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AJ Jacobs: My journey to thank all the people responsible for my morning coffee
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Author AJ Jacobs embarked on a quest with a deceptively simple idea at its heart: to personally thank every person who helped make his morning cup of coffee. More than one thousand "thank yous" later, Jacobs reflects on the globe-trotting journey that ensued -- and shares the life-altering wisdom he picked up along the way. "I discovered that my coffee would not be possible without hundreds of people I take for granted," Jacobs says.
AJ Jacobs - Author
Immersing himself in alternate lifestyles and long, hilarious experiments (usually with himself the guinea pig), writer AJ Jacobs tests the limits of behavior, customs, culture, knowledge -- and his wife's sense of humor. Full bio
Immersing himself in alternate lifestyles and long, hilarious experiments (usually with himself the guinea pig), writer AJ Jacobs tests the limits of behavior, customs, culture, knowledge -- and his wife's sense of humor. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
00:12
So, I don't like to boast,
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but I am very good at finding things
to be annoyed about.
to be annoyed about.
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It is a real specialty of mine.
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I can hear 100 compliments
and a single insult,
and a single insult,
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and what do I remember?
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The insult.
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And according to
the research, I'm not alone.
the research, I'm not alone.
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Unfortunately, the human brain
is wired to focus on the negative.
is wired to focus on the negative.
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Now, this might have been helpful
when we were cave people,
when we were cave people,
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trying to avoid predators,
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but now it's a terrible way
to go through life.
to go through life.
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It is a real major component
of anxiety and depression.
of anxiety and depression.
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So how can we fight
the brain's negative bias?
the brain's negative bias?
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According to a lot of research,
one of the best weapons is gratitude.
one of the best weapons is gratitude.
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So knowing this, I started a new tradition
in our house a couple of years ago.
in our house a couple of years ago.
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Before a meal with my wife and kids,
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I would say a prayer of thanksgiving.
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Prayer is not quite the right word.
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I'm agnostic, so instead of thanking God,
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I would thank some of the people
who helped make my food a reality.
who helped make my food a reality.
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I'd say, "I'd like to thank the farmer
who grew these tomatoes,
who grew these tomatoes,
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and the trucker who drove
these tomatoes to the store,
these tomatoes to the store,
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and the cashier
who rang these tomatoes up."
who rang these tomatoes up."
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And I thought it was going
pretty well, this tradition.
pretty well, this tradition.
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Then one day, my 10-year-old son said,
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"You know, Dad, those people
aren't in our apartment.
aren't in our apartment.
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They can't hear you.
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If you really cared, you would go
and thank them in person."
and thank them in person."
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And I thought, "Hmm.
That's an interesting idea."
That's an interesting idea."
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(Laughter)
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Now I'm a writer, and for my books
I like to go on adventures.
I like to go on adventures.
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Go on quests.
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So I decided I'm going to take
my son up on his challenge.
my son up on his challenge.
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It seemed simple enough.
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And to make it even simpler,
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I decided to focus on just one item.
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An item I can't live without:
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my morning cup of coffee.
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Well, it turned out
to be not so simple at all.
to be not so simple at all.
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(Laughter)
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This quest took me months.
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It took me around the world.
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Because I discovered
that my coffee would not be possible
that my coffee would not be possible
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without hundreds of people
I take for granted.
I take for granted.
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So I would thank the trucker
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who drove the coffee beans
to the coffee shop.
to the coffee shop.
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But he couldn't have done his job
without the road.
without the road.
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So I would thank the people
who paved the road.
who paved the road.
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(Laughter)
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And then I would thank the people
who made the asphalt for the pavement.
who made the asphalt for the pavement.
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And I came to realize that my coffee,
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like so much else in the world,
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requires the combined work
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of a shocking number of people
from all walks of life.
from all walks of life.
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Architects, biologists,
designers, miners, goat herds,
designers, miners, goat herds,
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you name it.
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I decided to call my project
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"Thanks a Thousand."
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Because I ended up
thanking over a thousand people.
thanking over a thousand people.
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And it was overwhelming,
but it was also wonderful.
but it was also wonderful.
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Because it allowed me to focus
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on the hundreds of things
that go right every day,
that go right every day,
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as opposed to the three
or four that go wrong.
or four that go wrong.
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And it reminded me of the astounding
interconnectedness or our world.
interconnectedness or our world.
