{"id":16671,"date":"2018-03-01T01:10:31","date_gmt":"2018-03-01T06:10:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/paganpages.org\/content\/?p=17330"},"modified":"2018-03-16T13:24:20","modified_gmt":"2018-03-16T18:24:20","slug":"interview-sanjiv-chopra-gina-vild","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/2018\/03\/01\/interview-sanjiv-chopra-gina-vild\/","title":{"rendered":"An Interview with Sanjiv Chopra &#038; Gina Vild on The Two Most Important Days: How to Find Your Purpose and Live a Happier, Healthier Life"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"font-size: xx-large;\">Bringing <\/span><span style=\"font-size: xx-large;\">J<\/span><span style=\"font-size: xx-large;\">oy to the <\/span><span style=\"font-size: xx-large;\">W<\/span><span style=\"font-size: xx-large;\">orld<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"font-size: x-large;\">Sanjiv Chopra and Gina Vild <\/span><span style=\"font-size: x-large;\">C<\/span><span style=\"font-size: x-large;\">ompel <\/span><span style=\"font-size: x-large;\">R<\/span><span style=\"font-size: x-large;\">eaders<br \/>\nto <\/span><span style=\"font-size: x-large;\">F<\/span><span style=\"font-size: x-large;\">ind <\/span><span style=\"font-size: x-large;\">H<\/span><span style=\"font-size: x-large;\">appiness by <\/span><span style=\"font-size: x-large;\">L<\/span><span style=\"font-size: x-large;\">iving a <\/span><span style=\"font-size: x-large;\">P<\/span><span style=\"font-size: x-large;\">urposeful <\/span><span style=\"font-size: x-large;\">L<\/span><span style=\"font-size: x-large;\">ife <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><br \/>\n<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-17441\" src=\"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/chopra-200x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"200\" height=\"300\" \/><img decoding=\"async\" style=\"border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;\" src=\"\/\/ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com\/e\/ir?t=paganpages-20&amp;l=am2&amp;o=1&amp;a=1250119367\" alt=\"\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u201c<span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\">Mark Twain famously once said, \u2018The two <\/span><span style=\"font-size: large;\">most<\/span><span style=\"font-size: large;\"> important days in your life are the day you were born and the day you find out why.\u2019 Hence the title, \u2018The Two Most Important Days: How to Find Your Purpose and Live a Happier, Healthier Life,\u2019\u201d said Sanjiv Chopra, a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, bestselling author and sought-after inspirational speaker.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-17331\" src=\"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/Chopra.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"250\" height=\"253\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><em>(Sanjiv Chopra)<\/em> <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\">H<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\">e co-wrote the book with Gina Vild, associate dean and chief communications officer at Harvard Medical School.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-17332\" src=\"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/Gina-Vild.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"207\" height=\"311\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>(<\/i><i>Gina Vild<\/i><i> <\/i><i>)<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\">Both live in Boston and worked together on other projects.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\">The book is an offshoot of a talk he\u2019s been giving around the country and around the world for about five years, called, \u201cHappiness and Living with Purpose.\u201d People began asking for a DVD and a book, so he turned to his Harvard Medical School colleague; in an earlier book, he\u2019d retold one of her stories. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u201c<span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\">It was originally a book on happiness,\u201d Vild said.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u201c<span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\">We sat with our creative agent in New York and learned there were more than 200,000 books with the word happiness in the title so we purposely chose to focus on living with purpose,\u201d Chopra said.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\">What makes it different from other books is that it provides the scientific data behind happiness, draws on the wisdom from ancient philosophies and poets, tells compelling stories, and<\/span> <span style=\"font-size: large;\">guides readers on a journey toward a life filled with purpose and ultimately, joy.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u201c<span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\">It\u2019s a unique genre,\u201d Vild said of its multifacetedness. \u201cIn the book we discuss very practical things you can do that affect your own happiness quotient. \u2026 We talk about mediation. We talk about music. We talk yoga. We talk about living in community. We talk about friendship.