change Books

I'm someone who spent years stuck in a rut. I spent a lot of time wondering why I never got anything done but never did anything beyond wondering. I've spent the last few years turning my entire life around. I quit drinking, quit smoking, started working out, started taking my job seriously (which has garnered me two promotions in three years), and generally started taking charge of my life and I've found that I love getting up and getting to it every day. Something I never could have claimed before in my 30+ years. A lot of these changes have been hard work. I've read a LOT of self help material and found hidden gems here and there. I only wish I had found THIS book years earlier. Everything I've learned. Everything I've known. It's help me put all of that into action. Have you ever run across a situation where you KNOW you could teach the world how to do something but you just CAN'T do it yourself? Well, this is the book for you. I'm on my second time reading it and I just bought three more copies, bringing my total purchased to eight. I've given them away to a lot of the people I kind of left behind when I started changing my old life. Even the ones who don't read are reading it. I've seen weight loss, better jobs, less stress, less anger, reduced drinking, happier relationships... all as a result of things myself and these people have learned through the steps in this book.

If you find yourself in a rut and just can't seem to move forward. Or even if you're doing fine and think you might just need a little push. This book is a priceless work.

Thanks to the author and good luck to everyone else who reads it!

This book is well written and easy to understand. The explanation of how the various parts of the brain and how to get your brain working for you was very good. An easy read that doesn't require a psychology degree to understand the material and how to use it. I have used some of the described exercises to help my clients envision their future the way they desire it to be.
I recommend this book highly!!!!

This is really one of those you can change your life books that actually work. I loved the way it was written and I really felt like she cared about me. I would highly recommend for anyone who wants to make some changes in their life but is have a hard time doing so.

I am a high achiever and always looking for an edge. This book was excellent, simple and easy to follow. The exercises were relevant and contributed to the learning and integration process. It had a profound affect on multiple areas of my life!

Not a bad book at all. The author has done a superb job in approaching the bad habit problems we humans have developed over our lifetime into another way of thinking about it. I think if you are like most people and have tried everything out there including reading various books on goal setting this one might be worth trying. It has helped me, I'm not completely there yet but I feel I am at least on the right path.

The Intention Experiment: Using Your Thoughts to Change Your Life and the World
By Lynne McTaggart
Lynne McTaggart's first book, The Field: The Quest for the Secret Force of the Universe, documented discoveries in science that link us to a quantum field of energy, which ultimately becomes our manifested reality. Now through her new book she is providing the opportunity for people worldwide to take part in the Intention Experiment. She provides much-needed validation for the possibility of creating a new world through our thoughts. This is a great book that you can actually get involved with in a global way. See [...] Rahasya Poe, Lotus Guide, [...]

This is the stuff of science fiction, but it turns out that science is proving every day that it's truth. Want to be a part of something big, this is your chance. Fascinating read, even more fascinating experiment.

An important book on an important subject. A fabulous book that puts together research and science about the power of thought as a reality-maker.Coupled with another favorite of mine that I use daily,Living The Secret Everyday: My Secret WorkbookI have been on a joyful journey in my life.

I am drawn to books of this nature yet I find that they are at times lacking.
Now I realize that reading books give you only one point of view, you have to experience things yourself or the books are just words.
Though I like this book I found that reading Ms. McTaggart's first book was enough.
We can read all the books in the world about Intention but unless we experience it first hand it is only a story.

The book spends all but a few chapters as a reference of all the previous studies done to show that intention and thought does affect our physical world. I've read almost every one of the books written on all those experiments, so it was a bit repetitious. So why another experiment? In the author's own words, "an inordinate number of books have been written about the power of the human being to manifest his or her reality, and while they have served up intuitive truths, they offer little in the way of scientific evidence." Spoken like a true egghead.

We so value the intellect over any other form of knowing, even though in the author's compilation of tests, it showed the heart was higher intelligence than the brain! We let the intellect dominate how we experience reality to the extent that we have obliterated our perspective of common sense. A prime example is a Harvard study costing hundreds of thousands of dollars to show that cheese is the best bait to catch mice. How can our intellect not let us see what already is, unless it is measured by what is provable?

And who can we have do these experiments? The pillars of the scientific community. Guys like Popp: these foremost, leaders in their fields who are hesitant to risk their reputations on any study which might fail, once he has made a name for himself? And these people are supposed to be on the cutting edge? Give me a break. How can anyone respect these people?

What the author and most scientists fail to understand is that we live in a temporal world, but these intuitive truths they want to scientifically prove are eternal. If the scientists don't prove them, do they not exist, or did they prove that their methods are inadequate or their paradigm is insufficient?

