5 comments about The 100 Simple Secrets of Successful People: What Scientists Have Learned and How You Can Use It.

1. I can understand why some reviewers are quite frustrated with the author's so claimed secrets. If you go through the content page here, you are very likely to get the impression that they are "common sense" or "cliche" repeated regularly in all self help books. What makes this book better is the short conclusions in the end of each "secret" summarizing research findings of social scientists per that "secret", many with statistics quantifying impact of individual factors, say,
   
   Those who sacrifice their individual beliefs and backgrounds ultimately express one third less satisfaction with their jobs and almost two thirds less satisfaction with their lives. FRanklin and Mizell 1995 (22 Remember who you are and where you are)
   
   Those whose careers continute to have momentum are 53 percent more likely to engage in healthy life habits than those whose careers are stalled. Roberts and Friend 1998 (41 Exercise and Eat Right)
   
   Those who spend a lot of time worrying about their jobs are 17 percent less productive than workers who seldom or never worry about their job. Verbeke and Bagozzi 2000 (47 You'll get what you're afraid of)
   
   The productivity of employees who score high in dedication to their career is 33 percent less likely to be affected by the quality of thier managers than is the production of low dedication employees. Pollock 1998 (87 Learn to lead yourself)
   
   Managers of production facilities who are meeting their quality targets actually invest 2o percent more time in improving their practices than managers of facilities that are falling short of their goals. In other words, the better off work harder to get even better. Coulthard 1998 (89 People who have it right work harder to make it better)
   
   Successful people spend t least fifteen minutes everyday thinking about what they are doing and can do to improve their lives. Sigmund 1999 (94 Keep goals where you can see them)
   
   Those who do not feel they are taking steps toward their goals are five times more likely to give up and three times less likely to feel satisfied with their lives. Elliott 1999 (99 Take action)
   
   In my opinion, the references in each "secret" and their bibliography provided do help. The book is good and concise enough to be placed on a working desk as a tool or first aid kit. In short, well worths the time and the price.
   
   p.s. I had read the author's first book "The 100 simple secrets of happy people" as well. Surprisingly the two books are quite different or not repetitive. If you like this "successful" one, you should get the "happy" one as well.



2. When asked the question, "How do you define success and what are you doing to achieve it?" most people respond with with a blank stare or a shrug and an "I don't know."
   
   Well, here is the book for those who are struggling to define their ideal of success and anxious to chart a course to achieve that success. David Niven's book is a collection of research, anecdotes, and life changing stories of real people who will inspire, but more importantly, give you concrete tools to help you lay the foundation for achieving your own personal success.
   
   100 Simple Secrets reads like an instructional manual, in which you can turn directly to the chapters most relevant for you and read a short, inspiring piece pertaining to your area of concern. I recommend reading an excerpt of this book every morning to charge your brain and get you ready for the day ahead. It's the perfect companion to breakfast or your first cup of coffee.
   
   The top three lessons I gleaned from this book are found in the chapters, "It's Not How Hard You Try," "Be an Expert," and "Only You Can Say if This Is a World You Can Succeed In." I particularly enjoyed these chapters because I was trying to relate these three lessons to someone who was seeking my advice. Now I have a book and specific chapters to which I can steer them.
   
   The chapters are brief and can be read quickly, making this a very efficient investment of time. A chapter a day will keep you moving toward your goals in both your personal and business life. I highly recommend this for your self help section of your personal library.



3. Good, easy to read book while on the move. Can be picked up anytime. Inspirational as well as logical. Useful to success-driven people who still want act and feel like themselves.



4. We all want to be successful. We all want it to be simple. Are there secrets we can get from a book? Hurrah, talk about easy!
   
   This book combines those human desires with another one - the need for silly trivia. This bathroom-perfect-book has 100 different bizarre studies, telling you that 64% of people who felt they failed felt it was someone else's fault. 70% of successful long term managers focus on an even keel in daily life, rather than focussing on highs and lows. 90% of people feel they'll someday hit their career goals.
   
   Each of the studies is accompanied by a little blurb that sometimes relates to the study - and sometimes does not. You also get a short illustrative story featuring a person who comes to an insight about their job or life.
   
   None of the items here are life changing ideas. They're all common sense, and some of them are quite silly. You learn that "it might get worse before it gets better" - so stick with it. On the other hand, maybe you should reevaluate your goals and decide on new, better ones. Who knows which is the better course. After all, "your goals are a living thing." Be sure to "find your own path" - but "don't want everything" - just the things that you should want. "Write down the directions" too - in case someone else is following along behind you and wants to follow your path, towards your goal. Which is changing.
   
