As a 30 year broadcast veteran, Deborah Norville has certainly seen
her share of life's up and downs. Despite the loss of her mother at
age 20, the very publicized dismissal from the “Today Show” in the
mid 90's and subsequent bouts of depression, Norville—has emerged
stronger and the wiser for it. In “Thank You Power” her latest read—
she draws compelling connections, between living life from a place
of gratitude and being healthier, happier and more productive. (We
somehow have a inkling, that she practices what she preaches!)

Lingk2us: What inspired you to write, Thank you power?

Norville: I was inspired really, by a hunch. I had seen in my own life that
things just seemed to go better when I focused on what was going right—
instead of the inevitable things that go wrong. Professionally, as a journalist,
and personally, I am just naturally skeptical. 'Prove it'... And 'how come' are
words that seem to always be on the tip of my tongue and I think it was my
natural curiosity that first got me going on the research path. I had no idea
the research would take me into such interesting territory.

Beyond that; I am a naturally grateful person. Radio DJs tell me I am the
only celebrity who sends thank you notes after an interview—now they get
emails! But it’s really more than that... It is living in a 'zone of thankfulness.'

My mother had numerous health problems through most of my childhood,
so I was always especially appreciative of her good days. I am hugely
grateful for my own good health... For a marriage that's still working—and
while I've had plenty of setbacks, public and personal, focusing on all I
had seemed to make the hurt of the losses lessen.

Lingk2us: What facts were you most surprised to find in your
2 year research?

Norville: We have all heard it said, if you see it, you can be it. Well,
that never worked for me! I try to see myself 25 pounds thinner and it just
doesn't happen! So I had a high degree of skepticism going into this. What
attracts me to the research results is that it is done under the most rigorous
of conditions, with the kinds of screens that keep the results from being
tainted. People didn't know what kind of research they were part of—so
the findings are pure.

People who regularly practiced what I call 'Thank You Power,' were more
optimistic, less pessimistic, more apt to do things for other people, they
exercised more than others.... And that's just for starters. Those findings
were enough to encourage me to delve deeper and see what else Thank
You Power could do.

My standards were pretty tough: the findings had to be measurable and
quantifiable. "I feel..."Or"it seems..." didn't cut it for me. There had to be
measurable benefits from the study for me to include the information.
After all... This is a REPORTER'S approach—the FACTS had to be
beyond reproach!

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