This is a fabulous book reflecting on our inner selves thats so important in weight loss. Once you get to the root of the problem, it's all gravy from there!

Who doesn't like Bob Harper from the hit NBC-TV weight loss reality show "The Biggest Loser?" That man has shown himself time and time again to have a heart of gold for average, everyday people who just need a little guidance to take off the weight they spent a lifetime putting on. When I interviewed Bob Harper nearly three years ago, he ended it by saying "You want to change, you need to change....let's get started. There is a whole life out there waiting for you.....GRAB IT!!!" With this new book, Bob continues that theme by asking "are you ready" to make those changes happen? If so, then he's ready to get you into shape like he does those contestants on television. First, he examines how and why you got to be overweight or obese in the first place and seeks to correct those issues before any diet or exercise is even introduced. Second, you get a low-calorie and lower-carb nutritional plan to follow designed to help you start shedding the pounds. Finally, Bob himself shows you in pictures the kind of exercises you can and should be doing to get your body into tip-top shape. If you ever wanted to know what "The Blue Team" has been through training under Bob Harper on "The Biggest Loser," then this is probably as close as you'll ever get to it!

I have read many weight loss books over the years and this one has to be the quickest easiest read. The book is meant as more than a diet but an entire change in how you approach your eating habits. He breaks the book down into parts - first looking at your life style and psychological readiness to begin to change followed by eating guide and then exercise. I personnally hate exercise so what I liked about his plan is it was reasonable and didn't set unrealistic expectations. It even brought in some yoga which I thought was great. My only negative comment, being a psychologist myself, the first part where he tries to explore your eating patterns etc...isn't strong enough - possibly adding some cognitive behavioral therapy tools (having an outside expert add to this section) or exercises on imaginery, cause and effect, etc...would have really made this section much better. Overall, I think he did a great job on putting together a book on lifestyle change.

I am a Biggest Loser fan. Have been since day one. So when I heard Bob Harper was writing a book I could hardly wait. Not sure what I expected but I was disappointed. I could feel his spirit and what he was trying to get across but I didn't get the feeling that this was the life style change for me.

The book is very motivating, it is well written and quite understandable. We all know how to lose weight sometimes we just need a gentle nudge to do the right thing...Bob Harper is great with the nudge!

This book is highly engaging and actionable and helps companies understand how innovation is powerful and long-lasting. I also recommend "Something Really New" which was just released as another powerful resource on innovation in companies. Something Really New: Three Simple Steps to Creating Truly Innovative Products

It is the typical manager's nightmare. A startup with a powerful idea wipes out all the dominance your large ogranisation had. It can happen overnite and without warning.

How do you stop this nightmare from happening? Well, the answer could lie in The Innovator's Dilemma.

Kishore Dharmarajan
Author of Eightstorm: 8-Step Brainstorming for Innovative Managers

OK, I admit, some of it can be a bit boring, especially the first couple of chapters. But the premise and his argument are great.

A product manager who has not read this book is not a product manager at all!

This book analyzes why established successful companies repeatedly miss "less sensible" (to their own value network) innovations in the low-end "emerging" market and how products in the low end market eventually displace existing products in the entire market. The book does a comprehensive analysis of the phenomena.

However, I am not convinced with the analysis. People make wrong forecasts of trends and miss emerging markets for many reasons. New entrants fail in trial and error with this extremely high risk game. Does it make sense for an established company to maintain an independent unit for playing this high risk game at a considerable expense? Or should they be the follower and let small companies bear the initial high cost ? I don't think there is a clear answer like what the author has suggested.

There are some uncommon and incorrect use of technology terms (e.g. Java "protocol",computer "automated "design), which let you doubt the credibility and seriousness of the author. The writing is in fairly academic style with great clarity. But it can be repetitive in many places, revisiting the same materials.

With the Innovator's Dilemma, Clayton Christensen delivers a very powerful analysis of the role of innovation in gaining market leadership. The question raised is whether market leadership can be sustained through innovation alone. Indeed, the core of the Innovator's Dilemma illustrates how successful companies with established solutions, marquee customers and a valued brand keep being threatened and at time vanquished by start-ups. A recent example would be how established enterprise software vendors have been shaken up by disruptive startups: Remember Salesforce.com vs. Siebel Systems? Christensen addresses a difficult problem that most successful customer focused companies face. Precisely, because it is a formidable challenge for an established company to bring disrupting technology to its own installed base of customers.