   I don't mean to tease this book too much. I did enjoy it. It had nice little thoughts in it that certainly were good to think about. They are like zen koans, things to think about and ponder. Maybe each morning you wake up you could flip the book to a random page, read its message, and then see how it applies to your life. Like "exercise and eat right". That sounds like a good one that could apply to every day. So could "hope springs eternal".
   
   Then again, you could go to a website that gives you a random feel-good idea each day, and accomplish pretty much the same thing. So it all depends if you have a computer screen in your bathroom, or if this book satisfies that need for you.



5. I have read all of Dr. Niven's books and have found EVERY one of them to be FANTASTIC! People, Relationships, Best Half of Life, Happy People, etc have all been wonderful ideas with the research the idea is based on. As a psychologist, I hate suggesting books (bibliotherapy) that is half-baked or some crap off Opera. David Niven's is concrete, shouldn't offend anyone with a 'religious' overtone (get over it anyways), and not likely to lead them off to some cult or guru. Just plain, safe, reliable and healthy perspectives. Truly "what scientists have learned and how you can use it."

No comments about Sea El Factor De Cambio/be a Force for Change at Work (Retos Urgentes).

No comments about Og Mandino: Three Complete Books.

3 comments about La inteligencia emocional (Emotional Intelligence).

1. He leído la versión en inglés y ahora compro la versión española para regalársela a dos amigos. Este libro es una guía amena y muy bien documentada para comprender el proceso de formación de nuestras emociones y sentimientos y cómo éstos condicionan nuestra percepción de nosotros mismos, de los demás y de nuestro entorno. Por el mismo camino podemos tambien entender mejor a los que nos rodean y aumentar nuestra calidad de vida.



2. La Inteligencia Emocional. Daniel Goleman
   

   El comienzo es espectacularmente bueno: teorías médicas sustentadas en estudios; análisis médicos de la composición química del cerebro y de cómo las emociones afectan la corteza superior; como la amígdala afecta nuestra manera de pensar, dejándonos a merced de las emociones que a veces nos dominan... El libro es sumamente interesante en sus primeros capítulos, aunque después se vuelve canson y aburrido. Al tratar de pasar de un libro científico a un libro de autoayuda sobre como mejorar nuestros hábitos emocionales, el libro se torna canson y soso, repetitivo. Siento cierta aversión a los libros de autoayuda y cuando empecé a leer este pensé que no iba a degenerar en eso, pero me equivoque. De todas formas el libro es excelente en su tema y en su tratamiento y trata de muchas cosas que ya los sabios de la antigüedad sabían: las emociones juegan un papel importante en nuestra vida, al punto de que el ser humano, ese ser pensante, es un ser sintiente y la razón que nos guía se deja llevar la mayoría de las veces por la pasión que la domina. El autor es un hombre sumamente equilibrado en el tratamiento del tema y no nos da las falsas esperanzas de algunos libros que aseguran que con una buena actitud emocional, podemos eliminar cualquier tipo de enfermedad. Eso es ser simplista y tratar de engañar cuando no a los bobos, sino a la gente que esta desesperadamente enferma y que busca cualquier tipo de solución a sus problemas. El autor también nos guía a través de las distintas emociones que nos pueden causar daño, como son la ira, la angustia, el stress y demás compañeros, que socavan nuestro sistema inmunológico, inhiben nuestra inteligencia y nos hace propensos a ataques cardiacos. Muy buen libro para tener una perspectiva diferente de la vida y ser más conscientes de nuestras emociones, y darles el justo valor que se merecen.
   Luis Méndez.




3. Buenos dias a todos
   
   la verdad le recomiendo este lirbo. es excelente. te muestra que tan importante es la inteligencia emocional en nuestra socidad, mas importante de lo que ustedes pueden creer, como esta influye en nuestro comportamiento y demas cosas. la verdad vale la pena comprarlo.
   
   saludos

2 comments about Sabbath Sense: A Spiritual Antidote for the Overworked.

1. This book is a down-to-earth and creative reflection on living in the awareness of the sacredness of time. It is written with an air of honest struggle. Schaper realizes the cultural forces that distract us and calls us to a new place. A great reminder!



2. 
   "To my hard-working mother," the dedication reads, "who never forgot how to play." For Donna Schaper and her interfaith family, Sabbath is more than a day of the week: It's a state of mind.
   
   With compassionate wit, she de-thrones a work ethic that no longer works. She models de-cluttering. Cajoles readers to embrace all those "unfinished" aspects of their lives, to see past the clamor and urgency. For Schaper, wife and mother of three, and a "circuit rider" for over 100 churches, recapturing the sacredness of time begins with a simple commitment: to pause more often and immerse in the moment.
   
   Throughout the book Schaper's quotable prose delights with its snap and shine, yet readers will also relish its depth. Energetic and ecumenical, she engages responsibly with current issues. For the overworked and overwhelmed she urges a gentle return to rituals, the kind that beautifully interrupt one's headlong pace--with peace.
   
