Audiobook Books

the product was in the conidition that it was said to be. I needed it for a college class and was able to get it used and much cheaper here than at a school bookstore. all the cds were in good condition.

The Dalai Lama is a hero of mine, whom I hope to become more like, along with Mother Teresa and other humanitarians. He recognizes that destructive emotions are at the root of so much suffering. He and a group of psychologists and scientists met in a dialogue to discuss destructive emotions, their impact on our lives, and to question if they are necessary or if they can be eliminated to a significant degree. The Dalai Lama and Western scientists/psychologists spell out different types of destructive emotions according to the Buddhist and Western perspectives. There's a lot of overlap between the two perspectives, yet Buddhism categorizes destructive emotions into three main categories: hatred, delusion, and craving; other toxic emotions are derivatives of these three.

The scientists ask: are destructive emotions the trade-off in our evolutionary history? Or can we bypass them? The Dalai Lama and the scientists were delighted to discover the brain's plasticity: new neural pathways can be formed throughout the course of a person's life. Even hardened criminals can improve with intervention and empathy training. (I remember watching a special on TV where inmates were responsible for taking care of cats. I was surprised and delighted to learn that these men grew to love these animals and took pride in caring for them.)

The Dalai Lama talks about the antidotes to toxic emotions and spells out ways we can nurture them. For example, compassion is the obvious antidote to hatred and anger. He talks about the important bond between a mother and child and other close family members. We can practice feeling similar compassion towards non-relations and love them as though they were a close family member.

The Dalai Lama and scientists discuss the very important difference between hating what a person did and hating the actual person. We can hate a person's mistakes, especially if they are far-reaching, but it is better to abstain from hating the actual person. Although I hate what Hitler did and how deluded he was, I can feel compassion for the fact that he was an abused child whose parents were related (his mother was his father's niece--it would be hard to be normal and well-adjusted under those circumstances). Also, he was on some serious, mind-altering steroids that would have made even Mother Teresa somewhat aggressive and irritable. These circumstances don't excuse the man's cruelty and delusions, but it does help put his far-reaching mistakes into a more compassionate context. He could not have been more wrong, yet it is better to hate what he did and his mindset than to hate the man himself. Also, it's pretty obvious from a psychological standpoint that all the anti-semitic (anti-slavic, anti-gypsy, etc.) things he said had nothing to do with the Eurpean Jewish people and his other targets and had everything to do with how badly Hitler felt about himself. He was picking on easy scapegoats/targets to deflect his own self-hatred. Anyrate, enough about one of history's most misguided persons. But the Dalai Lama does help us to see the important difference between hating someone's mistakes versus hating the person.

The Dalai Lama wants everyone to have the tools to overhaul destructive emotions, but he especially feels that school age children need guidance from well-trained teachers. Some of the scientists wrongfully assumed that teacher's training programs don't include courses in child psychology, particularly socioemotional development. This is the point where I wanted to say teachers take lots of classes in child development, from cognitive, physical, to emotional development. Teachers also take classes in classroom management where they are taught to "sandwich" criticism. That is, a teacher will point out something specific that a child is doing well, tactfully suggest an area that needs to be improved, and then say another positive thing that the child is doing. Teachers also are encouraged to make it sound like the area of weakness is well within the child's ability to correct. Love & Logic is a classroom management technique that really involves diplomacy and consideration for the child's feelings (Jim Fay is the creator of Love & Logic).

Of course, teachers can always improve and do things better---but I think these scientists should have checked their facts b/f making blanket statements about teacher's training programs. But I do agree that schools can help foster empathy and emotional skills in school age children.

Overall, I found this to be an enlightening dialogue, initiated and led by a great guru of compassion, the Dalai Lama.

I am primarily an aural learner. Listening to this book on CD was a delight. The last two cd's were phenomenal. I had read them but listening to them was like hearing them for the first time.

I read this book when if first came out and enjoyed it tremendously. The first part of the book is a description of the way the research was conducted. If you are not familiar with Buddhism or the Psychological community and they way studies are conducted it will be of interest to you.

I trust Buddhism and the Dalai Lama so I skimmed this part in the book. Listening to it was interesting and I was struck with the great effort to conduct it in a manner that the results would be acceptable to a wide a group of people as possible.