Good advice to get the creative juices flowing. Real life examples were particularly helpful, some inspirational. Much work to do, applying the pearls of wisdom... Identifying my Passion, ensuring it fits my Personality and fills my Pocket. It is good to know that I'm not alone. Now it's back to work figuring out how I will successfuly Rewire!

"Don't Retire, Rewire!" is an excellent title for this practical resource for people of any age who are thinking ahead to a "working retirement." The authors' Rewire theme is brilliant because it is upbeat, easy to articulate and to understand. Their breezy writing style includes many personal anecdotes that makes it a pleasure -- even fun -- to carry on through the book. The organization is efficient and the tips are wonderful. This book taught me a lot about how to think about this phase of my life to my great advantage, and I am over seventy! Sally Paynter

I haven't read them all, but from Armstrong to Zelinski, I've read probably 20+ books on retirement, especially the life planning aspects. This is one of the best. I always review the reviews, and after reading the 3 5 star reviews, all written the month the book came out, I almost passed thinking they were probably done by the authors' or editors' colleagues or friends. (I'm in no way affiliated with this book.) Anyway, I'm really glad I clicked the buy button in my personal lightening deals that day.
The authors have long been headhunters (my interpretation of the jacket blurb), so know well the ins and outs of the workplace and what it takes to be competitive. They lead you through identifying what makes you get up in the morning, offer exercises to uncover dreams and interests that might form the basis for fulfillment in retirement, give a lot of helpful tips on researching and choosing a course, and illustrate it all with examples from their practice. I'd love to work with this pair in person. Very practical, engagingly written, well-referenced.

I loved the first edition of Don't Retire Rewire but wanted to know more about how to talk to my husband about our retirement. I had some dreams and ideas but I wasn't sure what my husband was thinking. The new edition gaves me tips on how and even when to start a conversation with him. The couples' stories made me realize I'm not alone in this. The book is full of good advice and knowledge on how to help plan for the future.

I loved Don't Retire, Rewire when it was published and the second edition even has more information! This new book is filled with everything you need to know on finding your second career--the process and figuring out your passions and interests. It clearly could be read by any audience and knowledge would pour out.
Jeri and Rick guide you through the whole process and make it fun, interesting and substantial. The advice combined with real life stories, the specifics strategies to incorporate and the easy way it is written to navigate make this another true best seller! Buy it, read it and follow their plan--you will definitely see results!

The book was shipped in a timely manner, however it was in horrible condition. At some point it must have been dropped in the water and the whole book is a mess. Not happy with this. The book was advertised as in good condition.

The books and workbooks (I bought 2 of each) arrived in new condition, and timely (within 5 days). Excellent service.

This is an excellent workbook resource for those who don't want to spend the time and money to read the full book and do the excercises there (although I would recommend that as a first choice). I did like this slim resource though, and bought multiple copies to use with my patients in a vocational program -- they loved thinking through the exercises, but I needed to explain many portions for them because the guidelines are rather broad at times, and too specific at others. If I hadan't guided several them through the exercises, it would have been worthless. The full book is a far richer and better resource, and gives you much more to think about -- but this is a good workbook approach that summarizes the main exercises in the full book. A hint -- there is one exercise (Very time consuming) that you can skip -- the first exercise asks you to write 5 life stories, then examine them for commonalities in skills -- You don't need the stories to do the ratings at all.

This book is short, but it will support you in generating a lot of valuable information about your values and a career tailored to fit you. Expect to invest about 20 hours in the self exploration exercises in this book.

You get two products from doing this work:

(1) A baseline self-assessment that you can keep for life and update as it suits your needs.

(2) A compelling, pull-to vision of what you want from your career and life that will operate on you consciously and unconsciously to propel you towards getting exactly what you want.

I used a version of this book in 1992 to create a vision of the career and life that I wanted. Then I put everything away and didn't look at the work I had done for ten years.

In 2002, I looked at the exercises I had done in 1992. I got goosebumps! Without ever having looked at what I had written again, I had created what I had envisioned ten years previously. Amazing!

As an executive search consultant, I talk daily with people who are in the process of reflecting on their career choices. Because of my own positive experience, this is my favorite print resource, hands down, to share with people who want to generate more self-awareness about their values and a vision of what they want from their careers.

I though this would provide more info than the book ("What Color Is Your Parachute?") but what's inside are the same exercises... so if you have the book or are getting it, then you don't need this. On the other hand, if you don't want to read all of the insightful text of Bolles's original book, then this is a nice book of exercises! :) [I'd just recommend the original text, though.]

Organizations are top heavy. Something needs to be done about it. The future of management is about giving everyone the opportunity to say, "This is not going to happen anymore". Be brave and make change in your organization.