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I learned dozens of lessons
during this project,
during this project,
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but let me just focus on five today.
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The first is: look up.
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I started my trail of gratitude
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by thanking the barista
at my local coffee shop,
at my local coffee shop,
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Joe Coffee in New York.
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Her name is Chung,
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and Chung is one of the most
upbeat people you will ever meet.
upbeat people you will ever meet.
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Big smiler, enthusiastic hugger.
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04:03
But even for Chung,
being a barista is hard.
being a barista is hard.
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And that's because you are encountering
people in a very dangerous state.
people in a very dangerous state.
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(Laughter)
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You know what it is -- precaffeination.
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(Laughter)
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So, Chung has had people
yell at her until she cried,
yell at her until she cried,
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including a nine-year-old girl,
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who didn't like the whipped cream design
that Chung did on her hot chocolate.
that Chung did on her hot chocolate.
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So I thanked Chung,
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and she thanked me for thanking her.
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I cut it off there.
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I didn't want to go
into an infinite thanking loop.
into an infinite thanking loop.
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(Laughter)
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But Chung said that the hardest part
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is when people don't even treat her
like a human being.
like a human being.
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They treat her like a vending machine.
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So, they'll hand her their credit card
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without even looking up from their phone.
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And while she's saying this,
I'm realizing I've done that.
I'm realizing I've done that.
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I've been that a-hole.
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And at that moment, I pledged:
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when dealing with people,
I'm going to take those two seconds
I'm going to take those two seconds
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and look at them, make eye contact.
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Because it reminds you,
you're dealing with a human being
you're dealing with a human being
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who has family and aspirations
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and embarrassing high school memories.
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And that little moment of connection
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is so important to both people's
humanity and happiness.
humanity and happiness.
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Alright, second lesson was:
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smell the roses. And the dirt.
And the fertilizer.
And the fertilizer.
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After Chung, I thanked this man.
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This is Ed Kaufmann.
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And Ed is the one who chooses which coffee
they serve at my local coffee shop.
they serve at my local coffee shop.
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He goes around the world,
to South America, to Africa,
to South America, to Africa,
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finding the best coffee beans.
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So I thanked Ed.
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And in return, Ed showed me
how to taste coffee like a pro.
how to taste coffee like a pro.
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And it is quite a ritual.
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You take your spoon
and you dip it in the coffee
and you dip it in the coffee
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and then you take a big, loud slurp.
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Almost cartoonishly loud.
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This is because you want
to spray the coffee all over your mouth.
to spray the coffee all over your mouth.
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You have taste buds
in the side of your cheeks,
in the side of your cheeks,
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in the roof of your mouth,
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you've got to get them all.
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So Ed would do this
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and he would --
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his face would light up and he would say,
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"This coffee tastes of honey-crisp apple
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and notes of soil and maple syrup."
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And I would take a sip and I'd say,
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"I'm picking up coffee.
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(Laughter)
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It tastes to me like coffee."
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(Laughter)
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But inspired by Ed, I decided to really
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let the coffee sit on my tongue
for five seconds --
for five seconds --
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we're all busy,
but I could spare five seconds,
but I could spare five seconds,
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and really think about the texture
and the acidity and the sweetness.
and the acidity and the sweetness.
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And I started to do it with other foods.
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And this idea of savoring
is so important to gratitude.
is so important to gratitude.
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Psychologists talk about how gratitude
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is about taking a moment
and holding on to it as long as possible.
and holding on to it as long as possible.
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And slowing down time.
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So that life doesn't go by
in one big blur, as it often does.
in one big blur, as it often does.
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Number three is:
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find the hidden masterpieces
all around you.
all around you.
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Now, one of my favorite
conversations during this year
conversations during this year
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was with the guy who invented
my coffee cup lid.
my coffee cup lid.
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And until this point,
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I had given approximately
zero thought to coffee cup lids.
zero thought to coffee cup lids.
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But I loved talking
to this inventor, Doug Fleming,
to this inventor, Doug Fleming,
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because he was so passionate.
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And the blood and sweat and tears
he put into this lid,
he put into this lid,
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and that I had never even considered.
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He says a bad lid can ruin your coffee.
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That it can block the aroma,
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which is so important to the experience.
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So he -- he's very innovative.
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He's like the Elon Musk of coffee lids.