Going by the title you might think that it is mostly a treatise on anger and the danger etc. of anger. It did have to do with anger but there was much more to it. The whole range of negative emotions and the havoc they wreak in our lives is examined, from a scientific viewpoint. From this viewpoint a whole range of finger-pointing is escaped and the explanation renders you able to get past the guilt of having these emotions and to the place where you can do something about them.

I loved listening to this. I would recommend it for anyone scientific bent or not. It was an awesome set.

I've never written a review before; but when I saw that nobody else had commented on this audio book (the four cd set), I wanted to enter an emphatic endorsement of it. I have read many books on psychology, religion and emotions. This book integrates all of them. I was originally interested the influence of meditation on controlling stress and negative emotions. That information is here and it is very compelling. (Consequently, I have also ordered many meditation and guided imagery tapes as well). But there is so much more in this book... so much interesting information, it's hard to even know where to start. I will try to give a couple of examples.
For one, the panel of scientists had enlisted the help of a buddhist monk, who had meditated for years, in some of their experiments in emotional reactions. They have one study where they take an individual and measure their reaction to a very loud, startling noise. In 35 years of doing this experiment, everyone had measured some response in terms of the movement of their facial muscles. I believe they said the group who showed the least "startle" reflex was body guards who had worked for the white house... until they tested this monk. He apparently did not register any reaction similar to previous experiments. He said he was able to hear the loud noise as if it were a bird flying across the sky.
The objective of these various experiments was to see if there was a link between some of the practices of Buddhism on controlling some of the negative emotions that people experience. This also sparked an interest in learning more about the Buddhist philosophy (though I'm a Christian, I believe many of the principles are the same). The Buddhists emphasize compassion - for self and others; and they also practice loving kindness, and mindfulness, which (based on my recent understanding) is to pay close attention to all aspects of life. In their meditations, they sometimes focus on breath, sometimes on putting yourself in the place of others (to instill compassion) and just in general, noticing the emotional and physical states of your body - where there is stress, etc.
Another interesting fact they gave was that after suffering a trauma, children from a Buddhist culture are able to have a significantly quicker "recovery time" than children of any other culture, indicating that the cultivation of this gentle view of the world creates more adaptability and understanding.
Finally, they gave some examples of how certain members of the scientific panel had developed programs for school children - to help them better control emotions. They also give a lot of information on the brain and what changes occur under stress and other conditions, and what effect this can have on emotion.
I may not be able to do the material justice, but my impression every time I listen to it is that it is the most fascinating book I've ever read (or heard). I have gone back to listen to several passages more than once, and I'm sure I will listen to the whole thing again too. The information is too valuable to skim over. But it is presented in a way that is easy to follow.
There is so much practical advice to be gained. It also seems like there were genuinely altruistic motives for pursuing these questions, in part based on the tragic world events in recent years. You get the sense that these scientists are hoping to make the world a better place. That also seems to be the goal of Buddhism, in addition to living in a more peaceful state of being in one's own life. The conversations with the Dalai Lama are also impressive.

Destructive Emotions is a fascinating look at the human mind from the perspectives of both leading Western scientists and Buddhist scholars. Modern neuro-science and psychology meet Buddhism in a world wide scientific conference, with the goal of decreasing destructive emotions in the mind, and in society at large. The book gives interesting background information on the Dalai Lama's scientific life, which is fascinating and informative. The book provides an excellent and accessible overview of the very new discovery in neuroscience dubbed "plasticity of the brain" - the finding that neural connections in the brain are not fixed but rather changing throughout a lifetime. Buddhist meditation masters are examined with technological tools such as EKG's and MRI's. The results are truly astounding. It appears that meditation actually changes the structure of the brain, increasing neural connections and activity in the parts of the brain that experience happiness, contentment and positive emotions. This group of scholars sets out to examine how these practices could be applied to society at large to help mitigate the destructive emotions which plague humans on this planet. While the book starts of strong and extremely engaging, it does eventually devolve, much like the meeting it is describing, into a more disorganized group of questions and brainstorming that goes beyond the scope of one conference, or one book. By the second third of the book the more interesting ideas are rehashed to the point of redundancy and it is hard to hold interest. I have read this book in print form, and would recommend that over the audiobook. There is a lot of information useful to reference, which is hard to do in audiobook format without the aid of an index.