\u201d <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\">There are suggestions for films, TED Talks, books, apps and songs to boost happiness as the result of the transformative power of gratitude, forgiveness and serving others. \u201cThe Two Most Important Days\u201d reveals how these qualities become catalysts for resilience. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u201c<span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\">There\u2019s a lot of practical exercises,\u201d Vild said.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\">Many are those she\u2019s done herself, such as sharing gratitude journals with a friend.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\">The book took about two years to write and was published by Thomas Dunne Books. It was released in December 2017. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u201c<span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\">When I began working on this book with Sanjiv, I was very happy. I had a very wonderful life \u2026 but during the course of writing this book I wound up having \u2026 dramatic change in the trajectory of my life. It was unexpected and so I found myself, ironically, if you will, writing a book about happiness during the most unhappy time of my life. And as I wrote I had to learn and practice what I had really believed and was teaching other people to do,\u201d Vild said. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u201c<span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\">You bring to your life the lessons your soul requires,\u201d she said.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u201c<span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\">One of the interesting sort of ah-ha moments from this book is that so much of how I was raised \u2013 the underpinnings for this book were really in my childhood, in terms of being raised to value things we talk about in this book: attitude, seeking resilience when you have turbulence, friendship, community,\u201d she said, noting that \u201cback then \u2026 there was no science to show that these things actually were demonstrated to boost happiness quotients. There was just no scientific evidence and today there is. That was a wonderful surprise as we researched the book,\u201d she said.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\">She found there were studies that showed optimism could cut coronary disease in half, and evidence that happy people live longer.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u201c<span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\">One of the things my mom would say to me, \u2018Even if you\u2019re unhappy, smile,\u2019 and I would say, \u2018That doesn\u2019t make sense.\u2019 Data actually shows now that people smile when they\u2019re happy and are happy when they smile and the<\/span><span style=\"font-size: large;\">r<\/span><span style=\"font-size: large;\">e <\/span><span style=\"font-size: large;\">a<\/span><span style=\"font-size: large;\">re actually endorphins that are released when you smile so by smiling you can create this chemical cascade. It creates a positive feedback loop.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\">Children, she said, smile 400 times a day while the average adult smiles perhaps 40 times a day.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\">Calling herself an optimistic person, Vild said after both her parents died suddenly when she was young, someone gave her a quote by <\/span><span style=\"color: #00000a;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\">Albert Camus<\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #00000a;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\">: \u201cIn the midst of win<\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size: large;\">ter, I found there was, within me, an invincible summer. And that makes me happy. For it says that no matter how hard the world pushes against me, within me, there\u2019s something stronger.\u201d <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u201c<span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\">I carry it with me \u2026 to every house I\u2019ve ever lived in. I think that\u2019s the key \u2013 to find that within yourself,\u201d she said.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\">One of the many inspirational quotes in the book is by Pablo Picasso: \u201cThe meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away.\u201d <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\">Both share their life\u2019s purpose.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\">Chopra wrote, \u201cTo fulfill my dharma to teach medicine, leadership, and happiness and to do this grounded in humility and with an ardent desire to learn every single day. To treasure with gratitude my family, friends, colleagues, and students who inspire me in countless ways, and, in some small measure, to inspire everyone that I encounter during this amazing life journey.