February 1, 2021 • 7 mins
Don't think of gratitude as an end in itself. Use it as a step to let your own talents shine through. Positivity can lead to new adventures and great success.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
Welcome to the Gratitude Diaries, a production of My Heart Radio. Hi.
I'm Janice Caplan. Thanks for joining me for more practical
ideas on how to be happier. Today's tip don't think
of gratitude as an end in itself, use it as
a step to let your own talents shine through. My
(00:26):
newest book, The Genius of Women, comes out in paperback
this month, and I hope you'll buy a copy because
I think you'll be inspired. The connections between gratitude and
genius are stronger than you might think. In writing the book,
I looked historically at women who did great work in
the past that may or may not have been noticed,
(00:47):
and I wondered how it is that, despite all the
obstacles in their way, some women in every generation managed
to achieve so much and sore so high. I also
interviewed dozens of women doing amazing things right now in
many different fields, and I thought about what all of
us can learn from them about letting our talents and
(01:10):
the talents of a next generation shine through. Women in
an earlier time often had to do what I came
to think of as the great work around the structures
in society aren't always on your side. There are often
things in the way that can beat you down. The
people who succeed are the ones who figure out a
way to get around the barriers and over the hurdles.
(01:34):
You don't do it by complaining that the world isn't fair.
You take action. I was inspired by the wonderful composer
Fanny Mendelssohn, who lived in the early eighteen hundreds. She
was the sister of the well known composer Felix Mendelssohn,
and when they were young, they both toured together and
played music, and she was actually the better of the two.
(01:56):
But in her early teens, Fannie's father, Abraham mendels and
told her it was time to go home and give
up music. She was a girl, she needed to get married. Music,
he said, could only be an ornament, never the root
of her being. Well, music was the root of her being.
But Fanny did go home and get married. But she
(02:19):
also did that great work around I mentioned. She continued composing,
and to avoid scandal at the time, she published under
Felix's name. At the end of her life, Fanny did
publish some work under her own name. The World did
not fall apart and She was very happy with the
high praise she was finally able to receive. It would
(02:39):
have been nice if she had those accolades through her
whole life, But there are always events outside our control.
For Fanny Mendelssohn, the barrier was a rigidly sexist society
that didn't let her do what she wanted. For others,
in our own time, the barriers maybe a pandemic, war,
political turmoil, or that sexist society. In searching for our
(03:02):
own happiness and our own way of letting our talents
be seen, we sometimes have to make concessions, do things
a little differently than we may prefer. Those who give
up and scream that it's not fair don't always get
very far. You succeed when you find a way to
stick with your own passions, to stay positive even when
(03:22):
the world seems to be against you. As I learned
from Fannie Mendelssohn, sometimes you just do that great work around.
The women I met doing great work right now were
among the most positive and grateful I could imagine. They
see the obstacles in their way and the things that
need to change, but it doesn't stop them. It inspires them.
(03:44):
Fay Fay Lee is one of the world's leading scientists
and artificial intelligence. She's done breakthrough work and teaching computers
how to see. It's a technology now used everywhere, including
for things like driverless cars. When she began her work,
a lot of but we're telling her she was wrong
and her approach couldn't possibly work. I asked her how
(04:05):
she had the courage to go on. She said she
listened to the objections and didn't find anything convincing enough
to make her give up. She stayed positive, believed in herself,
and she said her main question was how do I
go ahead and get it done? Just imagine how much
more we all could get done if we could stay positive,
(04:27):
listen to others, and then think only about how we
can move forward. One of the reasons I loved researching
and writing The Genius of Women was getting to encounter
people who engaged in the world in a grateful and
caring way and used that to be a huge success.
Frances Arnold, who won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in
(04:49):
told me that she encourages the young women she mentors
to face the world in a positive and powerful way
rather than a negative and fearful one. She says that
not blaming other people for things that went wrong in
her life has helped make her a happier person. She
worries that a lot of young people get overwhelmed by
obstacles that in the general scheme of things are pretty minor.
(05:13):
You should fight for change, but also make sure that
in your own life you go ahead with all the
vigor and positivity you possibly can. I learned so much
about how our attitude can make us happier when I
was writing my book, The Gratitude Diaries, and in doing
this podcast. Writing The Genius of Women showed me the
power of positivity from a different perspective. When you believe
(05:36):
in yourself and your own talents, you can take on
the world. Dr Arnold told me, the more fearful you are,
the more difficult it is to try something new. I
personally am trying very hard not to be fearful anymore,
and so I am taking on something new. I'm headed
to a new project right now that's common excited, and
(05:56):
so I am taking a pause in this podcast. I'm
so grateful that you've been with me for the past
one twenty episodes. If you've missed some or want to
share them with friends. They are all available. I hope
you've taken some inspiration and some pleasure in a few
minutes we spend together in each podcast, and I hope
they will continue to inspire you warm Thanks to all
(06:19):
of you who have sent me kind and supportive emails.
Notes of gratitude do mean a lot to sender and receiver.
If you haven't read The Gratitude Diaries or The Genius
of Women, please buy them right now. They're available on
Amazon or wherever you buy books. They're great gifts in
a way of saying thank you to the people who
do help you through so thank you for being with me.
(06:43):
Remember that so much of life is under your control.
It all depends on your attitude to every moment. Stay positive,
stay happy, and stay grateful. My very warmist thinks. The
Gratitude Diaries is a production of I Heart Radio. For
more podcasts from I Heart Radio, visit the I Heart
(07:04):
Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your favorite shows.
