5 comments about One Small Step Can Change Your Life: The Kaizen Way.

1. Great Book with great ideas on how to strat major changes in your life with small steps.



2. I was fortunate enough to hear Dr. Maurer speak. He is an excellent speaker and I knew I needed to buy the book. It reenforced what he said and was easy to follow. I recommend it to anyone who is trying to make a change in their lives.



3. Great book. Easy, short read gives you the urge to keep reading at the end of a chapter. Great advice, if you follow it. It's changed my life in a very positive way. I bought ten copies to give to those I love.



4. As a screenwriter and screenwriting coach ([...], I'm constantly looking for ways to eliminate procrastination. Turns out everything I needed to know was in this book!



5. I was so tired of reading about case studies of other people's phobias I could not continue reading. This is the same old rhetoric about how to eat an elephant?.......one bite at a time. Take one small step and step over this book. Use the money saved on this book to pay off a credit card. Go read anything by Dr. Wayne Dyer.

5 comments about Taming Your Gremlin (Revised Edition): A Surprisingly Simple Method for Getting Out of Your Own Way.

1. Rick Carson does a great job of providing a practical approach to managing one of the most common challenges for people of all ages and stations. If you are looking for detailed clinical case studies you will be disappointed with this book. On the other hand if you have a sense of humor, or did at one time, this book will entertain as well as inform you. When you apply the concepts to your own life you will be even more pleased.



2. This is a great book for readers who are willing to engage in some potentially serious self exploration with a real sense of humor. In the end there is no right or wrong way to "do" self exploration. The important thing is that we do it.
   
   Carson offers some excellent strategies, insights and suggestions for raising awareness around the self talk (Gremlin) that holds us back from achieving our full potential. I particularly enjoy and appreciate the reminders to simply observe our own process -- to remain mindful and in the current moment context.
   
   Fun illustrations engage our childlike (and sometimes childish) desires to bring the Gremlin to life, encouraging curiosity, imagination and play while downgrading the potential power of the Gremlin itself.
   
   This is definitely not for everyone, but as a coach the question I would ask is: what is it you are resisting and why? The information is solid and has the potential to be life changing. Sometimes that which we resist has the most to offer. And sometimes it just isn't a good match. Open the book and see what happens for you.



3. I have read the book several times and keep going over the chapter on awareness. It is the most helpful information in the book and very practical. Mr. Carson presents the "gremlin" as a means to convey these ideas, so take it with a grain of salt.
   
   In truth this book has led me to search for others on the same subject and as such has been tremendously valuable.



4. The voice that keeps you awake or wakes you up at 2am is that gremlin described. I have started using the taming technicques and wish I had learned how to notice, decide and choice options years ago.



5. This book was specifically recommended to me by a lifecoach I've been working with. Like many people I frequently get in my own way. I related to the idea of "Taming your Gremlin", believing that the gremlin is that part of my brain or habit that tells me what to do and what I had better not do all the time. The lifecoach calls it the Saboteur. This book explores the problem of our powerful and deeply internalized voices that tell us what we can and cannot do,what we do and don't deserve to have in our lives. This author is clear,direct and amusing in his approach. The book describes common situations and scenarios, offering advice and guided exercises. Illustrations, imagery and anecdotes are used to connect readers to concepts that might otherwise be somewhat abstract. I haven't completed the book or gone through all of the exercises yet but I plan to keep using it for a while. It is handy to pick up when you are anxious, stressed, feeling stuck or stymied by your own fears. It can definitely be helpful to increase awareness and offer simple and effective strategies to deal with these deeply ingrained thoughts and habits.

5 comments about Five Wishes: How Answering One Simple Question Can Make Your Dreams Come True.

