Attitudes of Gratitude: How to Give and Receive Joy Every Day of Your Life (Live Life to the Fullest Guidebook, Positive Thinking Book for Ultimate Happiness)

by M.J. Ryan

Overview

(hfour)How to Live Life to the Fullest(/hfour)

Live every day like it’s a miracle with M.J. Ryan’s heartfelt guidebook to putting yourself first on your to-do list

Attitudes of Gratitude shares how you can take the time to thrive in your life. Taking care of your emotional health can be hard when there are other commitments to worry about. But without routine self-care, things such as self-doubt, loneliness, and perfectionism can cause harm to your quality of life. That’s why you need a positive thinking book that helps you redefine every day with a joyful perspective. Attitudes of Gratitude features a contribution from New York Times bestselling author Mark Nepo and daily practices and relatable stories from bestselling author M.J. Ryan.

Add the power of gratitude to your routine. Finances, physical health, and relationships can require a lot of your focus. But sometimes you need a reminder that your top priority is you. M.J. Ryan goes over ways to connect with what your heart needs so you can live life to the fullest. Featuring everyday essentials for putting your emotional and mental needs first, you’ll not only change your mind about what is important but change your life for the better.

Attitudes of Gratitude is full of practical wisdom, including:

• Daily affirmations and quotes
• Top 12 recommendations for personal growth
• Why you shouldn’t compare your gratitude with anyone else’s

If you enjoy happiness books like The Gifts of Imperfection, How to Meet Yourself, or The Happiness Makeover, you’ll love Attitudes of Gratitude.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781684816125
Publisher:	Mango Media
Publication date:	07/30/2024
Pages:	190
Sales rank:	254,009
Product dimensions:	4.90(w) x 6.90(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

M.J. Ryan is a wellness coach and New York Times bestselling author of several self-help series. With degrees in psychology and literature, she became CEO of Conari Press in 1987, where she published several famous motivational and positive psychology books. M.J.’s success didn’t stop there as she joined nonprofits such as Professional Thinking Partners and SheEO to help female and non-binary entrepreneurs become the strong leaders they are today. She currently resides in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband and daughter.

Read an Excerpt

(hfour)From the Introduction(/hfour)

You’re holding in your hands a little book that can, I hope, have a profound effect on your life. To give you a sense of the power of experiencing “great-fulness”—as Benedictine monk Brother David Stendl-Rast calls gratitude—I’d like to open with a story.

I wrote this book in 1999. Sometime after, I got an email request from a guy who was a real estate agent in Southern California. Dave had started a nonprofit helping teens in the California foster system who were about to turn eighteen and lose state support. His nonprofit offered transition money, support, and a place to stay. He wanted to know if I could sell him some copies of this book at a discount to give away to people who donated to his charity. I arranged to give him some copies for free and promptly forgot all about it.

One day a package arrived in my mailbox. When I opened it, a small rock fell out. I opened the accompanying letter. It was from Dave who was thanking me for the books and sending me the story of one of the youngsters he’d helped, a seventeen-year-old named Lauren.

Lauren had lived in twelve different foster homes since she was eight. When she moved, her possessions fit in one plastic trash bag. She was about to “age out” of the California foster system, with no place to live, no money, no job, when Dave met her. But, he said, she was the happiest person he’d ever met. Why? Because when she was ten, she lived with Mommy Jean. Mommy Jean gave Lauren a small rock and told her to carry it always in her pocket. Each time she felt it, she was to think of something to be grateful for. Every since, no matter where she lived, Lauren touched that rock and was grateful.

Since that day, whenever I speak about gratitude, I give out pebbles. If I could, I would hand one right now to you. To help you not only practice an attitude of gratitude. But also to remember each time you touch it, that, like for Lauren, the magic of gratitude to lift your spirits, at least a little, is available to you each and every day, no matter your circumstances. That’s what this book is all about.

Table of Contents

(hfour)Contents(/hfour)

Foreword
Introduction
My Thanks

Chapter 1: The Simple Joy of Living from a Grateful Heart

Chapter 2: The Gifts of Gratitude

• Gratitude Is the Mother of Joy
• Gratitude Makes Us Young
• Gratitude Makes Us Feel Good
• Gratitude Promotes Health
• Gratitude Eradicates Worry
• Gratitude Draws People to Us
• Gratitude Is the Antidote to Bitterness and Resentment
• Gratitude Cures Perfectionism
• Gratitude Releases Us from the “Gimmes”
• Gratitude Keeps Us Current
• Gratitude Opens Our Hearts
• Gratitude Spawns Kindness and Generosity
• Gratitude Joins Us to All Life
• Gratitude Connects Us to Spirit
• Gratitude Opens Us to Moments of Grace

Chapter 3: The Attitudes of Gratitude

• Life Is a Miracle
• The Universe Is Friendly
• Let Gratitude Flow Naturally
• The Flashlight in Your Own Backyard
• It’s All Gratuitous
• A Habit of the Heart
• Attitude Is the Only Disability
• Enough Is Enough
• Always the First Time
• It’s OK to Have Good Fortune
• You Are Worthy
• Your Soul Has a Purpose
• The Solution in the Problem
• The Time Is Now
• The Joy of Living
• An Ever-Increasing Spiral
• Start Where You Are

