Take The Time To Be Grateful

<p>AJ Jacobs is known for his unique style of immersion journalism. He’s lived, literally, according to the Bible. He’s went out and met every obscure relative he could find in his family tree. In his new book, <a href='https://el2.convertkit-mail.com/c/preview/dpheh0hz/aHR0cHM6Ly9nZW5pLnVzL0NZdHlYag=='><em>Thanks A Thousand</em></a><em>,</em> he went on a quest to personally thank every person who had a hand in making his morning cup of coffee—the farmers, the woman who does pest control for the warehouse where the coffee is stored, the man who designed the lid, the baristas, and on and on.</p><p>This last journey was the least physically trying but the most transformative. <a href='https://el2.convertkit-mail.com/c/preview/e5uph7h9/aHR0cHM6Ly9kYWlseXN0b2ljLmNvbS9hai1qYWNvYnMtaW50ZXJ2aWV3Lz91dG1fc291cmNlPWNvbnZlcnRraXQmdXRtX21lZGl1bT1jb252ZXJ0a2l0JnV0bV9jYW1wYWlnbj1uZWdhdGl2ZS1iaWFz'>In our interview with AJ for DailyStoic.com</a>, he explained just how wonderful this forced exercise in gratitude has been:</p><p>One big change was related to the Stoic idea of the self-interested case for virtue. The idea that acting badly makes you feel badly. That whoever does wrong, wrongs himself. But when you act virtuously, you get a little burst of happiness.</p><p>So during this project, I’d wake up in a grumpy mood, but I’d force myself to call or visit or email folks to thank them for their role in my coffee. Admittedly, some were baffled. They’d say, “Is this a pyramid scheme?” But the majority were really pleased to hear from me.</p><p>I remember I called the woman who does pest control for the warehouse where my coffee is stored. And I said, “I know this sounds strange, but I want to thank you for keeping the bugs out of my coffee.” And she said, “That does sound strange. But thank YOU. You made my day.”</p><p>And that, in turn, made my day. By forcing myself to act in a grateful way, I became less grouchy. Ideally, gratitude should be a two-way street. It should give both parties a little dopamine boost.</p><p><a hr