1. Five Wishes: How Answering One Simple Question Can Make Your Dreams Come True
   By Gay Hendricks
   In a time when we are all looking for answers, we often overlook the necessity of finding the right questions. This is an easy-to-read book that guides you toward finding the right questions, and by reframing your answers, coming up with powerful affirmations. It also comes with a 17-minute video you can download that dramatizes the event that led to the book. Visit www.5wishesbook.com.Rahasya Poe, Lotus Guide magazine www.lotusguide.com



2. Fantastic book to help you consider what are the really important things in your life NOW - before it's too late. An easy-to-read, entertaining and thought provoking book about how to prioritise the things you feel you need to do,while you still have time. Don't leave it a day longer!



3. This little book has a very powerful, very simple, and life changing challenge. 5 Wishes....that's all. The first time I read this book, I made my list and felt like I was on top of the world for weeks. But the 5 Wishes I had listed weren't exactly what my heart said, they were what my mind said (and still I soared for weeks!). The second time I read over the book and made my list, my 5 wishes were authentic and have been very powerful for me. As someone who has read dozens of books trying to find the "authentic me", this one is my favorite. It is a very quick read, but don't let yourself get lost in the people Mr. Hendricks speaks of....get lost in yourself. I'm becoming the person I want to be now. I'm on the "right path". And this little book has provided me with the inspiration and desire to actually follow my heart. Thank you, Gay Hendricks!



4. If you were on your deathbed and you were asked, "Was your life a complete success?"
   
   How would you answer this question? If your answer is that your life wasn't a complete success, what things would you wish had been different in your life?
   
   This thought-provoking and soulful inquiry is the basis for "Five Wishes." Through this process, the author comes up with five wishes for things he would change in his life:
   
   1. Lasting love
   2. Completing
   3. Writing from the heart
   4. Feeling God
   5. Savoring life
   
   Each one of these wishes becomes goals by which to transform your life. This is an inspiring little book that covers a lot of territory.
   
   You have to also read "Nexus: A Neo Novel" - a powerful story of love, compassion and transformation.



5. A very thought provoking book. It's a quick read but very powerful. I have enjoyed this book very much and plan to give this book to my friends and family as a gift.

5 comments about The Astonishing Power of Emotions.

1. I strongly recommend to read every chapter even if you don't think it applies to you, there is a message to be heard. I am so loving life right now, finally someone has answered the questions that I have been asking for so long, and finally someone has reassured me that what I have been feeling and knowing for so long is the way that I should have been feeling.
   I also recommend other book about feelings, emotions and relationships that is a perfect match with this great book: I Love You. Now What?: Falling in Love is a Mystery, Keeping It Isn't



2. Theh astonishing power of emotions will change the way you look at your life, but read all of Jerry and Esther Hick's books because there is something wonderful in all of their books in fact I have pre ordered their next book, Money and the law of attraction.
   
   I have even given these books as gifts because they are a must read for everyone.
   
   Linda Eschler



3. Fantastic life changing book on how to flow with life's river....downstream. You can have it all just let go of the oars...."there is nothing you want upstream..." (excerpt from the book).



4. This is likely the best book I have read on the law of attraction as it gives you practical, easy steps to take to get what you want. The beauty of it is the message that there really is nothing to do. Just read the book over and over.



5. I think this is one of the best books out all of the Abraham books. However they're all good. This book is about how the inner you is already that which you desire, be, do, have. The resistance comes from you not allowing the natural flow. The physical you has to catch up with Your Source or spirit, who has already gone to the next level. Even the Christian bible tells us to renew our minds. T. Harv Eker says, "No thought lives rent free". Our thoughts and what we focus on are so important. Also read the Law Of Attraction by Esther Hicks as well.

5 comments about A Thousand Names for Joy: Living in Harmony with the Way Things Are.

1. Byron Katie has discovered the secret to happiness, she lives it and offers it to all in this wonderfully honest writing. Long ago I felt that The Work she offers would absolutely transform the entire field of psychology. I still feel this will happen. And, finally, she has clearly stated the final realization of the work, "no thought (thinking) is absolutely true." Not one or any. No thinking needs to be possessed or identified with, especially thinking that produces suffering and separation. Of course, it may take one's practice to investigate the reality of this claim and that is as should be.
   