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\">Vild described her life purpose as, \u201cTo pay attention to this precious world in which we live for such a brief time, to use the light that is our life to radiate kindness, to learn and to use that knowledge to illuminate the darkness, to appreciate, to forgive and to be grateful.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\">She went on to say, \u201cYour compassion is a verb \u2026 and that is a way of living a life of purpose, as well as living a life of kindness and compassion.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\">Both authors have let their purpose guide their decisions in life. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\">Both call happiness a choice.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u201c<span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\">Everyone is born with a happiness quotient they believe and you can boost that happiness quotient you are born with 50 percent. Ten percent of your happiness quotient is dependent upon your living conditions, if you\u2019re satisfied with them, but you have it within your power by the choices you make to alter that by 40 percent with the choices you make,\u201d Vild said, adding, \u201cPretty empowering.\u201d <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\">Who doesn\u2019t want to be happy?<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u201c<span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\">It\u2019s now the number one class at Yale,\u201d Chopra said, citing an article in The New York Times about \u201cPsyc<\/span><span style=\"font-size: large;\">h<\/span><span style=\"font-size: large;\"> 157: Psychology and the Good Life.\u201d Six days after registration opened, 1,200 students signed up for the course. That\u2019s about a quarter of the university\u2019s undergraduates.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u201c<span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\">There are four things you and I can do to be happier,\u201d he said. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u201c<span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\">Number one is friends. Choose your friends carefully; celebrate everything \u2013 small and big \u2013 with your friends. Loneliness is toxic.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\">The ability to forgive was his second point, made by offering the wisdom of Nelson Mandela who, after being imprisoned for 27 years, said, \u201cResentment is like drinking poison and then hoping it will kill your enemies.\u201d <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\">Vild said, \u201cIt\u2019s certainly true that forgiveness is a precursor to change and growth. It offers you a new perch from which to live your life.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><a name=\"_GoBack\"><\/a> <span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\">To illustrate the third point \u2013 serving others \u2013 Chopra offered a quote by Albert Schweitzer: \u201cI don\u2019t know what your destiny will be, but one thing I know: the only ones among you who will be really happy are those who will have sought and found how to serve.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\">Gratitude was the fourth pillar.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u201c<span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\">If you do these four things, your happiness quotient will increase dramatically,\u201d he said. \u201cIf you want lasting happiness, then you have to find your purpose and live it. We can find our purpose either by reflection, as I did, or by witnessing something very tragic and then saying, \u2018You know, I\u2019m going to make a difference here.\u2019\u201d<br \/>\nThere are many moving and inspiring stories in the book.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\">It was no surprise that when Vild \u2013 who\u2019s been curating poetry for 20 years \u2013 was asked what her favorite passage was in the book, she cited the poem \u201cThe Ponds\u201d by Mary Oliver. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u201c<span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\">One of the reasons it\u2019s my favorite poem is it\u2019s about accepting imperfection,\u201d which is a way of living a life that generates forgiveness and gratitude. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u201c<span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\">The poem talks about lilies as sort of the metaphor then it talks about \u2018what I want in my life \/ is to be willing \/ to be dazzled \u2013 \/ to cast aside the weight of facts \/ and maybe even \/ to float a little \/ above this difficult world. \/ I want to believe I am looking \/ into the white fire of a great mystery. \/ I want to believe that the imperfections are nothing \u2013 \/ that the light is everything \u2013 that it is more than the sum \/ of each flawed blossom rising and fading. And I do,\u2019\u201d Vild said.