Amy’s Comments (group member since Dec 29, 2018)

Amy’s comments from the Truth and Dare Movement (TAD) Book Club, Continued! group.

Jen wrote: "I am waiting for Presence to come in from the library but look forward to reading and having a discussion! I like it will be read at your own pace and we can respond to the questions when we are do..."

I find that I cannot be pressured into reading on a schedule. I believe in joining in whenever the mood strikes you. We are all on different journies, so sometimes, we relate to one book better than the next.

I'm happy to hear that you'll be enriching our experiences through sharing in discussions.

Andrea wrote: "I’ve found it difficult to sit and read. I can’t seem to shut my mind off of the other things I could be doing instead. I’ve had the Gratitude Diaries for a while but not gotten as far as I would h..."
Thank you for sharing your experience with the book so far. I'm still finishing up other books before I start this one. I, too, got the audiobook. Let's hope it works out better than the paper book.

Marisa wrote: "Thanks! I'll take a peek at the questions for the Feb book and see if I prefer that over your method.

Phew! I like how you roll! :-) I am going to work on finishing Jan's book this weekend so that..."

Let's play it by ear. I think my only goal is to have more engagement with the group so we learn from each other and grow with each other.

Here's another unexpected way to bring gratitude into your life: "Tidying Up Your Work Life, Mari-Kondo Style"

Express Gratitude
One of Kondo’s signature moves is greeting a house and thanking it for its service before leaping into cleaning.

Before you roll your eyes and tell me this has nothing to do with your workspace, hear me out. Your desk has done a lot for you. It’s been a place where you’ve accomplished so much—it’s where you nailed down that pitch, wrote that perfect copy, upsold that big client, earned a promotion, or launched your business. And being grateful for all it’s provided you—and thanking those items you have to let go for contributing to your success and happiness—forces you to reflect on everything you’ve done up until this point in this one small spot.

From theMuse: https://www.themuse.com/advice/marie-...?

This month's guide is from Lit Lover:

1. Define the term "presence" as it's used by Amy Cuddy. Do you people in your life who have presence as the book describes it?

2. What does it mean to build your sense of personal power without a sense of arrogance? How does increasing your power help you be your better self?

3. What situations in your own life might you envision using (or having used) the lessons spelled out in Presence? Have you tried her power stance yet?

4. Talk about one of the central premises of this book—how mind and body work together to affect who we are and how we're perceived? What are the ways in which the body affects the mind.

5. Criticism of Cuddy's work has been leveled by other scientists, who haven't yet attained the same results in their experiments as Cuddy and her associates have. (See Amy Cuddy's bio above). Do a bit more research on her critics and discuss your own findings, whether they're legitimate or not.

6. What is the most striking, insightful, or powerful piece of information you came across in reading Amy Cuddy's book?

Marisa wrote: "I'm still reading January's book, but loving it thus far. I put the book on hold at the library, and it took a bit for it to come in, and I was late getting started in general.

I'm also super-new..."

Marisa, I will post all questions early, so those of us who would like to keep them in mind can do so. I tend to enjoy reading and exploring on my own, making my connections as I go.

I don't expect anyone to read the book before the start of the month. I aspire to be in a low-pressure club. I think those of us who don't get to finish the book by the end of the month can still benefit from all the discussions.

I just led an in-person book club with five other people. Two of them didn't read the book at all, two of them almost finished the book, and one of them, along with myself, finished the book.

Even though our journies were different, we all had a blast at the book club. I think some of us also enjoyed teaching, so sharing what the book was about to those who didn't start reading was fun for us too.

I am not confident that I can dissect the book & organize them into quarter parts before the month. Do you think this is something you'd like to organize, or do you think we can approach the discussions organically?

I enjoy writing postcards and letters to people. I like the idea of people receiving my tangible expression of gratitude.

