Deborah Norville on the power of positive thinking
"Inside Edition" host Deborah Norville is using her personal journey to help us live more positively. She shares that message in the latest entry in the popular "Chicken Soup for the Soul" book series, which since 1993 has sold more than 100 million copies in the U.S. and Canada.
It's called "Chicken Soup for the Soul: Think Positive, Live Happy," and it includes 101 unique stories about optimism, faith and strength. (It is published by Simon & Schuster, a division of CBS.)
In its introduction Norville writes about overcoming her own depression:
"Years ago, my depression was there for the world to see. My high profile network job was over. I felt I would never work in television news again and the TV pundits agreed. 'Left for dead by the side of the road,' was how one newspaper critic described me. I might have remained by that career roadside if I hadn't gotten inside my own head and worked to change my mindset and get myself back on track."
So, did that Chicago Tribune headline "Left for dead by the side of the road" describe how she felt? "No! That was how I was!" Norville said on "CBS This Morning" Monday. "I was on the side of the road. And no one would have bet 50 cents that I would have gotten my career back, [that] I would have been back on television, I would have been part of a book series like this."
"You said, 'When stuff happens in life, as it does to all of us, it's not so much about moving on, it's about moving forward through challenges, through grief, through disappointment,'" said co-host Gayle King. "What's the difference between moving on and moving forward?"
"That was taught to me by a friend whose husband died in the September 11th terror attack. I talked about moving on. She said, 'No, no.' She corrected me, she said, 'You do not move on, you move forward. You take that with you, but you move forward in life because that experience has become a part of you – and keep it with you, keep the learnings from it with you. But move forward and get new things going in your life.'"
There were thousands of stories submitted for the book, which were divided into various topics. Among the "I lost my job" stories was one that particularly struck her.
"This woman had lost her job, she had gotten her pink slip that day. She's got six kids, she's in the grocery store, she weeping as she's doing her marketing. She saw a bright yellow envelope stuck in-between the meats in the meat counter. She picked it up, she opened the envelope and it said, 'Everything will be okay, you are going to be fine.' How did this person know?
"She paid it forward. She started a social media movement where she's sharing that message. And it lands in your lap on the day you needed to see it."
The book's message of optimism falls in line with a recent Harvard School of Public Health study that said people who are optimistic live on average 11 to 15% longer, and they have a 50% greater shot of making it to age 85.
"Adjust your mindset," Norville said. "When you read a book like this, it will make you more optimistic."
Another story's message is about where to focus yourself. "This was a lady who had been divorced," Norville said. "After four years she finally started dating again. She was a nervous wreck about it. She goes out with a lovely man. He could sense her discomfort. He said, 'Look, I'm not looking for forever, I just want a nice evening." And that was her message. She said, 'Don't spend so much time worrying about the future that you miss the now.' And the now is usually pretty good. Every one of us has something good in our now. And my mission is to help you focus on that."
King offered a shout-out for the message on page 78 of the book: "Can't is a four-letter word."
- "Chicken Soup for the Soul: Think Positive, Live Happy" by By Amy Newmark and Deborah Norville (Simon & Schuster), in Trade Paperback and eBook formats, available via Amazon