I've never written a review before; but when I saw that nobody else had commented on this audio book (the four cd set), I wanted to enter an emphatic endorsement of it. I have read many books on psychology, religion and emotions. This book integrates all of them. I was originally interested the influence of meditation on controlling stress and negative emotions. That information is here and it is very compelling. (Consequently, I have also ordered many meditation and guided imagery tapes as well). But there is so much more in this book... so much interesting information, it's hard to even know where to start. I will try to give a couple of examples.
For one, the panel of scientists had enlisted the help of a buddhist monk, who had meditated for years, in some of their experiments in emotional reactions. They have one study where they take an individual and measure their reaction to a very loud, startling noise. In 35 years of doing this experiment, everyone had measured some response in terms of the movement of their facial muscles. I believe they said the group who showed the least "startle" reflex was body guards who had worked for the white house... until they tested this monk. He apparently did not register any reaction similar to previous experiments. He said he was able to hear the loud noise as if it were a bird flying across the sky.
The objective of these various experiments was to see if there was a link between some of the practices of Buddhism on controlling some of the negative emotions that people experience. This also sparked an interest in learning more about the Buddhist philosophy (though I'm a Christian, I believe many of the principles are the same). The Buddhists emphasize compassion - for self and others; and they also practice loving kindness, and mindfulness, which (based on my recent understanding) is to pay close attention to all aspects of life. In their meditations, they sometimes focus on breath, sometimes on putting yourself in the place of others (to instill compassion) and just in general, noticing the emotional and physical states of your body - where there is stress, etc.
Another interesting fact they gave was that after suffering a trauma, children from a Buddhist culture are able to have a significantly quicker "recovery time" than children of any other culture, indicating that the cultivation of this gentle view of the world creates more adaptability and understanding.
Finally, they gave some examples of how certain members of the scientific panel had developed programs for school children - to help them better control emotions. They also give a lot of information on the brain and what changes occur under stress and other conditions, and what effect this can have on emotion.
I may not be able to do the material justice, but my impression every time I listen to it is that it is the most fascinating book I've ever read (or heard). I have gone back to listen to several passages more than once, and I'm sure I will listen to the whole thing again too. The information is too valuable to skim over. But it is presented in a way that is easy to follow.
There is so much practical advice to be gained. It also seems like there were genuinely altruistic motives for pursuing these questions, in part based on the tragic world events in recent years. You get the sense that these scientists are hoping to make the world a better place. That also seems to be the goal of Buddhism, in addition to living in a more peaceful state of being in one's own life. The conversations with the Dalai Lama are also impressive.

The last two trilogies ended on whimpers, as far as I am concerned and the build-up did not follow through.

That ended with this trilogy. The Genesis series so far has been great. The story arc begun in Armageddon's Children and The Elves of Cintra had a great climax in The Gypsy Morph. All of the storylines came together and had appropriate ends; all of the characters had their growth, even some entering the sunset in fearful times. The book had some of the grittiest moments seen in any Terry Brooks novel and forced me to put the book down and walk away out of sheer, "OMG, did he just do that?"

If you haven't read all three books, do so. Well worth it! Now we only have to wait to see what happens in this new world and see how Terry Brooks handles it!

The world as we know it is long gone. The pendulum for evil has sung forward and demons have come into the open preying on humans. Those people who allied with the demons have become not-men; more predatory beast than human. The bombs fell and plagues followed. Finally the demons destroyed the compounds where mankind tried to survive. The toxic atmosphere led to mutations turning people into monsters. However in this dark dismal planet called earth there remains a small feeble light of survivors of the Word trying to keep humanity from extinction.

The Lady tasks Knight of the Word Logan Tom (not the great volleyball player) to protect the Gypsy Moth, a being born of wild magic. Hawk's magic is going to lead the rest of humanity and the elves to a land where everyone can live in harmony. Elf Kirisin Belloruus is entrusted with the Elfstone to lead and protect his people from the demon horde and their monstrous allies. Hawk agrees to lead the caravan, which picks up travelers on the road as all seek a haven.

The last book in the Genesis of Shannara saga is as magical and enchanting as the entire Brooks mythos is with recurring characters and new protagonists banding together in a last ditch effort to save humanity. All the major questions from the previous fantasy tomes (see THE ELVES OF CINTRA and ARMAGEDDON'S CHILDREN) are answered with no loose ends that matter and an incredible climatic revelation. Though not a stand alone, Terry brooks delivers an outstanding finish with action, intrigue, battles, species that seem real in a time when mankind's time is ticking away.

