This is a short and delightful book. The author is at a low point in his life. His small law firm is failing, his ex wife cant agree on a divorce among other things.He decides to start writing thank you notes.It is during this process that he realizes what all he has to be grateful for and his depression starts to dissipate. But first he had this insight:
“Then I heard a voice:Until you learn to be grateful for the things that you have, you wont receive the things that you want.”
From this he concocted the idea of the thank you notes.
While he was really in a predicament that would make most people feel despair and depression (living in a tiny apartment with almost no ac and cold during the winter, 40 pounds overweight etc.) he used this to go after his dreams.
Slowly over the course of the year his life gradually improves. It is by no means perfect but at the end of the project when some ask how is he, he can honestly list good things that have been happening in his life.
This is one of those ideas that I had myself. When he was wrapped up in his despair it was impossible to see through the dark clouds at the happiness that lay beyond. By writing these thank you notes he was in a sense “forced” to see what he really had to be happy about.
This is a quick short and sweet read. Even though he was a lawyer and now a Judge his writing is written so it is easy to understand from anyone view. This will definitely be on my favorite books of 2011.