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u201c<span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\">My favorite story is John Lennon,\u201d Chopra said. \u201cHe\u2019s five years of age, goes to school and the teacher gives the kids an assignment: write down what you want to be when you grow up. He writes \u2018happy\u2019 and he hands it to the teacher, and the teacher says, \u2018John, you didn\u2019t understand the assignment,\u2019 and John then looks up \u2013 he\u2019s five years old \u2013 and says, \u2018You don\u2019t understand life.\u2019\u201d <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\">Along with their complicated jobs, the authors are granting interviews and promoting the book. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u201c<span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\">Sharing it has been so much fun,\u201d Vild said.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\">The book does not need to be read from front to back.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u201c<span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\">We know people are busy,\u201d she said, noting readers can turn to what\u2019s most important to them at the time. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u201c<span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\">It\u2019s a little gem of a book,\u201d she said.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\">Amongst his upcoming projects, Chopra is writing a book on leadership for kids \u2013 whom he considers our bright, future leaders \u2013 with his 13-year-old granddaughter, Aanya. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\"><b>For Amazon Information Click Image<br \/>\n<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/1250119367\/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;creativeASIN=1250119367&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=paganpages-20&amp;linkId=da9230476873d05dad0b6b950602304c\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/\/ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com\/widgets\/q?_encoding=UTF8&amp;MarketPlace=US&amp;ASIN=1250119367&amp;ServiceVersion=20070822&amp;ID=AsinImage&amp;WS=1&amp;Format=_SL250_&amp;tag=paganpages-20\" border=\"0\" \/><\/a><img decoding=\"async\" style=\"border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;\" src=\"\/\/ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com\/e\/ir?t=paganpages-20&amp;l=am2&amp;o=1&amp;a=1250119367\" alt=\"\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Helvetica, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\">***<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\"><b><span style=\"color: #131313;\"><span lang=\"en-US\">About the Author:<\/span><\/span><\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-16143\" src=\"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/Lynn-226x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"90\" height=\"119\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: DejaVu\\ Sans, sans-serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"><span lang=\"en-US\"><b>Lynn Woike<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"><span lang=\"en-US\">\u00a0was 50 \u2013 divorced and living on her own for the first time \u2013 before she consciously began practicing as a self taught solitary witch. She draws on an eclectic mix of old ways she has studied \u2013 from her Sicilian and Germanic heritage to Zen and astrology, the fae, Buddhism, Celtic, the Kabbalah, Norse and Native American \u2013 pulling from each as she is guided. She practices yoga, reads Tarot and uses Reiki. From the time she was little, she has loved stories, making her job as the editor of two monthly newspapers seem less than the work it is because of the stories she gets to tell. She lives with her large white cat, Pyewacket, in central Connecticut. You can follow her boards on\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pinterest.com\/lw222\/?eq=lynn%20woike&amp;etslf=9490\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"color: #b96d00;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"><span lang=\"en-US\">Pinterest<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"><span lang=\"en-US\">, and write to her at woikelynn\u00a0at gmail\u00a0dot com. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Bringing Joy to the World Sanjiv Chopra and Gina Vild Compel Readers to Find Happiness by Living a Purposeful Life \u00a0 &nbsp; \u201cMark Twain famously once said, \u2018The two most important days in your life are the day you were born and the day you find out why.\u2019 Hence the title, \u2018The Two Most Important Days: How to Find Your Purpose and Live a Happier, Healthier Life,\u2019\u201d said Sanjiv Chopra, a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, bestselling author and sought-after inspirational speaker. &nbsp; (Sanjiv Chopra) &nbsp; He co-wrote the book with Gina Vild, associate dean and chief communications officer at Harvard Medical School. &nbsp; (Gina Vild ) &nbsp; Both live in Boston and worked together on other projects. The book is an offshoot of a talk he\u2019s been giving around the country and around the world for about five years, called, \u201cHappiness and Living with Purpose.