TED Book: Thanks a Thousand

Thanks a Thousand

by A.J. Jacobs
The idea was deceptively simple: A.J. Jacobs would thank every single person who had a role (however small) in producing his morning cup of coffee. The resulting journey takes Jacobs across the globe and reveals secrets about how gratitude can change us all.Buy now

Jacobs discovers that his coffee would not be possible without hundreds of people he takes for granted: farmers, chemists, artists, truckers, mechanics, biologists, miners, smugglers, and goatherds. Gratitude does not come naturally to Jacobs. His disposition is more Larry David than Tom Hanks. But he set out on the journey determined to discover what makes gratitude so powerful.

Along the way Jacobs provides wonderful insights and useful tips, such as how to focus on the hundreds of things that go right every day instead of the few that go wrong. Gratitude’s benefits are legion: It improves compassion, heals your body, and helps battle depression. Gratitude can make our lives happier, kinder, and more meaningful.

A.J. Jacobs is The New York Times bestselling author of It’s All Relative, Drop Dead Healthy, The Year of Living Biblically, My Life as an Experiment, and The Know-It-All. Jacobs is a contributor to Esquire and NPR and has given several TED talks. He lives in New York City with his wife Julie and their children. You can visit him at AJJacobs.com and follow him on Twitter @ajjacobs.