H
Welcome to the Gratitude Diaries, a production of My Heart Radio. Hi.
I'm Janice Caplan. Thanks for joining me for more practical
ideas on how to be happier. Today's tip don't think
of gratitude as an end in itself, use it as
a step to let your own talents shine through. My
(00:26):
newest book, The Genius of Women, comes out in paperback
this month, and I hope you'll buy a copy because
I think you'll be inspired. The connections between gratitude and
genius are stronger than you might think. In writing the book,
I looked historically at women who did great work in
the past that may or may not have been noticed,
(00:47):
and I wondered how it is that, despite all the
obstacles in their way, some women in every generation managed
to achieve so much and sore so high. I also
interviewed dozens of women doing amazing things right now in
many different fields, and I thought about what all of
us can learn from them about letting our talents and
(01:10):
the talents of a next generation shine through. Women in
an earlier time often had to do what I came
to think of as the great work around the structures
in society aren't always on your side. There are often
things in the way that can beat you down. The
people who succeed are the ones who figure out a
way to get around the barriers and over the hurdles.
(01:34):
You don't do it by complaining that the world isn't fair.
You take action. I was inspired by the wonderful composer
Fanny Mendelssohn, who lived in the early eighteen hundreds. She
was the sister of the well known composer Felix Mendelssohn,
and when they were young, they both toured together and
played music, and she was actually the better of the two.
(01:56):
But in her early teens, Fannie's father, Abraham mendels and
told her it was time to go home and give
up music. She was a girl, she needed to get married. Music,
he said, could only be an ornament, never the root
of her being. Well, music was the root of her being.
But Fanny did go home and get married. But she
(02:19):
also did that great work around I mentioned. She continued composing,
and to avoid scandal at the time, she published under
Felix's name. At the end of her life, Fanny did
publish some work under her own name. The World did
not fall apart and She was very happy with the
high praise she was finally able to receive. It would
(02:39):
have been nice if she had those accolades through her
whole life, But there are always events outside our control.
For Fanny Mendelssohn, the barrier was a rigidly sexist society
that didn't let her do what she wanted. For others,
in our own time, the barriers maybe a pandemic, war,
political turmoil, or that sexist society. In searching for our
(03:02):
own happiness and our own way of letting our talents
be seen, we sometimes have to make concessions, do things
a little differently than we may prefer. Those who give
up and scream that it's not fair don't always get
very far. You succeed when you find a way to
stick with your own passions, to stay positive even when
(03:22):
the world seems to be against you. As I learned
from Fannie Mendelssohn, sometimes you just do that great work around.
The women I met doing great work right now were
among the most positive and grateful I could imagine. They
see the obstacles in their way and the things that
need to change, but it doesn't stop them. It inspires them.
(03:44):
Fay Fay Lee is one of the world's leading scientists
and artificial intelligence. She's done breakthrough work and teaching computers
how to see. It's a technology now used everywhere, including
for things like driverless cars. When she began her work,
a lot of but we're telling her she was wrong
and her approach couldn't possibly work. I asked her how
(04:05):
she had the courage to go on. She said she
listened to the objections and didn't find anything convincing enough
to make her give up. She stayed positive, believed in herself,
and she said her main question was how do I
go ahead and get it done? Just imagine how much
more we all could get done if we could stay positive,
(04:27):
listen to others, and then think only about how we
can move forward. One of the reasons I loved researching
and writing The Genius of Women was getting to encounter
people who engaged in the world in a grateful and
caring way and used that to be a huge success.
Frances Arnold, who won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in
(04:49):
told me that she encourages the young women she mentors
to face the world in a positive and powerful way
rather than a negative and fearful one. She says that
not blaming other people for things that went wrong in
her life has helped make her a happier person. She
worries that a lot of young people get overwhelmed by
obstacles that in the general scheme of things are pretty minor.
(05:13):
You should fight for change, but also make sure that
in your own life you go ahead with all the
vigor and positivity you possibly can. I learned so much
about how our attitude can make us happier when I
was writing my book, The Gratitude Diaries, and in doing
this podcast. Writing The Genius of Women showed me the
power of positivity from a different perspective. When you believe
(05:36):
in yourself and your own talents, you can take on
the world. Dr Arnold told me, the more fearful you are,
the more difficult it is to try something new. I
personally am trying very hard not to be fearful anymore,
and so I am taking on something new. I'm headed
to a new project right now that's common excited, and
(05:56):
so I am taking a pause in this podcast. I'm
so grateful that you've been with me for the past
one twenty episodes. If you've missed some or want to
share them with friends. They are all available. I hope
you've taken some inspiration and some pleasure in a few
minutes we spend together in each podcast, and I hope
they will continue to inspire you warm Thanks to all
(06:19):
of you who have sent me kind and supportive emails.
Notes of gratitude do mean a lot to sender and receiver.
If you haven't read The Gratitude Diaries or The Genius
of Women, please buy them right now. They're available on
Amazon or wherever you buy books. They're great gifts in
a way of saying thank you to the people who
do help you through so thank you for being with me.
(06:43):
Remember that so much of life is under your control.
It all depends on your attitude to every moment. Stay positive,
stay happy, and stay grateful. My very warmist thinks. The
Gratitude Diaries is a production of I Heart Radio. For
more podcasts from I Heart Radio, visit the I Heart
(07:04):
Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your favorite shows.
H
Popular Podcasts
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.