   I love her stories in this book and often found myself chuckling with her. Katie is such an innocently fearless and wise Being. Often, people believe that enlightened beings do not have to face the same life challenges as they do. In this book Katie clearly demonstrates that her understanding has survived more challenges than most people have ever dreamed of meeting. Reality gets real with Katie, no past, no future, just this, who knows what it is, who knows what's coming, wow here it is.
   As Katie notes, it is only by arguing with life that we feel unhappiness and to argue, we must indentify with and believe some form of thinking. Her secret is to be aware of our thinking, how it makes us feel and then do the work to reclaim our true nature...fearless, desireless, loving of this, right here, right now, just as it is. Katie's realization of joy and happiness is truly a gift to all of us.
   
   Sundance Burke, Author Free Spirit: A Guide to Enlightened Being



2. I enjoy reading the short responses to the Tao te Ching written by Katie. It gives insight to her experience of life and keeps it simple and direct allowing you to roam around in your own mind and see how life flows for you.



3. I love this book. A great recommendation from the folks at [...] where I watched all the video clips and felt the direct power and grace of The Work she is doing with everyone. Loving What Is, the title of her first book, says it all, but A Thousand Names For Joy: Living in Harmony with the Way Things Are arrived first in the mail. Joy is joy, and the laughter came freely in every short chapter of this, Katie's meditation inspired by her husband Stephen Mitchell's translation of the Tao Te Ching. About half way through, Loving What Is arrived and I read that perfect introduction to The Work, Katie's reality check and guide to self-inquiry, before continuing with A Thousand Names For Joy. There may not be easy laughs on every page for you, but there is amazing grace there. I have, of course, ordered Katie's other books and preordered her next one. I find her to be the most quotable of writer-teachers, thus the title of her most recent book, Question Your Thinking, Change the World: Quotations from Byron Katie. And here, from A Thousand Names For Joy, is the passage that prompted me to write this review:
   
   "Beyond what the mind can see is kinder than what it sees--that's the privilege of an open mind. Kindness resonates with the way things are. Kindness is sipping a cup of tea without the thought that I'm even sipping it. It's like being my own plant, feeling myself being watered, beyond any thought that that's what I even need. It's the sound of rain against the window, the gift of the sound of rain in my ears, the gift of life, which I did nothing to deserve. Kindness prepares what I am to eat in the next season. It even leaves a rainbow. It's infinite. It's the hair that protects my head in the sun, the ground that supports the floor. There's nothing that isn't kind. A death accomplishes what ordinary life could never do, letting you experience what is beyond identification: the bodiless self, mind infinitely free.
   
   "When you realize where you come from, no imagination can move you to believe that you are separate. Everything is seen for what it is, and you understand that no one is in danger of losing anything but his identification. And in that forever good news, in the face of everything that appears to be real, only kindness remains. It's nothing that can be taught. It's an experience; it's self-delight. When I give to you without motive, I am delighted. I act with kindness because I like myself when I do that. That kindness can only be to myself. It doesn't include anyone else, not even the apparent receiver. I am both giver and receiver, and that's all that matters.
   
   "The whole world belongs to me, because I live in the last story, the last dream: woman sitting in chair with cup of tea. I look out the window, and whatever I see is my world. There's nothing beyond that, not one thought. This world is enough for me. Anything I ever need to do or be is in this unlimited space. It's enough to accomplish my purpose, and my purpose is to sit here now and sip my tea. I can imagine a world outside what I can see, and as it happens I prefer this one. It is always more beautiful here, wherever I am, than any story of a future or a past. The here and now is where I can make a difference. It's what I live out of. Nothing more is required."



4. I enjoyed this book and got a lot out of it because it ties in the mindfulness aspect of The Work with the theosophy of the Tao Te Jing such that the Tao helps clarify why The Work is truly helpful. I recommend this to anyone interested in looking at their thoughts and feelings with greater honesty and responsibility.