Another way I can bring gratitude into my life is letting people I am thankful for know RIGHT AWAY when the emotion swells! I tend to wait until I have a card and some time to sit down and write. However, I don't want to lose the opportunity to show gratitude, and double gratitude never hurts.

Ali wrote: "These were my favorite chapters! I had no idea there was so much science behind gratitude."

Likewise! What was the most interesting connection between gratitude and health that you found?

Maybe I should make it a drug information question for our pharmacy students: "Prescribe gratitude instead of drugs." Ha!

Hello, TAD book club, continued,

How did you enjoy the first month's selection?

What would you do differently to generate more discussions for the February pick?

Would it be helpful to post all the questions at the beginning of the month, so you can add to the discussion whenever an idea strikes?

From the Reader's Guide: Gratitude should never be a chore. If you don’t want to keep a gratitude journal, what are other ways you can bring gratitude into your life?

From the Reader's Guide: The author says that gratitude gives you control— because instead of waiting for events to make you happy, you can take any event and find a reason to be grateful. Can you think of a time you’ve turned a difficult experience into a good one?

From the Reader's Guide: The author says that gratitude gives you control— because instead of waiting for events to make you happy, you can take any event and find a reason to be grateful. Can you think of a time you’ve turned a difficult experience into a good one?

From the Reader's Guide: The book has some very convincing research on how gratitude affects health— saying it lowers blood pressure, decreases stress, helps you sleep better, and decreases inflammation. Were you surprised that emotion can have such a powerful effect on the body?

From the Reader's Guide: It turns out that people are less likely to express gratitude at work than anyplace else. Do you think you would work harder if you were more appreciated at work?

The author started her year by being more grateful to her husband. Why do you think their relationship changed so much?

Week 2 in January is coming up! Have you started reading The Gratitude Diaries: How a Year Looking on the Bright Side Can Transform Your Life?

From the Reader's Guide:
Some psychologists believe that we’re wired to focus on the negative rather than the positive. What are some techniques the author used to overcome that?

What are some techniques you use to overcome this tendency?

Marisa wrote: "I agree. It's so very easy to get pulled into a scarcity mindset. Everything I've been reading/hearing indicates the power of a positive outlook. I did not last long writing three things daily (it ..."

The author started with three things daily but decreased her frequency to writing three times weekly.

I think consistency with any gratitude writing goal you set will allow you to benefit from the experience.

Andrea wrote: "I think it’s easy to get sucked into the challenges of life and focus on what we lack versus what we have. I was laid off in November, and it’s been a daily challenge to retrain my brain to think of..."
I love your shift of perspective.

The author asked, "was giving life a positive spin creating a reality that wasn't real?" She mentions the experiments where wine connoisseurs thought the more expensive wines tasted better when it's the same one as the one labeled as a house wine. She also mentions the experiments where patients thought Advil (brand name for ibuprofen) was more effective than the generic ibuprofen - even though they have the same ingredients. Another experiment gave people the same medication, but people who were told they got Advil got better pain relief than those who were told they got ibuprofen.

The experience doesn't change. The way we label the experiences can. She did not create a reality that wasn't real, it is just her way of labeling experiences with a more expensive wine label.

The January book selection is The Gratitude Diaries: How a Year Looking on the Bright Side Can Transform Your Life.

It is January 1st, so most of us probably haven't started the book, let alone finish it. However, we can start by thinking about this question.

From the Reader's Guide:
In the survey that launched the book, the author found that more than 90 percent of people think gratitude makes you happier and gives you a more fulfilled life— but less than half regularly express gratitude. What do you think gets in the way of our expressing gratitude?

Hello, I'm Amy! I got so much out of the TAD group that Allie and Carly created, I've developed a reading habit in 2018 because of TAD.

I haven't started the Gratitude Diaries, and I'm looking forward to starting as soon as I finish my current book, "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks."

Allie and Carly had set up weekly reading plans with podcasts and reflections throughout. Were you good at following the weekly plans? What would you keep the same, and what would you do differently?