Harriet Klausner

I was moved to tears while reading this book. This is a man that loved his country so much he suffered many years of physical, medical, and psychological torture at the hands of the enemy, even when they asked him if he wanted to be released. He put his fellow POW's first as well as his country. Certainly a better fit for commander-in-chief than any other candidate. Slow moving at first, but interesting just the same. He is a genuine patriot!!!!

Great book. Very enlightening. Enjoyed it very much and helped me to see John McCain for the loyal, trusted, patriot that he is.

This was an excellent book helping me to get to know our candidate for president. It gave me immense respect for him and his strong character and honor.

No doubt, McCain will go about the usual business of feverishly "sacrificing" Americans at the black altar of an immoderate patriotism. McCain recounts how his father oversaw the U.S. Pacific Command during Vietnam, a war supposedly fought to stop the domino effect of communism in the east. Yet in his campaign, McCain maintains that "the Cold War was won without firing a shot." Tell that to the millions of dead Vietnamese. Tell that to the 700,000 people slaughtered in Indonesia in 1965 at the hands of the U.S.-backed, anti-Soviet dictator Suharto. Even under Reagan, there were Cold War casualties in Afghanistan, Nicaragua, etc. There's a long list of "third world" countries that the two empires used as proxy war zones. The faith of McCain's fathers was a dark faith full of deception, mass murder, and hypocrisy. Witness Walter Bedell Smith writing to Dwight D. Eisenhower, confessing the nation's fundamental duplicity at the end of WWII: "The difficulty under which we labor is that in spite of our announced position, we really do not want nor intend to accept German unification" (December 10, 1947). Here is another faithful patriot confessing the deepest guilt imaginable: "the use of this barbarous weapon at Hiroshima and Nagasaki was of no material assistance in our war against Japan. The Japanese were already defeated and ready to surrender...In being the first to use it, we adopted an ethical standard common to the barbarians of the Dark Ages...Wars should not be won by destroying women and children (Admiral William D. Leahy, "I Was There: The Personal Story of the Chief of Staff to Presidents Roosevelt and Truman," p. 441. Aside from having been chief of staff to both presidents, Leahy, a five star admiral, presided over the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Combined American-British Chiefs of Staff). President Dwight D. Eisenhower himself confessed America's secret guilt: "Japan was already defeated. Dropping the bomb was completely unnecessary..I thought that our country should avoid shocking world opinion by the use of a weapon whose employment was, I thought, no longer mandatory as a measure to save American lives. Japan was, at that very moment, seeking some way to surrender with a minimum loss of 'face'" (Dwight D. Eisenhower, "Mandate for Change," pp.312-13). Warmongers like McCain hide behind the word "faith." It is an insult to all that is fair and just. As for authorship, it looks like the old man did the talking, and Mr. Salter did the writing.

I found the first four chapters a bit boring because I was looking for more about McCain. However, as I got into it further, I realized the need for this background. I see the importance of the connections he felt with his parents, grandparents, other people as the events in the "Hanoi Hilton" unfolded and what these connections meant to fellow POW's as well as to us today. He is a true hero who puts his country and his fellow citizens above self-interest. He gives credit to many other people. He has a pattern of serving interests larger than just his self-interests. We don't need to be told. We see this in action.

I found that several emails circulating around the internet are true: support from a POW named Day, the secretive Christian encouragement, a kindness from a guard, etc. The horrors are un-nerving. How many young people today think of the Hogan's Heroes image of prison camps!

When I got to the part about John McCain in Vietnam, I could not put the book down. We see rather than are told about the importance of faith in God, family and friends, and country. He isn't a hero just because of his suffering. He is a hero because of the way he handles life and the way he connects to people!

They say one measure of character is to look at what makes the person angry. Is it petty things or important things? He has had cause to be angry about things which he feels are hurtful to our country! Even in his worst temptations, he didn't say "God damn America." He never was inspired by people who wanted to do harm to the USA.

He was not my first choice in the primaries, but now I feel secure and hopeful in voting for him. This is not just influenced by the book but this book and other books about him have helped. I've also been helped by watching him in town hall meetings, getting more understanding about his not voting for something that sounded good except for "bad strings" attached to the bill, etc.

I appreciate the insight this book provided. In spite of the seriousness of this book, there are some parts which are very funny.