5. I absolutely loved this book! It empowers me to but things in perspective and find the joy in the moment. I have read the book numerous times in the last 9 month's it's one of those books I'll reread the rest of this human experience. I also purchased the CD set of Byron Katie reading the book....it doesn't seem like she is reading...just sharing. Her gentleness and love is heart felt. My husband and I listened to it on our way back home in the car, 12 hours. It was joyfull! In it she shares her experiences as a Lover of What Is and what that looks life as a human organism, a wife, a mother, a teacher, you know all the labels we put on ourselves and others. Anyway...ENJOY YOUR LIFE!

5 comments about Changing for Good: A Revolutionary Six-Stage Program for Overcoming Bad Habits and Moving Your Life Positively Forward.

1. OK, finally a book for change that is truly worth embracing. This is based on research, not mere theory. It clearly sets forth the process for how people change across a spectrum of stages that make sense. Several common problems are used as examples of the process. The reader without substantial background in psychotherapy may need some help, or a coach. I suggest the reader pick some area of his life where change is desired (start with something small to get the process learned both with word images and behavioural experience) and work through the book. Once the process is learned, move on to new challenges.



2. Unlike most self-help books out there, this one is actually based on research for a change. Based on this Phd's work on how people change, this guy has uncovered the different, predictable stages of change that people go through when they attempt to get themselves to change. Although the stages are fairly predictable, not everybody goes through them in the exact same order as some people skip various stages on their way to changing their behaviour. A great book all-in-all, it's definitely worth a look. Also liked The Sixty-Second Motivator.



3. This book explains the model of change in a straightforward and applicable manner. Contains great examples and stories relevant to change, and the material is presented in a clear and intelligent manner. It will prove to be a great tool to use in my practice.



4. This book is a useful tool whether you are seeking to improve something in your own life or are in a situation or a career in which you are helping someone else. The six stages that the authors propose follow a logical progression, though the lines between various stages get blurred. The book is very readable and the real-life examples woven throughout add a change of pace from the psychological treatise that comprises the rest of the book. Recommended.



5. I have found this book to be helpful in coaching others. Also, I train other coaches, and I recommend this book to them, and many incorporate the framework for change described in Changing for Good in their coaching. The book presents a sophisticated model in a practically understandable and useable way. There is a balanced mix of scholarly research and personal story. I especially appreciated the section on preventing a lapse from becoming a major relapse. I have referenced this book in my book, Relationships That Work: The Power of Conscious Living Relationships that Work: The Power of Conscious Living.

5 comments about The Four Agreements Companion Book : Using the Four Agreements to Master the Dream of Your Life.

1. This DEElightful book clarifies everything in the "Four Agreements" book, simplifing and making it much easier to remember what was learned...
   I can't say enough to entice the reader into having this companion book, it's a must have...Rob Ward



2. This book really challenges me. I will use it for years. It is direct and specific. It disects the problem I am dealing with and asks no-nonsense questions. It goes far beyond attitude adjustment and helps me to direct my behavior toward my life-goals.



3. Living by the principles of Don Miguel Ruiz's wisdom is a gift to world and very helpful in all communities.



4. "When the student is ready, the teacher will appear." And that teacher for me was don Miguel Ruiz. I've had The Four Agreements book for several years and went back to it after some recent trauma. It was wonderfully healing to remember what the agreements mean beneath the words and to reconnect with this peacefully way of being. The companion book is now helping me understand more deeply and to release some of the negative thoughts, or "agreements," that have held me back and led me to the trauma I experienced. I keep these books close to me, as well as The Mastery of Love. They are easy to understand and to practice. I hope to someday have them committed to memory so peace is my default state of mind. :)



5. Was buying the four agreements and thought I might as well get this one to go along. Came super fast!! Can't wait to read it!

5 comments about Organizing from the Inside Out, second edition: The Foolproof System For Organizing Your Home, Your Office and Your Life.