\u201d People began asking for a DVD and a book, so he turned to his Harvard Medical School colleague; in an earlier book, he\u2019d retold one of her stories. \u201cIt was originally a book on happiness,\u201d Vild said. \u201cWe sat with our creative agent in New York and learned there were more than 200,000 books with the word happiness in the title so we purposely chose to focus on living with purpose,\u201d Chopra said. What makes it different from other books is that it provides the scientific data behind happiness, draws on the wisdom from ancient philosophies and poets, tells compelling stories, and guides readers on a journey toward a life filled with purpose and ultimately, joy. \u201cIt\u2019s a unique genre,\u201d Vild said of its multifacetedness. \u201cIn the book we discuss very practical things you can do that affect your own happiness quotient. \u2026 We talk about mediation. We talk about music. We talk yoga. We talk about living in community. We talk about friendship.\u201d There are suggestions for films, TED Talks, books, apps and songs to boost happiness as the result of the transformative power of gratitude, forgiveness and serving others. \u201cThe Two Most Important Days\u201d reveals how these qualities become catalysts for resilience. \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of practical exercises,\u201d Vild said. Many are those she\u2019s done herself, such as sharing gratitude journals with a friend. The book took about two years to write and was published by Thomas Dunne Books. It was released in December 2017. \u201cWhen I began working on this book with Sanjiv, I was very happy. I had a very wonderful life \u2026 but during the course of writing this book I wound up having \u2026 dramatic change in the trajectory of my life. It was unexpected and so I found myself, ironically, if you will, writing a book about happiness during the most unhappy time of my life. And as I wrote I had to learn and practice what I had really believed and was teaching other people to do,\u201d Vild said. \u201cYou bring to your life the lessons your soul requires,\u201d she said. \u201cOne of the interesting sort of ah-ha moments from this book is that so much of how I was raised \u2013 the underpinnings for this book were really in my childhood, in terms of being raised to value things we talk about in this book: attitude, seeking resilience when you have turbulence, friendship, community,\u201d she said, noting that \u201cback then \u2026 there was no science to show that these things actually were demonstrated to boost happiness quotients. There was just no scientific evidence and today there is. That was a wonderful surprise as we researched the book,\u201d she said. She found there were studies that showed optimism could cut coronary disease in half, and evidence that happy people live longer. \u201cOne of the things my mom would say to me, \u2018Even if you\u2019re unhappy, smile,\u2019 and I would say, \u2018That doesn\u2019t make sense.\u2019 Data actually shows now that people smile when they\u2019re happy and are happy when they smile and there are actually endorphins that are released when you smile so by smiling you can create this chemical cascade. It creates a positive feedback loop.\u201d Children, she said, smile 400 times a day while the average adult smiles perhaps 40 times a day. Calling herself an optimistic person, Vild said after both her parents died suddenly when she was young, someone gave her a quote by Albert Camus: \u201cIn the midst of winter, I found there was, within me, an invincible summer. And that makes me happy. For it says that no matter how hard the world pushes against me, within me, there\u2019s something stronger.\u201d \u201cI carry it with me \u2026 to every house I\u2019ve ever lived in. I think that\u2019s the key \u2013 to find that within yourself,\u201d she said. One of the many inspirational quotes in the book is by Pablo Picasso: \u201cThe meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away.\u201d Both share their life\u2019s purpose. Chopra wrote, \u201cTo fulfill my dharma to teach medicine, leadership, and happiness and to do this grounded in humility and with an ardent desire to learn every single day. To treasure with gratitude my family, friends, colleagues, and students who inspire me in countless ways, and, in some small measure, to inspire everyone that I encounter during this amazing life journey.\u201d Vild described her life purpose as, \u201cTo pay attention to this precious world in which we live for such a brief time, to use the light that is our life to radiate kindness, to learn and to use that knowledge to illuminate the darkness, to appreciate, to forgive and to be grateful.\u201d She went on to say, \u201cYour compassion is a verb \u2026 and that is a way of living a life of purpose, as well as living a life of kindness and compassion.\u201d Both authors have let their purpose guide their decisions in life. Both call happiness a choice. \u201cEveryone is born with a happiness quotient they believe and you can boost that happiness quotient you are born with 50 percent. Ten percent of your happiness quotient is dependent upon your living conditions, if you\u2019re satisfied with them, but you have it within your power by the choices you make to alter that by 40 percent with the choices you make,\u201d Vild said, adding, \u201cPretty empowering.