There was some helpful information, but even thought I like to swim and love the water, I found the use of immersing yourself in water to immersing yourself in sleep rather disturbing and creepy, like voluntarily drowning. I don't want something wet taking my hand and pulling me into the water.

I listened to this CD while "fall cleaning" our bedroom so I put into place the suggestions that were made. I then listened to the "going to sleep track". What a difference! Part of the benefit was knowing that waking in the middle of the night can be very normal. Just relax! These CDs are filled with concrete, down-to-earth actions for you to take.

I have infrequent yet intermittent insomnia caused by anxiety - but when it hits, it feels like I have to dig myself out of a hole again. I had just come from my doctor and he recommended that I buy this amazing audio set. I was so exhausted that I bought it, came home, put it on my computer and took not one but two naps! The Dr.'s voices are easy on the ears and their understanding of insomnia through and through is comforting in itself. I highly recommend! I had the most gentle naps with this CD and I am not a napper. I have been too anxious to nap. Thanks to this CD, not today:)

I have had problems with severe insomnia the past few months. I have ordered several relaxing CD's and they have helped some but "Healthy Sleep" is the one that actually works. The information given by Dr. Weil and Dr. Naiman give is invaluable to any one that is having sleep issues. I have especially benefited from learning how important it is to "wind down" in the evening before bed and I learned what to do when I wake during the night. Sleep issues is a complex problem and they are all explored in this CD. Thank you Dr, Weil and Dr. Naiman for helping me on my journey to solving my sleep issues. I would recommend this CD to anyone who is having any sleep issues. There is sound, practical advice that really works.

Healthy sleep is a cornerstone of good health that is often overlooked. Alternative medicine expert Dr. Weil and his colleague Dr. Naiman, a sleep expert at the University of Arizona, shed light on how sleep affects health. The CD begins with Dr. Weil talking about sleep in innovative and informative ways. His voice keeps the listener engaged, as he breaks down the different stages of sleep, as well as talking about the importance of mindful awakening. He discusses why sleep drugs are detrimental to healthy sleep, but offers an alternative for people struggling with sleep disorders. Dr. Naiman then takes over to provide practical tips for better sleep, along with breathing and relaxation exercises that can help listeners achieve a good nights rest. His voice is relaxing and confident, and is well suited for the guided meditation/breath work included on the CD. The CD is also well organized with the sleep exercises at the very end of the CD. This allows you to play the guided exercises at bed time, and if you fall asleep the CD will just end and you won't have to get up and turn it off. Multiple track titles allow listeners to easily navigate the information in CD format. The book touches not only insomnia - or trouble falling asleep, but also the common problem of achieving restful sleep. This would apply to people who don't have trouble falling asleep, but rather don't wake up feeling rested. If this is the type of sleep disorder you suffer from you might be left wanting more information. The exercises and most of the research presented in Healthy Sleep address more typical "insomnia". But if falling asleep is your main problem this CD is a must have. It provides background research, practical tips, and guided exercises to help you achieve maximum health through proper sleep.
-Jessica Teel

Just Like the Mastercard commercial, Anthony Robins motivational CD's are truly priceless! I have been recommending them to everybody I know. Just pass the word around, it is the best gift you can give to your grownup children, you never know, it might a make a big difference in their future.

Tony Robbins has a natural gift for inspiring others and this 6-CD set is no exception. Not a rehash of Power or Power II, this set offers the listener (and doer) an opportunity to make a change in life, based on pursuing and implementing specific stratagems and in adopting and nurturing particular mindsets about life.

The only flaw I find is in the packaging - it's a 6-CD plastic "fold-out" box - the construction is surprisingly low quality and sections pop out, making the use of these CDs in this particular box very "challenging". I am surprised that the Robbins corporation would have allowed this inferior packaging. So what type of packaging should have been used? A zippered container with built in soft sleeves of course: And if you need a great example for reference, please check out:
Brian Tracy's SUCCESS MASTERY ACADEMY 16-CD set. Brian Tracy scores a hit with not only the CONTENT of this great set but the awesome packaging! So to all professionals (personal development and otherwise) serious about packaging your audio sets: forget those plastic fold out boxes and pay for a little quality - after all, you're supposed to be worth it, right? And in any event, we certainly are.