1. Julie Morgenstern's "Organizing from the Inside Out" is such a fantastic and valuable book. Her approach to organizing, as the title suggests, is whatever you are organizing -- your work/family schedule, your office, your kitchen, or your basement -- needs to reflect you: what's important to you, who you are and your value and logic system. I found it so refreshing and exciting how the focus in the book is about getting interested in who you are and how you operate and then creating a system of organization based on that. This is a more organic, natural, effective and lasting approach than the one most of us have where we impose an outside system that will "fix" our disorder. Often, those outside systems do the opposite. Reading this book demystified and made accessible the topic of organizing, one that I often found daunting and overwhelming. Julie applies conventional wisdom to organizing in a way that makes it easy, logical and even fun. Her mottos are: "If it ain't broken, don't fix it"....and "You can't fix it till you know what's broken". Applying these ideas and without even thinking, I organized in 10 minutes, a whole section of my closet that had bothered me for about 10 months!
   
   This approach of investigating and discovering who you are and how you operate is in line with two other authors who have made a huge impact in my life: Ariel and Shya Kane. Their books, Working on Yourself Doesn't Work: A Book About Instantaneous Transformation, How to Create a Magical Relationship and Being Here: Modern Day Tales of Enlightenment, are all based on a similar idea that you don't need to do anything to change or fix yourself in order for your life to be satisfying, less stressful, fun and enjoyable. If you are interested in getting the most out of all aspects of your life, I highly recommend all of these books!



2. This book addressed issues that I have alway had with organizing. I thought organized meant neat clean and out of sight and putting things in a "logical" spot according to world standards. I was pleased to find that organized is being able to find what you want or need when you want or need it. And that it's not done in a day.



3. I bought this hoping to help find out why my organizing fizzles. So far it has provided the much needed insight into why, now I just need to get to the how to overcome & move forward. This is helping me find out why I am always frustrated with trying to organize and turning around to an even bigger mess! I still have to finish the book and I think it may help me figure out how to move beyond the initial steps of organizing.



4. Organizing From the Inside Out not only teaches the reader how to get organized but helps the reader identify the reasons for his/her lack of organization. Morgenstern also demonstrates how organizing can help increase productivity, reduce stress, and help one feel better about one's self. Organizing From the Inside Out says the key to staying organized is to recognize the behavior patterns that lead to disorganization and the psychological reasons for staying unorganized. Recognizing these patterns and the psychology behind them is worth the read even if it makes the reader squirm a bit. Organizing From the Inside Out is a valuable resource for anyone wishing to get or stay organized.



5. I've been trying to get organized for a while and this book has helped me more than others. It really focuses on the planning before diving in to attack. That was the part I have been skipping. Now I know what I've been doing wrong and how to correct it in the future.

5 comments about Reinventing Your Life: The Breakthough Program to End Negative Behavior...and Feel Great Again.

1. Somewhat useful but sometimes constricting on the human experience. Has some good back and forth dialog that is useful for therapists to get the hang of the applied theory.



2. I was recommended to buy this book as it deals with specifics that you can relate to. I'm in Australia and it is very hard to find any book about schemas. Sometimes you can get into the whole CBT thing but it's difficult to understand. I found this book to be quite easy to read and i have learnt alot about myself from reading it. Definatlely the book to read if you are familiar with CBT therapy and want to go further into specifics.



3. I keep some of these on my shelf for patients and they really enjoy reading it as an accompanyment to therapy. I even gave one to my teenager hoping she might avoid some of the relationship traps that I see in the clinic and to help her understand the behaviour of her friends. A good book for everyone.



4. Ever wondered why you are never happy with anything you do? Why it is you always think you could have done something better? Ever wondered why your bosses always get angry when they don't get what they want, or why they can't accept `no' for an answer?
   Now, I'm not one for self-help books. You're not likely to see me browsing the `self-help' section at my local book store. Not that I don't see their value. It's more that having studied Psychology for five years I reckon I should be able to work that stuff out for myself...
   
   On a more serious note, I don't believe in quick fixes and magic seminars that sort out all your life's problems in one weekend. But I'm a great believer in empirically-based and research-driven frameworks to anything, including self-help.
   
