That quote is from Dr. Mimi Guarneri’s book, “The Heart Speaks.” If you haven’t read it, get it today. It came as a promotional on my new e-Reader and I thought, I’ll give it a try. Dr G, as she’s referred to by most of her patients, is a specialist in stents, however, more importantly, has uncovered and shares secrets that all of us can use in our lives every day.

She goes on to write, “Research now suggests that it [gratefulness] also allows people to deal better with stress, causing them to be more optimistic, which seems to boost immune function.” Now, how can you argue with those “side effects” from taking the time in your own life to take stock, identify something or someone to be thankful for, and get a little immunity protection along the way?

Oh, and on optimism, try this on for size: “In one study, patients who described themselves as highly optimistic had lower risks of all-cause death and lower rates of cardiovascular death than those with high levels of pessimism.” Wouldn’t it be great to be able to get that in capsule form as well as tablets? Take one capsule of optimism three times a day with each meal!

So, why do we focus so much on the negative in our lives? What keeps us from being optimistic and grateful? Her book provides numerous patient profiles as well as studies and statistics that will give you insights and answers. For anyone committed to healthy living (emotionally and physically!), you really should check it out. As in an earlier post I wrote, there’s really not a lot of effort in noticing the good in others, taking the time to be thankful for even the small things that come into our lives each day.

We just need that daily reminder (in capsule or tablet form!) that the alternative can be very costly to our physical health. So, share a smile with someone when you’re done reading this post today; pick up the phone and re-connect with an old friend or family member; thank a co-worker for something that usually goes unnoticed. It’s contagious, infectious and healthy.

Our attitudes really do shape our health and wellness. “The Heart Speaks” will stimulate your thinking and, hopefully, your behavior, so that each day makes a difference in your and someone else’s life. And if that makes your heart healthier, how can you lose?

Just finished reading Daniel Menaker,’s “A Good Talk: The Story and Skill of Conversation,” and I’m not sure what to make of it. Recommended by a friend who’d read a review, I’m waiting for his assessment as well. There are a few good tidbits about how a conversation develops between people, the stages Survey, Discovery, Risks and Roles, which I found interesting and am now paying attention to when meeting new people, and observing my/our conversations. Menaker using an interesting technique of taping one of his own conversations with a friend/colleague (with their permission, of course!) and breaks it down into these component parts; that is somewhat fascinating. There’s some history on conversation that’s mildly interesting and he casts about quite a few stereotypes. Be interested to see what others think if they pick up the book.

In the meantime, I’ve had a lot of flying this month, so it gave me a chance to catch up on something even as a bit esoteric as this. Probably not for most except those most fascinated by the study of human interaction.

As usual, available on my favorite, half.com and amazon.com.

Just finished reading Tim Sanders’ book, “Love is the Killer App: How to Win Business and Influence Friends.” Tim is the Chief Solutions Officer at Yahoo! and his book will push your “abundancy thinking” to the next level. For those of you who have heard me speak about abundance, I’m a big believer in advocating for an abundant life and abundant world. By that I don’t mean “you can have it all!” Abundancy vs. scarcity is the place you come from in terms of how you approach your world; you either see it as a place of scarcity, that doesn’t have enough to go around and everyone needs to get theirs or someone else will get it. Or you’re an abundancy person, who gives away what they have to offer the world, believing that the world will mirror your giving and give back even more. Tim’s book advances this concept in the workplace. Read it and I’m sure you’ll find it challenging, informative and, hopefully, useful if you’re willing to take some risks.

Books, Tapes and More – If you’ve not visited half.com, you’re missing a great on-line resource for books, tapes, books on DVD, etc. Half is a resource where you can find all this stuff at drastically reduced price as part of the underground economy. Leading books for sometimes pennies on the dollar because someone else is passing along their good stuff after they’ve learned from it. Fast delivery right to your door, a wide range of offerings and an easy-to-use site… customer service at its best.