Chapter 4: The Practices of Gratitude 93

• Exercise Daily
• Choose Gratefulness “In Spite Of”
• Revel in the Ordinary
• What Do You Really Need?
• Do the Work of Forgiveness
• Practice Wonderment
• Don’t Compare
• Transform Expectations into No Matter Whats
• Develop a Good Memory
• Take Time to Smell the Roses
• Focus on What’s Right
• Be Willing to Embrace What Shows Up
• Look for the Hidden Blessings of Difficult Situations
• Teach Gratitude to Your Young Ones
• Dedicate This Moment
• Give Thanks for Your Body
• Honor Your Teachers
• Honor Your Ancestors
• Send Thanksgiving Cards
• Give Thanks at Meals
• Say “Thank You” as Often as Possible
• Leave a Trail of Happiness
• Write a “Thank You” to Yourself
• Fall in Love Again and Again
• Appreciate Your Kids Just as They Are
• Live as if Every Day Is Your Last

Chapter 5: The Deepening Journey

• The Top 12 Ways to Bring More Gratefulness into Your Life

About the Author

What People are Saying About This

Gerald G. Jampolsky

"Attitudes of Gratitude” is a most delightful feast of spiritual insights. The quotes at the beginning of each section are outstanding. The personal vignettes are deep yet written simply with the flow of love in each line. It is a book to be savored and not read quickly. This book is pleasing through and through and will help us all to more readily say ‘Thank you’ every step of our way."
—M.D., author of Love is Letting Go of Fear

Editorial Reviews

We have spent the last decades trying to have what we want. This inspiring book shows us how to rejoice in what we have. Ryan proves that, no matter how worried we are about the future, feeling and expressing gratitude allows us to celebrate and deeply appreciate the privilege of being in the precious present. Ryan graciously shows that if we’re going to ‘have an attitude,’ gratitude is the right one.”
—Paul Pearsall, PhD, author of The Pleasure Prescription and The Heart’s Code

“There is a powerful connection between being grateful, appreciating the gift of living well, and happiness. M. J. Ryan’s Attitudes of Gratitude reminds us that gratitude is an achievement and creates lasting happiness when we commit ourselves to this illuminated state of desire—mind and passionate ‘spirit-energy’ to live the best life possible.”
—Alexandra Stoddard, author of Things Good Mothers Know and Choosing Happiness

“Exquisitely reconnects us to the wonder and satisfaction that can be found in our daily lives.”
—Judy Ford, author of Wonderful Ways to Be a Family

“Attitudes of Gratitude is a most delightful feast of spiritual insights. The quotes at the beginning of each section are outstanding. The personal vignettes are deep yet written simply with the flow of love in each line. It is a book to be savored.”
—Gerald G. Jampolsky, MD, author of Love Is Letting Go of Fear

“Each section of Attitudes of Gratitude acts as a mini refresher course in the wisdom of focusing on what is really important.”
—Sue Patton Thoele, author of The Courage to Be Yourself and Heart Centered Marriage

“What M. J. Ryan has done for the world—and it’s no small gift—is to forever connect gratitude with joy.”
—David Kundtz, author of Quiet Mind and Awakened Mind

“The practice of gratitude is perhaps the most underutilized way to grow spiritually. It is also the fastest way to connect with the joy of being alive. M.J. Ryan provides the inspiration, tools, and heartfelt stories to help anyone make gratitude a wonderful part of their daily life. Honesty and practical wisdom shine throughout the pages of this important book.”
—Jonathan Robinson, author of Communication Miracles for Couples and Shortcuts to Bliss

“For me, this book could not have come at a better time. I have been working on bringing the ancient practice of gratitude to life in my life and finding that making a list just wasn’t enough. Here are hundreds of ways to soften and loosen, to celebrate and pause. Thank you, M. J. Ryan.”
—Jennifer Louden, author of The Woman’s Comfort Book and The Woman’s Retreat Book

“Thanksgiving is one of the most exciting and powerful antidotes to moral apathy and spiritual indifference available to human beings. The stories in this book testify to this wonderful value that all of us can practice—no matter our social, economic, cultural, or religious background. Gratitude is ours for the taking, but not to be taken for granted!”
—Elizabeth Espersen, executive director, Center for World Thanksgiving

“M. J. Ryan understands the human heart and how to release its power. Attitudes of Gratitude is a deeply touching and truly transforming guide for life.”
—Hugh Prather, author of Notes to Myself and The Little Book of Letting Go

From the Publisher

"I'm thankful to Mary Jane Ryan because her candid and storyfilled book reminds me to return to my heartthe home of gratitude and consequently, enhances my connection with all that is wonderful and wise around and within me." Sue Patton Thoele, bestselling author of Woman's Book of Courage, and Courage to be Yourself

Reviews