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(Laughter)
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So he designed this lid
that's got an upside-down hexagon
that's got an upside-down hexagon
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so you can get your nose right in there
and get maximum aroma.
and get maximum aroma.
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And so I was delighted talking to him,
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and it made me realize there are
hundreds of masterpieces all around us
hundreds of masterpieces all around us
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that we totally take for granted.
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Like the on-off switch on my desk lamp
has a little indentation for my thumb
has a little indentation for my thumb
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that perfectly fits my thumb.
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And when something is done well,
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the process behind it
is largely invisible.
is largely invisible.
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But paying attention to it
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can tap into that sense of wonder
and enrich our lives.
and enrich our lives.
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Number four is: fake it till you feel it.
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By the end of the project,
I was just in a thanking frenzy.
I was just in a thanking frenzy.
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So I was -- I would get up
and spend a couple hours,
and spend a couple hours,
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I'd write emails, send notes,
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make phone calls, visit people
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to thank them for their role in my coffee.
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And some of them, quite honestly --
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not that into it.
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They would be like, "What is this?
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Is this a pyramid scheme,
what do you want, what are you selling?"
what do you want, what are you selling?"
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But most people were surprisingly moved.
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I remember, I called the woman
who does the pest control
who does the pest control
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for the warehouse
where my coffee is served --
where my coffee is served --
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I'm sorry -- where my coffee is stored.
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And I said,
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"This may sound strange,
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but I want to thank you
for keeping the bugs out of my coffee."
for keeping the bugs out of my coffee."
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And she said, "Well,
that does sound strange,
that does sound strange,
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but you just made my day."
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And it was like an anti-crank phone call.
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And it didn't just affect her,
it affected me.
it affected me.
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Because I would wake up every morning
in my default mood, which is grumpiness,
in my default mood, which is grumpiness,
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but I would force myself
to write a thank-you note
to write a thank-you note
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and then another and then another.
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And what I found was
that if you act as if you're grateful,
that if you act as if you're grateful,
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you eventually become grateful for real.
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The power of our actions
to change our mind is astounding.
to change our mind is astounding.
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So, often we think
that thought changes behavior,
that thought changes behavior,
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but behavior very often
changes our thought.
changes our thought.
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And finally, the last lesson
I want to tell you about is:
I want to tell you about is:
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practice six degrees of gratitude.
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And every place, every stop
on this gratitude trail
on this gratitude trail
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would give birth to 100 other people
that I could thank.
that I could thank.
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So I went down to Colombia to thank
the farmers who grow my coffee beans.
the farmers who grow my coffee beans.
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And it was in a small mountain town,
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and I was driven there
along these curvy, cliffside roads.
along these curvy, cliffside roads.
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And every time
we went around a hairpin turn
we went around a hairpin turn
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the driver would do the sign of the cross.
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And I was like, "Thank you for that.
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(Laughter)
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But can you do that
while keeping your hands on the wheel?
while keeping your hands on the wheel?
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Because I am terrified."
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But we made it.
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And I met the farmers,
the Guarnizo brothers.
the Guarnizo brothers.
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It's a small farm, they make great coffee,
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they're paid above
fair-trade prices for it.
fair-trade prices for it.
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And they showed me
how the coffee is grown.
how the coffee is grown.
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The bean is actually inside
this fruit called the coffee cherry.
this fruit called the coffee cherry.
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And I thanked them.
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And they said,
"Well, we couldn't do our job
"Well, we couldn't do our job
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without 100 other people."
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The machine that depulps the fruit
is made in Brazil,
is made in Brazil,
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and the pickup truck
they drive around the farm,
they drive around the farm,
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that is made from parts
from all over the world.
from all over the world.
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In fact, the US exports steel to Colombia.
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So I went to Indiana,
and I thanked the steel makers.
and I thanked the steel makers.
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And it just drove home
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that it doesn't take a village
to make a cup of coffee.
to make a cup of coffee.
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It takes the world
to make a cup of coffee.
to make a cup of coffee.
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And this global economy,
this globalization,
this globalization,
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it does have downsides.
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But I believe the long-term
upsides are far greater,
upsides are far greater,
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that progress is real.
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We have made improvements
in the last 50 years,
in the last 50 years,
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poverty worldwide has gone down.
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And that we should resist the temptation
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to retreat into our silos.