\u201d Who doesn\u2019t want to be happy? \u201cIt\u2019s now the number one class at Yale,\u201d Chopra said, citing an article in The New York Times about \u201cPsych 157: Psychology and the Good Life.\u201d Six days after registration opened, 1,200 students signed up for the course. That\u2019s about a quarter of the university\u2019s undergraduates. \u201cThere are four things you and I can do to be happier,\u201d he said. \u201cNumber one is friends. Choose your friends carefully; celebrate everything \u2013 small and big \u2013 with your friends. Loneliness is toxic.\u201d The ability to forgive was his second point, made by offering the wisdom of Nelson Mandela who, after being imprisoned for 27 years, said, \u201cResentment is like drinking poison and then hoping it will kill your enemies.\u201d Vild said, \u201cIt\u2019s certainly true that forgiveness is a precursor to change and growth. It offers you a new perch from which to live your life.\u201d To illustrate the third point \u2013 serving others \u2013 Chopra offered a quote by Albert Schweitzer: \u201cI don\u2019t know what your destiny will be, but one thing I know: the only ones among you who will be really happy are those who will have sought and found how to serve.\u201d Gratitude was the fourth pillar. \u201cIf you do these four things, your happiness quotient will increase dramatically,\u201d he said. \u201cIf you want lasting happiness, then you have to find your purpose and live it. We can find our purpose either by reflection, as I did, or by witnessing something very tragic and then saying, \u2018You know, I\u2019m going to make a difference here.\u2019\u201d There are many moving and inspiring stories in the book. It was no surprise that when Vild \u2013 who\u2019s been curating poetry for 20 years \u2013 was asked what her favorite passage was in the book, she cited the poem \u201cThe Ponds\u201d by Mary Oliver. \u201cOne of the reasons it\u2019s my favorite poem is it\u2019s about accepting imperfection,\u201d which is a way of living a life that generates forgiveness and gratitude. \u201cThe poem talks about lilies as sort of the metaphor then it talks about \u2018what I want in my life \/ is to be willing \/ to be dazzled \u2013 \/ to cast aside the weight of facts \/ and maybe even \/ to float a little \/ above this difficult world. \/ I want to believe I am looking \/ into the white fire of a great mystery. \/ I want to believe that the imperfections are nothing \u2013 \/ that the light is everything \u2013 that it is more than the sum \/ of each flawed blossom rising and fading. And I do,\u2019\u201d Vild said. \u201cMy favorite story is John Lennon,\u201d Chopra said. \u201cHe\u2019s five years of age, goes to school and the teacher gives the kids an assignment: write down what you want to be when you grow up. He writes \u2018happy\u2019 and he hands it to the teacher, and the teacher says, \u2018John, you didn\u2019t understand the assignment,\u2019 and John then looks up \u2013 he\u2019s five years old \u2013 and says, \u2018You don\u2019t understand life.\u2019\u201d Along with their complicated jobs, the authors are granting interviews and promoting the book. \u201cSharing it has been so much fun,\u201d Vild said. The book does not need to be read from front to back. \u201cWe know people are busy,\u201d she said, noting readers can turn to what\u2019s most important to them at the time. \u201cIt\u2019s a little gem of a book,\u201d she said. Amongst his upcoming projects, Chopra is writing a book on leadership for kids \u2013 whom he considers our bright, future leaders \u2013 with his 13-year-old granddaughter, Aanya. &nbsp; For Amazon Information Click Image &nbsp; *** About the Author: Lynn Woike\u00a0was 50 \u2013 divorced and living on her own for the first time \u2013 before she consciously began practicing as a self taught solitary witch. She draws on an eclectic mix of old ways she has studied \u2013 from her Sicilian and Germanic heritage to Zen and astrology, the fae, Buddhism, Celtic, the Kabbalah, Norse and Native American \u2013 pulling from each as she is guided. She practices yoga, reads Tarot and uses Reiki. From the time she was little, she has loved stories, making her job as the editor of two monthly newspapers seem less than the work it is because of the stories she gets to tell. She lives with her large white cat, Pyewacket, in central Connecticut. You can follow her boards on\u00a0Pinterest, and write to her at woikelynn\u00a0at gmail\u00a0dot com.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":210,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"iawp_total_views":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16671","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16671","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/210"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16671"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16671\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16671"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16671"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16671"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}