MEETING 3
During meeting two the group met remotely on zoom to discuss part3 of the book. We discussed how small changes in behavior can lead to a more positive outlook. Sanderson discussed the impact of nature on attitude and how a small shift in our “vista” can improve outlook. All of us related to the chapter on the value of sharing life experiences over material things. “Material Objects are like French Vanilla ice cream. The first taste is great, but after the 7th it begins to taste like cardboard.” An interesting point was that taking pictures enables you to relive the experience, however some of us felt if we were taking pictures we are missing the experience. Studies have demonstrated that we get the most bang for our buck when we share experiences with our loved ones.
In chapter 11 and 12, Sanderson discusses that participating in charitable activities often confers greater benefits on the giver than the receiver. The random acts of kindness cliché is really true. The impact of love on temperament cannot be underestimated. Sanderson discusses the impact of mortality on one’s life prospective in the final chapter. Another interesting correlation seems to be between relationships and happiness. The richer and deeper our relationships the happier we are. Again begin richer or having more “thing” does not seem to lead to greater happiness.
Most of us enjoyed the book and agree that approaching life with a “half-full” prospective is beneficial. We all appreciated many of the antidotes and studies backing up this prospective. We all appreciated the end of chapter summaries that included “a list of take-a-ways that can be great reminders of small steps we can all take to improve our outlook on life. Particularly in the last 10 months we all can benefit from finding ways to incorporate some of the suggestions in the book into our personal and professional lives.
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