Tag: Thanks

Many Thanks & Wows to Anne Lamott

I’m now recovering from being very sick (cold, flu, utter exhaustion, and grief over my mother’s recent death), but I wanted to get out of bed to extend many thanks and wows to the talented, prolific, motivating writer Anne Lamott, author of the fabulous book, Help, Thanks, Wow.
Annie — whom I had the pleasure of hearing speak while she was launching her remarkable book, Help, Thanks, Wow — kindly mentioned me and my newest book, Beyond Sugar Shock, on both her popular Facebook page and in her reprinted article on Style, Substance, Soul.
While I’m very grateful for the mention of Beyond Sugar Shock and my sugar freedom coaching, there’s a far bigger reason that I want to extend my deep, heartfelt gratitude to Annie.
Although the inspiring Anne Lamott asked me for help with her sugar challenges (after we met at her book signing for Help, Thanks, Wow) and while it’s been an honor and privilege to offer her text coaching, what Annie didn’t know was that while I was giving her support, she was giving me a tremendous amount of support, too.
Indeed, without realizing it, the remarkable Anne Lamott was probably helping me just as much, if not a lot more, than I was helping her.
A little background is in order. I met Annie while I was (and have been) going through a very rough time. In fact, I barely dragged myself to Annie’s book signing while nursing a broken heart. Recently, my mother passed away, and I’ve been reeling in absolutely excruciating grief, profound anguish, and utter agony after what I now call My Bittersweet Last Year with Mom, as well as some recent, very painful discoveries.
At the same time, I’d been feeling lost and in limbo. I was (and still am) trying to decide where to live, because soon after discovering that Mom was terminally ill, I gave up my apartment in New York City (which I’d enjoyed for a decade) and moved across country to California to be there for my mother in her dying days. I’m now in a temporary, cramped, but wonderfully peaceful place. Read about my truly beautiful, but utterly gut-wrenching time on my new Bittersweet Year blog.
Anne LamottThe delicious irony about my having been there for Annie Lamott since late December (right before Christmas) is that in between or after texting or emailing tips, ideas, encouragement and insights and the joy of eating healthily and staying away from sugary non-treats, I’d often turn to three of her many marvelous books — Help, Thanks, Wow; Traveling Mercies: Some Thoughts on Faith; and Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life — as well as her fabulous Facebook page, to get tips, ideas, encouragement, and insights.
It seemed like every time that I visited Annie’s Facebook page or picked up Help, Thanks, Wow; Traveling Mercies or Bird by Bird, I’d find more inspiring, thought-provoking, butt-kicking words of wisdom.
Indeed, whenever I veered off track, Anne Lamott — and also Louise Hay (more about that later) — kindly, generously, magnanimously reached out to me and gave me solace and encouragement though her words and concepts, which helped to propel my thoughts to a better plane such as moving away from sorrow and grief to gratitude or optimism.
For instance, Anne inspired me by writing:
“There’s freedom in hitting bottom. . . relief in admitting you’ve reached the place of great unknowing. This is where restoration can begin,…”
Or, in Help, Thanks, Wow, Anne Lamott urged me to find freedom and value in my funk with these words:
“I have seen many people survive unsurvivable losses, and seen them experience happiness again. How is that possible?
“. . . In most cases, their pain evolved slowly into help for others. The great Bengali poet Rabindranath Tagore wrote, “I slept and dreamt that life was joy. / I awoke and saw that life was service. / I acted and behold, service was joy.”
Ah yes, how true. Thanks, Annie, for reminding me that I’m here to serve people. And while I heal, I can and shall serve.
Meanwhile, I’ve been getting awesome ideas from her. For instance, in Help, Thanks, Wow, Annie offers the suggestion to store your woes in a God box. (I love that idea, and I’m now experimenting with this.)
It’s truly remarkable how every time I’ve turned to Help, Thanks, Wow; Traveling Mercies; or Bird by Bird, I’ve found something that really speaks to me. (One of my favorite things to do with inspiring books is to shut my eyes, pick a page and then find a quote or comment that helps me.)
What I also find fascinating is that although Anne Lamott and I are different religions — I’m Jewish and she’s a Christian, who welcomes Jesus into her life — she still inspires me mightily.
Anyhow, after my nap today — remember, I’m very sick, flu-ish, and utterly exhausted — I’ll turn again to Help, Thanks, Wow, or what she’s now playfully calling Hips, Thighs, Waist.
Meanwhile, Anne Lamott has helped to wake me up. It’s as if she’s been nudging me to focus and refocus.
She helped me to realize that I really need to say, “Help,” more often, especially in my time of profound grief. But that’s not all. I also need to gratefully and repeatedly say, “Thanks.” And then later, I should continue to marvel, “Wow.”
Anne Lamott, thank you for all you’ve done for me while I’ve hoped to be there for you, too. You’ve motivated me to say “Help, Thanks, Wow,” more often and more meaningfully.
Now, dear readers of any religion, whatever you’re going through at present, I strongly urge you to get, read, and re-read Anne Lamott’s latest book, the spectacular Help, Thanks, Wow.
My prediction is that you, too, will begin to learn the value of saying, “Help, Thanks, Wow.”