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And we should resist this upsurge
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in isolationism and jingoism.
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Which brings me to my final point.
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Which is my hope that we use gratitude
as a spark to action.
as a spark to action.
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Some people worry
that gratitude has a downside.
that gratitude has a downside.
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That we'll be so grateful,
that we'll be complacent.
that we'll be complacent.
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We'll be so, "Oh, everything's
wonderful, I'm so grateful."
wonderful, I'm so grateful."
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Well, it turns out, the opposite is true.
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The research shows
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that the more grateful you are,
the more likely you are to help others.
the more likely you are to help others.
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When you're in a bad state,
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you're often more focused
on your own needs.
on your own needs.
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But gratitude makes you
want to pay it forward.
want to pay it forward.
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And I experienced this personally.
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I mean, I'm not Mother Teresa,
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I'm still a selfish bastard
a huge amount of the time.
a huge amount of the time.
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But I'm better than I was
before this project.
before this project.
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And that's because it made me aware
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of the exploitation on the supply chain.
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It reminded me
that what I take for granted
that what I take for granted
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is not available to millions
of people around the world.
of people around the world.
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Like water.
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Coffee is 98.8 percent water.
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So I figured I should go and thank
the people at the New York reservoir,
the people at the New York reservoir,
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hundreds of them, who provide me water,
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and this miracle that I can
turn a lever and get safe water.
turn a lever and get safe water.
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And that millions of people
around the world don't have this luxury
around the world don't have this luxury
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and have to walk hours to get safe water.
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It inspired me to see what I could do
to help people get more access,
to help people get more access,
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and I did research
and found a wonderful group
and found a wonderful group
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called Dispensers for Safe Water.
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And I got involved.
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And I'm not expecting
the Nobel Prize committee
the Nobel Prize committee
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to knock down my door,
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but it's a baby step,
it's a little something.
it's a little something.
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And it's all because of gratitude.
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And it's why I encourage
people, friends, family,
people, friends, family,
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to follow gratitude trails of their own.
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Because it's a
life-transforming experience.
life-transforming experience.
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And it doesn't have to be coffee.
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It could be anything.
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It could be a pair of socks,
it could be a light bulb.
it could be a light bulb.
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And you don't have to go around the world,
you can just do a little gesture,
you can just do a little gesture,
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like make eye contact or send a note
to the designer of a logo you love.
to the designer of a logo you love.
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It's more about a mindset.
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Being aware of the thousands of people
involved in every little thing we do.
involved in every little thing we do.
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Remembering that
there's someone in a factory
there's someone in a factory
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who made the fabric for the chairs
you're sitting in right now.
you're sitting in right now.
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That someone went into a mine
and got the copper for this microphone
and got the copper for this microphone
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so that I could say my final thank you,
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which is to thank you.
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Thank you a thousand
for listening to my story.
for listening to my story.
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(Applause)
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(Cheering)
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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
AJ Jacobs - AuthorImmersing himself in alternate lifestyles and long, hilarious experiments (usually with himself the guinea pig), writer AJ Jacobs tests the limits of behavior, customs, culture, knowledge -- and his wife's sense of humor.
Why you should listen
AJ Jacobs' writings stand at the intersection of philosophy, Gonzo journalism and performance art. Stubbornly curious and slyly perceptive, he takes immersive learning to its irrational and profoundly amusing extreme -- extracting wisdom and meaning after long stints as a self-styled guinea pig. For his widely circulated Esquire article "My Outsourced Life," he explored the phenomenon of outsourcing by hiring a team in Bangalore to take care of every part of his life -- from reading his emails to arguing with his wife to reading bedtime stories to his own son. A previous article, "I Think You're Fat," chronicled a brief, cringe-inducing attempt to live his life in Radical Honesty, telling all the truth, all the time.
Jacobs is author of The Know-It-All, which documents the year he spent reading the Encyclopedia Britannica from A to Z, uncovering both funny and surprising factoids but also poignant insight into history and human nature. In 2007 he released The Year of Living Biblically, in which he attempted to follow every single rule in the Bible as literally as possible for an entire year. His recent book The Guinea Pig Diaries: My Life as an Experiment is a collection of numerous personal experiments. including living according to George Washington's rules of conduct, outsourcing every single task to India, and posing as a woman on an online dating site.
AJ Jacobs | Speaker | TED.com