This is an interesting book. While the title says "The Future of Management," the book is about more than just management. It is also about change, change as it impacts an organization's development and resilience/adaptability. This book uses a wide ranging definition of management and management processes.

In today's Web 2.0 environment, Gary Hamel argues that our current command - control type of management practices are actually toxic to organizational success and excellence. Hamel argues that what is needed today is management innovation or Management 2.0. He sees management innovation being needed in the areas of managing talent, allocating resources, organization structural design and the building of operational strategies.

If you are looking for a prescriptive answer to future of management, this book is not for you. Rather than offer his own prescription, Hamel has chosen instead to offer the reader/manager a series of questions throughout the book. Questions designed to help you, the reader, think about the type of management innovations needed within your own organization. Questions designed to help you mold your thinking about the management philosophy and practices you can use within your organization to successfully compete and thrive in the future.

If there is a fault with the book, I would say it lies in the examples Hamel uses to illustrate his key points. I wish he had used more examples (if they even exist) from the more traditional, hierarchical, bureaucratic type organizations in existence today, rather than those organizations specifically created from the beginning as innovative type organizations.

Hamel makes a compelling argument in pointing out the lack of innovation that has occurred to our fundamental management principles constructed well over half a century ago. While technology and the speed of business have rapidly changed in the past fifty years, the way companies are organized and managed has not. This is problematic because, like with anything else, there must be change and innovation for companies to continue to be successful. The book points out several examples of top companies that have redefined the role of management in the twenty-first century. Companies such as W.L. Gore, Google and Whole Foods have taken untraditional management approaches and have turned them into money-making endeavors. The practices of each of these companies should be a template for tailoring a new management style for any company in any industry.

This book is relevant because there is no loyalty anymore, especially among the younger generations that grew up with the Internet. On the Internet, no hierarchies exist, capability and not titles matter and everyone has a voice and is free to define themselves. In short, Hamel argues that management 2.0 looks a lot like web 2.0 where people voluntary choose how to spend their time and change the world in doing so. I have to agree. The days of the successful company filled with subservient employees commuting to work to be neither asked nor expected to contribute any new ideas, let alone innovate, are over given that the same employee is free to post his own thoughts online, comment on the millions of blogs out there and voluntarily add to open source projects in his free time. Companies that want a competitive edge in the years to come must understand this. Let's hope this book is widely read and that the lightbulb goes on for many of the bureaucrats out there still stuck in management 1.0.

If you are ready for this book as a manager, it will change your life, your management style and the view of those that work with you, and the success of your organisation. If you do not "get" what Hamel is saying, then you will continue to struggle with the uninspiring hierarchically based management style that permeates our organisations.

People should be able to get up of a morning and be excited about going to work. If your employees are not, then it is your fault as a manager - fix it. This book tells you how.

"The Future of Management", a book on management innovation, is a sequel to "Leading the Revolution", my favorite title by Gary Hamel, a founder of Strategos, an international management consulting firm, and a visiting Professor of Strategic Management at London Business School. Gary Hamel is the originator (with C. K. Prahalad) of the concept of core competencies, introduced in a 1990 Harvard Business Review article. Core competency is something that a firm can do well and that meets the following three conditions: It provides consumer benefits; It is not easy for competitors to imitate; It can be leveraged widely to many products and markets.

In "The Future of Management" the author claims that he doesn't provide easy answer. He makes tough questions instead. The book serves primarily as an invitation to shed age-old systems and processes and think differently. I like this style of writing very much. I can recommend "Leadership without easy answers" by Ronald Heifetz in addition to this book.

"The Future of Management" has recently become available in audio format. I highly recommend the audio version of this book.

If there is ever one word to describe this book, its powerful. What a concept...that suffering is never meaningless, but a vehicle of purposeful intent and that we, as eternal souls, planned to use certain challenges to foster growth not only for our own souls but for the sake of our soul group and the universe at large. Putting it into a context like this, suffering has a whole different meaning.

According to the book, those around us also plan our lives intertwined with ours and all decisions are made out of love, no exception. I now think about my own challenges and those who have played a key role in my own personal growth and look upon them with gratitude and not judgment, including the "villains" in my story, because they fostered the most growth out of me. I am only now beginning to see the perfection of life. Aside from clarity, this book will bring healing and infinite comfort to those going through extreme suffering in their lives by learning there are no victims in this world.

Part of me picked up this book to find comfort for my own inner wounds. I cried when I read the words "Only the courageous plan fear" for I knew, that was what I intended to heal and have been working on it for years, having them dissipate one by one.