I am Thankful for You: Connect with Me on Facebook

Thank you, wonderful readers, for continuing to visit this Sugar Shock Blog although I’ve been gone a lot due to my mom’s terminal illness over the last year and lately have been grieving over her recent death.
I’m very grateful to you.
In case you don’t know what I’m talking about, you can learn more about my tender, but trying time in this previous blog post.
I had hoped to get back to posting regularly a lot sooner than this, but I just needed more time to heal.
I’ve also been — and still am — experimenting with various healing techniques so that I can let go of my grief.
Soon, you’ll be able to to listen again to top experts on my Gab with the Gurus Show, and to join my Sugar Freedom Now Course.
Facebook-fans
Also, connect with me on Facebook. I’ve now begun to regularly post articles and thoughts again. I also am beginning to ask you intriguing (I hope) questions again, and I’d love to read your replies. See you soon on Facebook!

Gratitude Lifts You Up

People often want to know: What’s the best way to overcome a sugar addiction, a bad mood or another challenging situation?
One of the best ways to get out of your funk is to begin with an attitude of gratitude.
Why should you be grateful?
Learn about the wonders of being thankful on my Gratitude Week radio shows.
During these five shows, you’ll hear from 21 experts, who shared insights on the miraculous powers of gratitude.
Listen now to Gratitude Week’s five shows with21 different experts.

