One recent December, at age
53, John Kralik found his life at a terrible, frightening low: his small law
firm was failing; he was struggling through a painful second divorce; he had
grown distant from his two older children and was afraid he might lose contact
with his young daughter; he was living in a tiny apartment where he froze in
the winter and baked in the summer; he was 40 pounds overweight; his girlfriend
had just broken up with him; and overall, his dearest life dreams--including
hopes of upholding idealistic legal principles and of becoming a judge--seemed
to have slipped beyond his reach.
Then, during a desperate walk
in the hills on New Year's Day, John was struck by the belief that his life
might become at least tolerable if, instead of focusing on what he didn't have,
he could find some way to be grateful for what he had.
Inspired by a beautiful, simple
note his ex-girlfriend had sent to thank him for his Christmas gift, John
imagined that he might find a way to feel grateful by writing thank-you notes.
To keep himself going, he set himself a goal--come what may--of writing 365
thank-you notes in the coming year.
One by one, day after day, he
began to handwrite thank yous--for gifts or kindnesses he'd received from loved
ones and coworkers, from past business associates and current foes, from
college friends and doctors and store clerks and handymen and neighbors, and
anyone, really, absolutely anyone, who'd done him a good turn, however large or
small. Immediately after he'd sent his very first notes, significant and
surprising benefits began to come John's way--from financial gain to true
friendship, from weight loss to inner peace. While John wrote his notes, the
economy collapsed, the bank across the street from his office failed, but
thank-you note by thank-you note, John's whole life turned around.
365 Thank Yous is a rare
memoir: its touching, immediately accessible message--and benefits--come to
readers from the plainspoken storytelling of an ordinary man. Kralik sets a
believable, doable example of how to live a miraculously good life. To read 365
Thank Yous is to be changed.
Practicing gratitude can help you find your life's purpose. Come and join us in our DailyGratitude4Life Facebook Group. The one thing you could do to improve everything about your life - your emotional health, your physical well being and your lifespan - would be to move into a daily practice of gratitude.
