

The most magnetic trait of all time is gratitude! Want to transform your outlook and your life? Read and enjoy The Grateful Life.

David Horsager, M.A., C.S.P., author of The Trust Edge: How Top Leaders Gain Faster Results, Deeper Relationships, and a Stronger Bottom Line

Gratitude moves from idea to implementation. Substance pairs with serendipity in this practical and inspiring guide.

Mary Anne Radmacher, author of SHE and Live Boldly

Praise for the bestselling Living Life as a Thank You

I have learned that the greatest joy and happiness comes from what we do to enrich other peoples lives and our own spiritual lives. Living Life as a Thank You shows you how to connect with other people from a place of thankfulness, which in turn promotes greater harmony for all.

Marla Maples, actress, television host and spiritual motivator

Twenty years ago, we gathered friends together to write about, talk about, and do Random Acts of Kindness, and from this small group, a kindness movement was born that circled the globe With Living Life as a Thank You, Nina and Mary Beth have tapped into something just as deep and powerful that can truly transform peoples lives.

Will Glennon, author of Practice Random Acts of Kindness

I am grateful for the inspiring stories, the simple, clear exercises, and the inspiring reminder that an attitude of gratitude boosts self-esteem This is a must read for everyone.

Susyn Reeve, author of Choose Peace & Happiness

Copyright 2014 by Nina Lesowitz and Mary Beth Sammons.

All rights reserved. Except for brief passages quoted in newspaper, magazine, radio, television, or online reviews, no part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or recording, or by information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Published in the United States by Viva Editions, an imprint of Cleis Press, Inc., 2246 Sixth Street, Berkeley, California 94710.

Cover design: Scott Idleman/Blink

Cover photograph: Fry Design Ltd./Getty Images

Text design: Frank Wiedemann

First Edition.

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

E-book ISBN: 978-1-63228-000-8

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Lesowitz, Nina.

The grateful life : the secret to happiness, and the science of contentment / Nina Lesowitz, Mary Beth Sammons. -- First edition.

pages cm

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 978-1-63228-000-8 (ebk)

1. Gratitude. 2. Self-actualization (Psychology) I. Sammons, Mary Beth. II. Title.

BF575.G68L466 2014

179.9--dc23

2014007103

To my little grandchildren, Rylee and Tommy

Mary Beth Sammons

To the captain of the S/V Gratitude, Martin Eggenberger

Nina Lesowitz

TABLE OF CONTENTS

We are only said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures.

Thornton Wilder

What if, upon resting your head on your pillow tonight, you asked yourself, What is one thing I cant stop smiling about that happened today? What if you woke up to a text on your iPhone from your boss thanking you with a big Wow, that was great for the work you did the day before? Or what if you were having a really crummy day, running late and trying to hail a cab, and the stranger in the taxi line ahead of you said, Here, Im not in a hurry, you take this cab. Or what if the clerk at the coffee shop handed you your regular skim latte saying, Its on the housewe appreciate seeing you every morning.

Gratitude is like a beacon. Whenever and wherever someone takes the time to say they are grateful for who we are and what we do, or when we pause, sometimes in the middle of really cruddy circumstances, to say thanks for the blessings we have right now, it is a powerful form of grace. As author Anne Lamott says: Life is a phenomenon. To have been born is a miracle. What are the odds? And to just go, Wow, I dont get it, but thank you. Thank you.

If youre looking to create abundance in your life, weve got one suggestion: Be thankful, find the blessings, and practice feeling and expressing your gratitude for what you have right now, this very minute. The secret weve discovered: All things are possible when you develop an attitude of gratitude. Even in the darkest momentsyouve been downsized, a flood has destroyed your home and all your belongings, doctors have just dealt you the C-word, a relative or close friend betrayed or used youthat is the time you need to stop and say, Thank you, thank you for the strength, the courage it will take, the resilience, the change I am hoping for, and for the blessings that will help me come out the other side, because, as hard as this trial or lesson is, you promise yourself to look for the small moments, the simple solutions, and notice the blessings that continue to surround you even in the toughest times.

The Grateful Life is the third in a trilogy that started with the bestselling book Living Life as a Thank You, a guide to setting the stage for transformation. We moved on to What Would You Do If You Knew You Could Not Fail?, about overcoming fears and obstacles. Finally, this book is about discoveringand realizingones dreams though a positive attitude.

In 2009, we wrote Living Life as a Thank You: The Transformative Power of Daily Gratitude. At the time, the worst recession in decades was just swooping in, and chaos has seemed to erupt everywhere during the years that have followed: Sandy Hook Elementary School, the Boston Marathon bombings, Hurricane Sandy, Typhoon Haiyan. What is the world doing? Where is the meaning in suffering and insecurity? How, or why, should anyone be grateful?

In our interviews and research, we have discovered that a consistent practice of gratitude is the most effective way to connect to a sense of meaning. We offer stories here of resilience, reinvention, generosity, and joy, bookended by recent scientific studies that empirically prove gratitude can open the door to better health, well being, and abundance.

We include tips and inspiration from people of all races and religions who have tapped into a deeper spiritual experience and their ability to be grateful, to find blessings and meaning in the small moments, and to share the beauty that is all around, even in the most difficult and challenging of times. In embracing their gratitude, in holding their blessings like candles, they have found a way to heal their wounds. And for those who have not faced hardship, but feel a sense of disconnection or meaninglessness in their lives, these stories show how the only way to cultivate contentment is through gratitude.