Gratitude Week Begins Today on Gab with the Gurus

Today begins Gratitude Week on Gab with the Gurus. For the next five days, you can listen to five different shows featuring some 20 gurus telling you about the different benefits you receive from having a thankful state of mind.
For instance, during Gratitude Week’s five shows on Gab with the Gurus — which you can listen to live at 2 pm Eastern or later, at your convenience — you’ll discover:
– Why gratitude is the ultimate anti-depressant.
– How easy it is to make gratitude a daily habit.
– How gratitude can reverse the obesity epidemic.
– How gratitude can help you overcome addictions and food issues.
– What items are on the Gratitude Lists of such celebrities as Alicia Keys, Sheryl Crow, Dolly Parton, BB King, Kurt Vonnegut, Elmore Leonard, Morgan Freeman, Jeff Bridges, Francis Ford Coppola, Kristen Bell, Forest Whitaker, NBA great Steve Nash and Deepak Chopra.
* – How gratitude can enhance your happiness, optimism, self-empowerment and connectedness.
– How being grateful helps combat grouchiness, reduce stress and pain, trigger creativity, increase spirituality and resolve challenging situations by focusing on what’s working instead of what’s not.
– How love and relationships flourish where there’s gratitude and forgiveness.
– How to feel grateful even if you’re having a difficult day, month or year
– How to use gratitude to accomplish your goals.
– How gratitude can affirm your life’s purpose.
Gratitude Week was inspired by my scary July 4 head-on collision into glass. After my frightening experience, I’m overcome with a profound feeling of thankfulness that I’m alive and that I scraped by with only headaches, dizziness and minor cognitive confusion, which my doctor dubbed post-concussive syndrome (post concussion syndrome. I’m also grateful that my nasty bump on the head has inspired me and given me great ideas while I’m writing my next book, the follow-up to Sugar Shock, which will be published by Hay House.
Here is the full schedule for Gratitude Week below.
Monday, July 19: Gratitude Week: On Happiness, Forgiveness, Coping & Resolving Food Issues
* Dr. Philip Watkins, psychology professor at Eastern Washington University in Cheney, Washington. Conducted research on how gratitude contributes to happiness, your ability to cope and be healthy.
* Dr. Philip Friedman, psychologist and director of the Foundation for Well-Being in Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania. Published three clinical research articles on gratitude and forgiveness as they relate to well-being and change over time using empirical measures (GQ6 and GRATS) www.ForgivenessSolution.com
* Dr. Sharon Livingston, a psychologist who helps people with emotional eating problems and uses gratitude as an essential piece of healing this problem. www.EmotionalEatingSecrets.com
* Robert Mack, positive psychology expert and author, “Happiness From the Inside Out: The Art and Science of Fulfillment” and a positive psychology expert. www.happinessfromtheinsideout.com
Listen to Day 1 here: http://tinyurl.com/GratitudeWeekDay1-GabWithGurus
Tuesday, July 20: Gratitude Week: On Optimism, Love, Empowerment & Getting “Enough”
* Dr. Stephen G. Post, director of the Center for Medical Humanities, Compassionate Care and Bioethics at Stony Brook University and author of Why Good Things Happen to Good People http://www.stephengpost.com
* Dr. Diana Kirschner, psychologist and author Love in 90 Days: The Essential Guide to Finding Your Own True Love.
* Elizabeth “Lily” Hills, author of the new book, “A Feminine Manifesta,” which delves into how women have sabotaged themselves by being their own worst critics. It shares how the power of gratitude can transform your life, freeing you up to be the best of who you can be. www.AFeminineManifesta.com
* Sue Lundquist, author of “I’m Thankful” and owner of the I’m Thankful™ Network, which is syndicated syndicated across the country. www.ImThankful.com
* Erika Oliver, a Positive Approach Coach and author of “Three Good Things: Happiness Every Day, No Matter What!” and “Happy Crap: The Power of Positive Assumptions!”
* Corinne Gregory, President and Founder of SocialSmarts, a nationally-recognized program for teaching kids and adults positive social skills, character and values.
Listen to Day 2 here: http://tinyurl.com/GratitudeWeekDay2-GabWithGurus
Wed., July 21: Gratitude Week: On Celebrities, Gratitude Lists & Grouchiness
* Todd Aaron Jensen, an award-winning entertainment journalist, a Kundalini yoga instructor, youth baseball coach, father of six and author of the upcoming book, On Gratitude: 50 Celebrities on the Power of Giving Thanks (to be published Sept. 21, World Gratitude Day).
* Ciji Ware, a former KABC radio commentator, who has been keeping a “Gratitude List” for 2666 days (as of July 7). Jotting down 3 things a day for which she is grateful helped her turn her life around. Ciji is also author of the book, Rightsizing Your Life: Simplifying Your Surroundings While Keeping What Matters Most.
* Sally Marks, author of the ebook, Erase Negativity and Embrace the Magic Within. She contends that lack of gratitude is probably the number one cause of grouchiness.
* Nora Firestone, journalist and founder of www.ThankingOfYou.com, a Web-based forum for posting (and discovering) stories of gratitude to “recognize, affirm and honor” the people who’ve made a difference in your life.
Listen to Day 3 here: http://tinyurl.com/GratitudeWeekDay3-GabWithGurus
Thursday, July 22: Gratitude Week: On Optimism, Managing Stress, Getting in Balance & Being Spiritual
* Dr. Terry Paulson, a psychologist, professional speaker, columnist and author of the new book, “The Optimism Advantage.” www.optimismadvantage.com
* Howard Martin, author of The Heart Math Solution and founding member of www.HeartMath.com, which researches the heart-brain connection and develops science-based solutions to reduce stress and improve performance
* Dr. James Geiger, anesthesiologist, wellness expert and author of The Sweet Smell of Success. www.OilMD.com
* Mary Treacy O’Keefe, co-founder and president of Well Within in St. Paul, Minnesota. Uses gratitude for stress reduction and spiritual growth. www.WellWithin.org
Listen to Day 4 here: http://tinyurl.com/GratitudeWeekDay4-GabWithGurus
Friday, July 23: Gratitude Week: On Goal Setting, Creativity & Moving through Pain
* Cami Walker, author of the New York Times bestseller, 29 Gifts: How a Month of Giving Can Change Your Life and founder of www.29Gifts.org, a site that encourages people to sign up for a free 29-day giving challenges. Became more grateful after being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis a month before getting married.
* Dr. Larry Iverson, clinical psychologist and author of Unleash Your Success. www.DrLarryIverson.com
* Rabbi Irwin Kula, author of the award-winning Yearnings: Embracing the Sacred Messiness of Life and recipient of the 2008 Walter Cronkite Faith and Freedom Award.
Listen to Day 5 here: http://tinyurl.com/GratitudeWeekDay5-GabWithGurus
Here are the direct URLs for all five shows:
Day 1 – Monday, July 19 — http://tinyurl.com/GratitudeWeekDay1-GabWithGurus
Day 2 – Tuesday, July 20 — http://tinyurl.com/GratitudeWeekDay2-GabWithGurus
Day 3 – Wednesday, July 21 — http://tinyurl.com/GratitudeWeekDay3-GabWithGurus
Day 4 – Thursday, July 22 — http://tinyurl.com/GratitudeWeekDay4-GabWithGurus
Day 5 – Friday, July 23 — http://tinyurl.com/GratitudeWeekDay5-GabWithGurus
Please note that you can subscribe to Gab with the Gurus on iTunes.
Get more details by reading the following press release about Gratitude Week on Gab with the Gurus.
Special thanks to raynal.wordpress.com for the photo on this post.

