This was absolutely wonderful and just what I needed. It is full of great ideas on how to capture gratitude daily to live a happier and peaceful life. This is one I will return to again and again. Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the advanced copy.

Audiobook Review * Wake Up Grateful by Kristi Nelson.
"Open your heart to the things that now enrich your life but came from loving something or someone you had to let go. Be grateful to your heart for its beautiful courage." ~Kristi Nelson, Wake Up Grateful.

Kristi Nelson is a cancer survivor who fought for her recovery and wrote this book as a lesson for the power of gratefulness. She does a beautiful job narrating her book and sharing her vulnerabilities as personal examples. She provides numerous perspectives and practical ways to shift the brain to look for gratitude every day.

Nelson says, "I carry grief as an evident blessing of having loved and been loved." I have six dear guardian angels (Paternal and Maternal Grandparents, Godmother/Aunt, and my Dad). Losing my Dad so unexpectedly from a brain injury after slipping on the icy driveway made me conquer my deepest fears. Grief has become my close friend because it reminds me I've given and known the greatest unconditional love. This exceptional loss gave birth to my daily practice of vulnerability and gratitude. Nelson discusses her thoughts of facing death and how it strengthened her appreciation for the little pieces of life. I see them too. This book is so powerful and meaningful, now especially, as we are all living in this pandemic. 2020 has become the "year of gratitude" because all of the daily distractions disappeared, allowing us to pause and count our blessings. I highly recommend this book to everyone. I will be making this book an annual tradition to listen, practice, and strengthen my gratefulness.

Thank you, #NetGalley and #WorkmanAudio, for this ARC/ALC in exchange for my honest review.

Happy pub day to Wake up Grateful!

This year it has been a bit more difficult for me to find gratitude in every day life. As an effort to be more grateful, I started writing gratitude lists when I journal. When I came across Kristi Nelson's "Wake up Grateful" on NetGalley, I knew I had to pick it up! Now, my ARC is in the form of an audiobook; I listened to this while mindlessly cleaning, winding down for the night or while going on walks. Listening to personal stories as well as tips & tricks on how to retrain your mind to go from "pity part" to "thank you" was beneficial as I did these tasks, reminding me to ever be grateful for not just the bigger things, but the little things in life as well. I loved that Nelson targeted every last bit of being in this book - she even touched on the body and gratitude as a component to better health and overall sense of well-being. I do wish I picked up the eARC copy as well, as this to me is a book I would have taken notes in. Overall, this one gets 4/5 stars from me!

Thank you to the author, Storey Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

#NetGalley #WakeUpGrateful