   And that's where this book is different. Unlike other self-help books, Reinventing Your Life is comprehensive. It doesn't just deal with depression or obsessive compulsive disorders; it deals with a wide range of personality problems.
   
   OK, so now you're thinking, that sounds heavy, a book for real `nutters'. Well, no. Reinventing Your Life is suitable for all of us. It helps us figure out why we do the same things over and over again even though they're really bad for us (like falling for the wrong man, attracting friends who use and abuse us etc). Reinventing Your Life also helps us figure out why the people around us keep doing what they do, even though their actions and attitudes are bad for them!
   
   The book's main premise is that the behaviours of most people are strongly, but unconsciously, influenced by lifetraps. Lifetraps are patterns that begin in our childhood and continue reverberating within us throughout our lives. When the lifetraps are really serious they result in personality disorders which require formal therapy. But here's the catch, even if they aren't that serious, they can still have a significant impact on our lives without us even knowing it!
   
   What I like about this approach is that even though it's based on serious academic work, it's written in a very accessible style. Each chapter is dedicated to one of the eleven lifetraps and begins with a short `women's mag' type quiz. Don't let that fool you. These quizzes are serious and have rigorous validity and reliability. Each chapter then goes on to describe how the lifetrap presents in its more severe forms - reading this of course made me feel better because I could see even I'm not that bad! It also provides some good strategies for you to work on if this is your lifetrap.
   
   And, if you think you are absolutely lifetrap-free, then read it to figure out why all the people around you are so crazy!



5. My therapist introduced this book to me several years ago, and it is uncannily accurate in pointing out which childhood experiences skew behaviors in our adult lives. Very highly recommended.

5 comments about Why Marriages Succeed or Fail: And How You Can Make Yours Last.

1. John Gottman is a respected expert on relationships who has done extensive research with married couples over the past two decades to determine why couples stay together or part. Although Gottman's book is about marriage, it also has some excellent insights for understanding some of the important dynamics of long-term courting relationships. The book provides many exercises, quizzes, techniques and tips to understand and improve courting relationships.
   
   Gottman notes that his years of research show that a lasting marriage results from a couple's ability to resolve the conflicts that are inevitable in any relationship. He also notes that there are three different styles of conflict resolution that healthy couples usually adopt. They are: the validating marriage (couples compromise and calmly work out their problems attempting to satisfy both people), the conflict-avoiding marriage (couples agree to disagree and rarely confront issues head on), and the volatile marriage (couples conflict often and the results are passionate disputes).
   
   John Gottman also discusses what he calls "The Four Horseman of the Apocalypse." These are the dangerous ways of interacting that sabotage attempts to communicate. They are criticism, contempt, defensiveness and stonewalling.
   
   Well written and informative, Gottman's research has uncovered some worthwhile and thought provoking ideas on long-term relationships. Understanding these concepts can be helpful when trying to understand oneself and when exploring long-term compatibility with a companion.
   
   I found many useful concepts throughout the book. Overall a powerful work on strenthening relationships!
   
   The Re-Discovery of Common Sense: A Guide to: The Lost Art of Critical Thinking



2. I use this book in working with couples planning to marry or when couples struggle, and they ALWAYS find answers. Gottman's style is respectable and accessible for "everyman," while still maintaining heady content for professionals. I recommend it for couples looking to learn better fighting styles and communication patterns, for pastors and professionals who work with couples in trouble, and for people trying to set the rules before they actually play the game. Great text!



3. This book provides excellent advice that is laid out logically, and is easy to understand and implement. A few simple changes can improve how your interact with your spouse.



4. If you are wanting excellent and easy reading on marriage, commonications and relationships in general buy any and everything by John Gottman



5. Hands down one of the best books I've ever read about relationships. You don't have to be married to appreciate this book. You can be in a budding relationship or one that may eventually lead to marriage. Whatever the case, there is something in this book you can learn and implement right away - to improve your relationship and make it one that will make you and your partner happy for years to come.