Happy Attitude

A few years ago, I got to interview Miranda Lambert for the cover of Redbook magazine. She was just becoming a name in country music, but she was still working her way to fame. Now? Well…

She’s up to her fourth solo album, Four the Record, records with her friends The Pistol Annies, and keeps taking home Country Music Awards like they’re giveaway gift bags! My latest chat was for the cover of the February 2013 issue of Redbook (Check out a little taste of my Miranda Lambert cover interview here.) And she was, once again, one of the spunkiest, smartest and most fun people I’ve gotten to sit down with.

And keep up with her! She’s the real deal in music and a positive inspiration in life.

—Amy

It’s happiness time!

I had a blast writing this feature for Health magazine’s July/August 2012 issue about how to pinpoint your passion—by which I mean your non-work, deep in your soul, smile on your face in your free time, kind of passion.

The story features great advice from people I look up to who I was lucky enough to interview, including Martha Beck, my psychology crush Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Ph.D., positive psychology guru Christopher Peterson, Ph.D. and life coach Cheryl Richardson.

You can read the full story on How to Find Your Passion here on Health.com.

—Amy

Summer 2012

Grab a copy of the July/August Summer 2012 issue of Health magazine, and you’ll see two of my latest features. First off, my cover chat with actress Rebecca Romijn, who shares her super fun collection of happy life tips.

This is the third time I’ve interviewed Rebecca, and she continues to be one of my favorite people to chat with—she’s so down to earth and funny and laid back, it doesn’t even feel like work (shhh, don’t tell my editors that!). She gave tips on everything from how to make the perfect soft-boiled egg (I tried it, it works), why riding a tandem bicycle is great for her relationship with husband Jerry O’Connell, how to make a cranberry fat flush, and how to make their couple signature summer drink, the “Coco Oco.” Mmmm.

You can read all of her great life tips here in the full story on Health.com.

—Amy

I don’t think I told you here! Check out the February 2012 issue of O Magazine and you’ll see that Bright Side Up made #3 on Oprah’s list of “10 Titles to Pick Up Now.”

I think you should take her advice, don’t you? Pre-order a copy of Bright Side Up on Amazon.com, or find one on bookshelves near you beginning February 7th. Happy reading!

—Amy

If I could hug a review of a book, I would hug this one. A big bear hug.

Judy Dutton, who writes the Brain Candy blog at Psychology Today wrote about Bright Side Up on her blog for the magazine. And I think it’s a wonderful summary of the essence of the book.

Read the review on PsychologyToday.com.

As Judy writes,

“Thanks to the brain’s ‘neuroplasticity,’ Spencer argues that we can rewire our brain to think more positively—then she gives plenty of concrete ways to give it a whirl . . . Spencer also provides plenty of stories from her own life—some hilarious, others heart wrenching—that illustrate how this advice has helped her through her harder moments, and her warm, engaging tone will make you feel like you’ve got a new best friend in your corner, cheering you on. If you need a little boost—and who doesn’t?—this book is filled with easy, actionable advice, and is fun reading to boot.” —Judy Dutton, Psychology Today

Check out more about Bright Side Up on Amazon.com or through other booksellers you love!

So how about it: The secret to happiness is out. Let’s all start living Bright Side Up!

Big love,

Amy

Drum roll please…

My second book, Bright Side Up: 100 Ways to Be Happier Right Now, will be released on February 7—which is just two weeks away! Which means that if you want to get the book as soon as possible, you can pre-order it today on Amazon.com or on BarnesandNoble.com!

Bright Side Up is like a guide for “emergency optimism.” When you get a flat tire, when your computer crashes, when your relationship ends, when you gain 10 pounds—these are 100 practical strategies for seeing those day-to-day negative experiences from a more positive place. Because it’s not what happens to us that matters for our happiness, but how we see, feel and experience what happens to us.

Which means you don’t have to re-invent your life to be happier! You don’t need a bigger house, a new car or expensive shoes, you just need to see what you have in front of you from a more positive perspective. Really, you don’t have to change your life itself to be happier—you just need to change how you look at the life you have.

I am so proud of this book, and I’m certain it will help change how you see your life for the better. Here’s to turning the bright on, one idea at a time.

—Amy

I had a blast interviewing the February 2012 cover star of Health magazine for this month: Eva Longoria.

Partly because I think she’s a hilarious actress. Partly because I’m inspired by her activism and charity work which she somehow squeezes into her already busy life as a successful businesswoman. And partly because she’s as much of an optimist as I am!

Eva has a positivity that’s addictive and essentially lives her life Bright Side Up—much like my new book! So it was fun to hear her talk about how she’s been able to flip the tough times in her life into good ones by seeing her experiences from a more positive perspective.

Check out my full interview with Eva Longoria on Health.com, which is also featured as “Eva’s Happy Life Moves” on CNN.com and TheHuffingtonPost.com. (We really got around this month!)

I hope her happy life moves inspire you!

—Amy

I interviewed Kim Kardashian once before, for a story in Glamour magazine. This time, I spoke with her for the cover of Marie Claire Australia, and she was just as sweet as ever.

The one thing I continue to notice and appreciate about Kim? She’s able to put a positive twist on everything. When she’s talking about someone else, she focuses on the good parts; and when she’s talking about her own life, she flips the tough moments into great life lessons—much like I write about in my upcoming book Bright Side Up (Perigee, 2012).

Read my new Marie Claire interview with Kim Kardashian and see if you can pick up some of her optimism for yourself!

—Amy

I got to work on a really fun piece for the April 2011 issue of Real Simple magazine. The premise: How to stop procrastinating. (Gosh, how I love working on stories that help me personally, too.)

It seems simple, really: Those things on your To Do list? Just do them. But we all know something more is going on there, because somehow we just…can’t.

Which is why, for this piece, I got to delve a little deeper and talked to some procrastination experts—psychologists, brain experts, stress and time management specialists and a life coach—about what’s really behind why we put off for tomorrow what we know we should and can do today.

Check out the full story in this month’s issue of Real Simple. Start with this utterly fascinating start: The Science Behind Procrastination.

Then check out the 7 Strategies for Getting Things Done.

I hope you find some good stuff in here! I, for one, have gotten more productive having worked on the piece, so I hope the same happens to you from reading it!

—Amy