Tony Robbins has the gift of expressing concrete, easy-to-implement ideas that can make a difference in living a more fulfilling, successful life. Since listening to these CDs a few weeks ago, I have found myself spontaneously recalling some of the concepts he shared that have helped me face a challenge I was having at the time. In particular, the concepts of "Build a Relationship Bridge" for having patience with others during times of miscommunication has been very helpful. Also, the importance of carrying around a (properly-tempered) sense of "Certainty" in one's daily life as a pre-condition for success has been extremely useful. Some of his concepts seem self-apparent, but Mr. Robbins' charismatic delivery and excellent communication skills really drive them home.

I refrained from rating the set at 5 stars due to the multiple references to Mr. Robbins' seminars embedded throughout the recordings. However, in the end that was a small (additional) price to pay for the inspiration and extremely useful concepts that Mr. Robbins offers. I recommend this CD set highly.

I heard Anthony Robbins from Jay Abraham and Brian Tracy sales training series. Since most of our life struggles and challenges come our ability to deal with the problems that come into our life, I recommend this CD series for those of you who feel depressed, frustrated and uninspired.

The Live With Passion, Anthony Robbins CDs are amazing! After I listened to these CDs, I went ahead and bought $300 worth more of his CDs because what Anthony Robbins really brings back what I have learned in the past from great mentors, like Earl Nightingale, John Cummuta, Brian Tracy, Jay Abraham, Zig Ziglar and so on.

I am extremely excited to be able to listen to Anthony Robbins' wisdom and advice, because it has helped me to take charge of my life.

Must listen CDs!

This CD set is a great tool for making big changes in your life. Tony teaches the listener some fantastic ways to address problems (Chalenges!), end bad habits, and generally lead a more passionate life.

Loved the authors approach explaining the Law of Attraction aand the examples and exercises in the back of the book.. To reinforce and more information and even simpler exercises with a journal I recommend Living The Secret Everyday: My Secret Workbook

If you want to know more about your subc.I heartily recommend these CDs

The Power of Your Subconscious Mind
The Master Key System
Thought Vibration or the Law of Attraction in the Thought World
The Science of Getting Rich
The Science of Mind
Think and Grow Rich: Original Version

For those of you who don't get the significance of the connection between Amway and Abraham I would urge you to do some honest, open-minded research and come to your own conclusions. For a time I believed that "Abraham" was the real deal. I bought their books, CD's and DVDs. I attended one of their workshops. But after discovering contradictions in the material I began to ask questions. After having done my own research I have come to believe that "Abraham" is nothing more than the re-packaged, spiritually-dramatized version of the Amway motivational seminars that Jerry Hicks gave in the 1970's and 1980's. Yes, it is wonderful, positive material that is lovingly, wittily delivered. It makes people feel good. And if that's all you need - I highly recommend it. But I, for one, need more than that.

As a literary work I give this book 2 stars. It's super repetitive. So repetitive that while listening to the audio version I thought my Ipod was broken and skipping at one point! If I had read the book rather than listening to it while i did other things I probably wouldn't have enjoyed it, or even finished it.

The information contained in this book, however, is fabulous! 5 stars!

The reason why I give it 5 stars is that Esther and Jerry hicks are the first people that I know of that recognize when you are in a low place emotionally you need to take baby steps towards feeling better first in order to accomplish what you want. You can make those steps very quickly in the end, but you can't get from one point to the other without experiencing the middle. If what you want is too far away from where you are you won't have it right now, or even tommorow, but if you make the shift to the next level closer your goal will be closer to you.

This is a very practical point that most self help and self improvement books miss out on entirely, and in my opinion why they don't work for most people. If what you want it seems too far away, you won't allow yourself to have it!

Whether you believe in the Law Of Attraction or not, whether you believe in Abraham or not, you can gain something from this book. I'm still not sure if I believe in these things, but it doesn't matter right now. I don't really believe in magic, I don't know that I will ever "manifest" anything!

The point is that while the information is presented in a way that seems way out of left field and new-age to most people, it is actually very practical and common sense. The creative visualization practices presented in "The Processes" will work for you if you approach them with an open mind and a goal of just feeling better.

So my advice, if you are interested in these ideas, than listen to the audio while you do your busy work. It definitely won't hurt. If you combine it with more action oriented information ("Think and grow rich") you will have a winning combination to achieve whatever you want in life.

