Follow Here To Purchase The Upside of Down Times: Discovering the Power of Gratitude

Author: Lisa Ryan

Publisher: Outskirts Press

ISBN: 978-1-4327-9055-4

Studies show when a customer stops doing business with a business, sixty eight percent of the time it is because he or she feels “ignored, unappreciated or taken for granted.” This same thought process of showing gratitude in your daily personal or professional life is dissected and encouraged in Lisa Ryan’s booklet titled The Upside of Down Times, Discovering the Power of Gratitude.

This one hundred and eleven page short book has a blue and green background with arrows on the front cover with a few paragraphs that include a review and the author’s biography with a small photograph on the back. Besides content, acknowledgement, recommended reading, bibliography, author, book order and promotional pages, there are twenty page introduction and eight page bonus sections. There were no noticeable grammar or typographical errors except capitalization intended for emphasis.

Ryan breaks the topic of changing one’s attitude to positive gratitude into four areas which spell out S.H.O.W: self, health, others and wealth. One must first look at their own personality and want it to change. This is encouraged by taking at least the thirty day challenge to track three to five things appreciated throughout a day and keep a daily journal of it. One needs to keep in check his or her own health and be thankful for the current situation and look for the positive outcomes. This can be strengthened through volunteering and helping others (some with similar experiences) in the community. Being grateful and thankful to others is further discussed in relationship to one’s children, spouse, friends and finally co-workers. Wealth can be enriched by applying gratitude and thankfulness through business relationships.

Since the book itself is formatted chapter by chapter with areas to write in personal goals, notes and ideas, it is a good self-help teaching tool for anyone who wants to change themselves to be a more positive, grateful and thankful person. This, in turn, can lead to a better understanding of themselves and improve their relationship with others. There are numerous tasks and exercises like the “ABC’s of Gratitude” game or simple repetitive recall phrases such as “stop it” to aid the reader, changing from negative thinking to positive encouragement.

Due to Ryan’s own journey through the ups and downs of life and her overcoming them, she does a straightforward job of showing how one can change. However, this reader wishes the concept of showing gratitude toward God or a Supreme Being would have been considered and promoted to obtain true contentment and ultimate happiness.