Author of "How Starbucks Saved My Life" Speaks at Google
Michael Gates Gill is the author of the book How Starbucks Saved My Life: A Son of Privilege Learns to Live Like Everyone Else. As an well educated and well-paid advertising executive, Gill had everything of privilege. Then he lost his job, his marriage, and was diagnosed with a brain tumor. By chance co-incidence he was offered and accepted a job at Starbucks, where he then found respect, self-worth, and most of all happiness.
Thomas Moore summarized it well on the back cover of the book: "the simple idea that down-to-earth, humbling labor can help you reorient your values and priorities and give you a new life. It will speak to anyone in need of a radical surgery on their worldview".
This book is a true story and a movie of the same title starring Tom Hanks will be coming based on this story. Gill talks at Google about his life and his book in the below video.
Because he worked part-time he has the expanse of time to just be. He says, "My life was given back to me. So I'm happier today..."
He summarizes why he found happiness by ...
"I'm happier than I've ever been. And part of that was having your life back. And part of that was finding some useful thing I could do. And part of that was creating enjoyment for others. But I think, another big part of it was the big super-structure of achievement and status and big houses. Whew. What a relief... Such a relief of not having the physical stuff and that mental stuff.... I thought I was happy with my previous life of status, title, and expense accounts, and traveling, and all that stuff. I thought I was happy. But it is nothing like the happiness I feel now without it."
Here is another video of Michael Gates Gill telling his story...