Never have I read a work with so much repetition. It's as if the goal of the first 21 chapters was to see how many different ways one could phrase the same thought.

Chapter 22 offered a fresh perspective that I have not encountered elsewhere.

To be fair to the work, perhaps my experience would have been better had I not read "The Secret" and "A New Earth" prior to reading this one.

I fully embrace the power of positive manifestation. And there are wonderful books on the subject. I don't feel this one of the best, but I am pleased for all the readers who have been inspired by Abraham's message.

I bought this for my dad for his birthday a few months ago because I consider him to be a remarkable person as well. He thoroughly loved it and is having my mom now read it. If my dad says it's good than it is so.

I have to agree with another reviewer...this is banal and boring. Most of the essays are highly repetitive (i.e. be good to others, have faith in God, be a good role model, make peace not war...blah,blah,blah). Sure, people have a right to their beliefs and I do not presume to argue against those; nonetheless, the beliefs are uninspired and typical, revealing little more than "Wow, we all want the world to be a better place, and it can only come about if you believe what I believe."

This ties into my final point: virtually all of the essays had a didactic tone. Growing up in the midwest, I have no desire to be taught what I should believe.

Great collection from ordinary to famous people - from the series titled "This I Believe" on Public Radio. Bought as a gift to inspire a young writer.

Short stories that share the reality and persistence of the common American. Some really hit home. Others are lighthearted and yet profound.
Recommended.

A book that is worth the words that they are written on. Personal beliefs are unique due to individual lifestyles which are reflected by the inspirational essays making up this book. Spend your money and you will be very glad you did.

Easy read and inspriational. Another book on this topic that I recommend is Living The Secret Everyday: My Secret Workbookgiving you all the tools to find the happiness you want. Also a must read!

I have known for along time that money or things won't bring you happiness. If you are an unhappy person you will likely be even more unhappy if you some how happen to stumble on more money. Being happy is a choice and is sometimes easier said then done.

The importance of choosing happiness can not be underestimated because it is the only true path to a wealthy, healthy and inspired life. Sorry to be the Grinch that stole Christmas but the new Mercedes and big house just isn't going to do it for you. That's the bad news.

The good news is that choosing happiness will in fact increase your odds substantially in drawing to you anything you desire in life and that is why I love Marci's book. Happy For No Reason gives you the tools and strategies on how to choose and remain happy.

I think a book like this should be included as mandatory reading material for any college or university courses. Can you imagine what the world would be like if we all had to study happiness?

I get happier just thinking about the possibilities.

Bob Burnham co-author of 101 Reasons Why You Must Write A Book: How to Make A Six Figure Income by Writing and Publishing Your Own Book

If you're looking for a way to actually learn how to raise your happiness set-point, this book will tell you how to do it. It's full of eye-opening research and may help you pull the plug on an endless quest for happiness in this life via the wrong means. It offers an easy reading style of uplifting information, a few stories ala the "Chicken Book" series, and just plain interesting research which we can all benefit from. To retain what you learn, there are exercises and action steps included--lots of different methods and suggestions, however, but it helps that Marci included a section at the end detailing them. It's a handy reference tool so you'll know where to start.

I really enjoyed this book. What prevents me from awarding it five stars is simply that, to be concerned with true happiness, I think you need to consider what happens after this life. No amount of mere satisfaction, or what we perceive as happiness, can ensure a happy afterlife. (If this doesn't concern you, skip the rest!) It needs a final chapter called, "What's Next?" (or some such thing) to address the facts of death and eternity--and how to prepare for them. This life is just a blink--eternity is forever! Maybe I'm just a stickler for little things like vast eons of time that will never end--and of course not all will agree on how to prepare for that eternity. I suspect Marci adheres to the
Christian approach, but she sticks safely to middle ground. I can honestly say that this was my only disappointment with the book. There is a great deal of interesting data, and it is presented smoothly and with humor and insight. As others here have noted, you won't regret reading it.

This book provides brilliantly clear, no-nonsense, down-to-earth practical insight into what really makes happiness possible for everyone. This is a must-read for all the successful entrepreneurs and senior execs I coach who want to be happy now for the right reasons!

The author's 7-step approach with the stories, exercises and illustrations surely does show you how to be happy with the theme of the book that it must come from within. This reminds me of one of my favorite books, Living The Secret Everyday: My Secret Workbook. This deals with happiness through the Law of Attraction and it sure works....