“Hugely inspiring and helpful.” — Jon Kabat-Zinn What does it mean to truly live gratefully, every day? In Wake Up Grateful, Kristi Nelson, executive director of A Network for Grateful Living, unlocks the path to recognizing abundance in every moment, and gives readers the tools to bring this transformational shift in perspective into their daily lives. Nelson goes beyond the proverbial … beyond the proverbial question of whether the glass is half full or half empty, and encourages readers to awaken to the gift of having a glass at all. With questions for reflection, daily exercises, and perspective prompts for appreciating the fullness of life as it is, right now, this book promises profound personal change through the practice of taking nothing for granted.
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Thank you to Netgallery for my free copy for an honest review, all opinions are my own. I selected this book as I generally just love these kind of topics, I had no real expectations, based on the subject matter took an interest. I got much more than I expected from it, before I even reached the end. This is the kind of book that could really help everyone, from those who are in deep need of uplifting, direction, a reason to keep going. And those like me, who just love this stuff! And take an interest. What I loved about this book right for the first chapter is that, it’s practical so you can apply what you’re reading. The book is split in to two main sections ‘from gratitude to grateful living’ and ‘grateful living in the real world.’ The author clearly explains the difference between ‘gratitude’ and ‘gratefulness’ , I could see the points made well. I had never seen them as different more interchangeable. In my mind once this was established I could clearly see how I could step up my daily practice of gratitude, by adapting the POV the author explains so well with the ‘grateful approach.’
The best thing is, this approach is outlined in a practical way, for example writing out a to do list, with a different mind set. Eg ‘this week I have to x,y,z’ to ‘this week I am grateful I get to do x,y,z’. When I did this first exercise the burden of my to do list totally felt different! I could see why, how, and where the author’s approach can help not only me, but also uplift, focus you, add motivation, and drive for us all! This is just one example of the many exercises, practical reflections, and points to ponder in the book.
Overall, this is a very practical guide, and can be used as a reference for what you need to focus on personally, or read from cover to cover. I feel it could be highly valuable for a lot of people, and a great companion to have to help set your goals, intentions, manifest the life you want, and keep yourself in a positive state of mind at all times. I very much recommend it for everyone! Especially if you’re a busy person, with a lot to do, or you just need a pick me up, or even if you enjoy subjects like gratitude, spirituality and believe in the power of the Universe. I can’t wait until my paperback copy arrives! 5 must read stars.
In this book, Kristi Nelson reminded me what it means to be thankful every day. Great quiet time book in the mornings before coffee! Very reflective. Let’s continue practicing gratefulness!
Embrace the More Inclusive Idea of Gratefulness
Audiobook and eBook Review:
As one who enjoys reading self-help books, I couldn’t pass this one up when I saw it at one of my favorite book review sites. I am so glad I chose it as both an audiobook and an eBook. While I certainly enjoyed listening to the author narrate the book—and I do think when authors narrate their own books, the audiobook is so much better because you can feel the author’s passion for their writing and subject—I’m so glad I chose the eBook as well. Audiobooks pass through the mind so quickly, but this is a book to be savored and thought about. The author has dealt with medical issues and is also a spiritual seeker—in fact, her spiritual mentor wrote both the foreword and has quotes sprinkled liberally throughout. Both these aspects of her life inform this book. At the very beginning of the book, she distinguishes between the concepts of “gratitude” and “grateful.” While this might appear to be quibbling over details, the author explains herself well and shows how the concept of “grateful” is far more broad and inclusive than simple gratitude. Each chapter has insightful quotes that in themselves give you much to think of. She also has questions about each chapter’s topic for you to consider, usually in several places, as well as how to practice what she is talking about in your own life. Occasionally, she offers affirmations as well. The book is so rich, and I know I will be returning to it to dive deeper into each chapter. I particularly liked the second part of the book, after the introduction to gratefulness, its five principles, and general practice, where she looks more deeply at gratefulness in the real world, at different aspects of our lives, like being grateful for our bodies, our emotions, nature, and even uncertain, grief, and loss. If you like pondering these kinds of topics as I do, you may enjoy this book or audiobook as much as I did.
I received a free copy of this book, but that did not affect my review.