It has been a long time since I closed a book and felt warm, comforted and knowledgeable. The author takes you by the hand and guides you through this information with compassion, grace and great wisdom. I just cannot fully express how wonderful this book is. It is absolute perfection and if I could, I'd give it more stars. If there is ever a book I'd recommend, it would be this one!

I absolutely love this book! I knew that we had pre-planned our lives before reading it, but it explains it so well with people's stories to show you examples. I really hope I can get my friend to read it as I think it will help her to understand the reasons for some of her challenges in her childhood and now. EXCELLENT BOOK!

Wonderful reference book for anyone researching reincarnation. Answers many question as well as raising them.

Courageous Souls: Do We Plan Our Life Challenges Before Birth?Best book I have ever read on the subject of Pre Birth Planning. So well written and easy to relate to. It has brought great healing to my life and I continue to explore all possibilities. It has certainly given me a better understanding to life and knowing that everyone is on a journey to better their soul. A must read for anyone on a spiritual path to healing.

Everything always makes sense when you can see the big picture. This book provides a glimpse into why events we perceive as "bad" happen, through a varied collection of individual cases.

Our lives in this "reality" are just learning experiences, to expand our awareness of ourselves, we agreed to before we arrived on the planet.

This is a great book... I would highly recommend it to anyone who wants to improve overall RESULTS at the office!

"Why Work Sucks And How To Fix It" is the perfect book for you if you can relate to:
- The Office TV show.
- Dilbert comics
- The 8:00 to 5:00 work schedule in general.

This book is an enjoyable read that is written to appeal to everyone, not just those in HR.

Cali & Jody are right: There is a better way and it's ROWE!

It's totally a commercial book. Nothing really to learn in the book. Reading all the comments is enough. The reason of the higher price for that range of books is that it's hard covered. Not because it has some great ideas for you to learn. It's just a waste of time.

Even though my work doesn't "suck" since we are already functioning in loose ROWE-type environment, I see many things that go on in the corporate world that just don't make sense any more. This book really calls out many of the idiocies that occur in the current work place. The book is written in a very entertaining and engaging way.

This is a must read for anyone in the "office" world. I think that as "worker bees" we think that change has to come down the ladder. This concept has proven that the bottom-up type revolution is even more powerful. This workforce revolution has been proven by the authors to be driven by the "workers" to increase their happiness but that the Upper Management is also gaining the most by a more productive, happy, and effective workforce. Oh, and their bottom line is growing too.

I personally want as many people to read this book and embrace the concept. The more people understand these concepts, the better the chance is that when my girls enter the workforce they will be allowed to grow in their careers, lives, and find happiness...on their own terms. And I hope that when they hear the phrase "9 to 5", all that they think of is that ancient song by Dolly Parton.

They're not describing ROWE; they're advertising their consulting services. No tips, no detail, no help -- no joke.

If a consultant's idea is small enough, they will hide it behind case studies and "our productivity went up X%"-type testimonials.

If a consultant's idea is BIG enough, they'll lay it all out there, knowing that people will think, "Oh man, I need some help with this."

ROWE is the former. Don't expect the book to help at all. Don't buy it.

whyrowesucks[dot]com

When You're Falling, Dive, is a MUST READ for anyone navigating life's stormy waters. This is a remarkable guidebook on plumbing the depths for the metamorphosis available in the darkness. Mark Matousek is a gifted wordsmith, with a unique ability to present profound life lessons in a form that is inviting and accessible. A wonderful storyteller with a keen eye for detail, he invites us to recognize the true power of surrendering to the transformational nature of the hardest times. This incredible collection of stories, from those who have gone to the heart of the fire, and emerged transformed, shows so clearly, that the Phoenix can, indeed, rise from the ashes. As the myths of old tell us, again and again - the true treasures lie in the depths of the cave. Mark Matousek offers comfort and courage to those willing to brave the dragons of fear, loss and grief to reach the reward that lies on the other side. Anyone who has lived through this kind of gut wrenching life change will find, in the pages of this incredible book, the comfort and camaraderie of fellow initiates. Anyone in the midst of the storm will find in it, the hope to keep going, to the great healing that lies on the other side.

Matousek is right on target with this book. He truly captures the essence of the change a person experiences when they have survived a tragedy. From the fabulous introduction and throughout each story of survival, even (especially) readers who are aware of how suffering has improved their lives will find nuggets of wisdom, as all angles of this phenomenon are explored. I had a hard time putting this book down, and plan to reread it often. As someone who feels isolated by my experiences and the spiritual growth that resulted from them, this book feels like a personal support group I can carry with me.