Grateful to be Alive! My July 4th Accident

Gratitude I’m so grateful that I’m alive today, writing to you.
That’s because on July 4th, I had a frightening, close encounter with a glass window that I never realized was even there.
More specifically, without knowing it, I ran headlong into a large piece of glass, because it wasn’t covered with a decorative decal such as these, these or these.
Right now, I’m still a bit shaken up.
Plus, my hand is still sore — somehow, in the middle of my accident, it got split open.
And my face demonstrates that I got too friendly with a piece of glass.
But right now, I’m determined to keep an attitude of gratitude.
It could have been much, much worse!
My accident could have killed me. I could be in emergency care right now, battling for my life.
The glass could have shattered, with shards splitting open my face rather than just have a few bruises and bang-ups from my sunglasses. My hand could have been cut up a lot more than it was.
Anyhow, I’m grateful to be alive and relatively intact, even if it’s difficult to type right now.
Also, now that I’m so glad to be alive, I’d like tell you how grateful to you, dear readers. Thank you for your readership, support and connection.
I do hope that my close encounter with a piece of glass will inspire you to think about how grateful you are, too, for many things.
I invite you to listen now to last week’s Gab with the Gurus Radio Show about gratitude with Stephanie Gunning.
Listen to internet radio with Gab With the Gurus on Blog Talk Radio.