   "[P]ack your spiritual baggage," she says, "and move to the neighborhood called Enough--enough time, enough rest, enough play."
   
   A book this good could change the way you live.

5 comments about Naked in the Boardroom: A CEO Bares Her Secrets So You Can Transform Your Career.

1. This is a good read. Robin looks back and reflects on her career to date. In an easy conversational tone she writes about what she did, how she did it and provides plenty of business insights with her "81 Naked Truths".
   
   She agrees with Marcus Buckingham's view on working from your strengths: "The lessons I learned in business all pint to one broad truth: Success follows when you use what you've got. You will succeed because of, not in spite of, your personal traits. The trick is to make your aptitude and flair work for you in a style that is uniquely yours. Page vii"
   
   If this work is a reflection of Robin's style, then I could work for her.
   
   "In the hundreds of conversations I've had with women on the cusp of greatness - whether over late night pizza or waiting at crowded airport gates - I've always ended up saying the same thing in different ways: Business is personal. Every necessary decision-making tool is already inside you - your experience, brain, and gut will tell you what to do, if you can access heir messages. This is a skill that can be honed, and this book - and taking on the challenges presented to you - will show you how to do that. Page viii"
   
   The personal approach in the book is somewhat unsettling when she gets into the parts where the men she meets look to take advantage of her as a woman. The perspective is insightful. She approached a situation as a simple meeting and yet there were already opportunities for it to be something other than the simpleness of her perspective. Hindsight is usually 20/20 but the outside observer I think would have raised red flags earlier than she acknowledges. Other than that, the situations are handled appropriately. I wonder how some of the men she writes of would have written of the same event?
   
   "Naked Truth #4 --- Terrible things can happen to a women in business; the victims let it ruin their careers, the victors move on."
   
   Moving on is a good thing. Good or bad, recognize the learning experience and go forward. Dwelling in the past, especially on the glory of a past accomplishment is as hindering to an individual as continuing to dwell on a wrong done. The chip on the shoulder is far more obvious to those around.
   
   "... early jobs helped me develop an important skill: finding satisfaction in achievements I could measure myself, and not to rely on praise from my boss. Page 25"
   
   She has been a life long learner. She appears to be a good observer of people.
   
   "Think about it: If progression up the career ladder is tied to achievement, the law of averages means that your bosses in your early jobs will be the least skilled ones you will encounter. You will need to measure your own performance and create your own report card. This is a skill worth developing, because if your boss later in your career is like I am, she will ask you to do a self-evaluation rather than give you one out of the blue. (It's less work for her.) So early on, learn to figure out the measures of success, and hold yourself to them. Page 27"
   
   The key aspect of success in life is where you start. If you can look at yourself in the mirror, know and accept who you are, and be able to execute within that arena, Robin says this in several ways during this book.
   
   "Become your own toughest critic, but don't share the self-criticism. Page 27"
   
   Definitely good advice. People think that are being helpful and honest when they share their faults. On the one hand, they are. On the other hand, it can easily be spun to be a negative. Don't put yourself down. Acknowledge needing to learn but done reveal the specifics.
   
   "Learning happens in every job but you have to pay attention. Page 34"
   
   Attention is so critical to life and business. By paying attention to what is happening you should be able to recognize what is an opportunity, a door opening especially for you to take, or a dead end where you need to sit back and evaluate the situation before proceeding.
   
   I can picture Robin sitting in a hotel lobby, settled in one of the comfy chairs, legs crossed and talking through the chapters in this book. She would punctuate some of the stories with laughter, some with sternness, some stories even with some brief bitterness, but always with a drive forward. A willingness and eagerness to do something different and successful. While she apparently was sitting on the sidelines to work on this book and raise her daughter, I can not see her sitting on the sidelines for long. She needs to be back in the business world.
   
   For good business advice in an easy read, I heartily recommend Naked in the Boardroom by Robin Wolaner.



2. I completely enjoyed reading this book. She tells it just as it was without any PR face. I really apreciate being able to take an in-depth look at how things function and I found the advice invaluable.



3. An easy to read book by Robin Woolaner, perhaps best known for founding Parenting Magazine. She recounts her experiences in business, and calls them out as ""Naked Truths.""
   
   For example, ""Naked Truth #60: Follow up is easy and instills trust"" and ""Naked Truth #21: When something happens that doesn''t sit well in the pit of your stomach, don''t forget that feeling even if the circumstances have changed. The feeling is real; the change in circumstances may not be.""
   She spends at least as much time on her failures as her successes and draws lessons from all her experiences.
   
   I got the feeling that at first this book was aimed at businesswomen, and then was recast as a general business book. Probably a book positioning move, and the book doesn''t suffer from it. That said, there are some lessons that apply specifically to women, for example ""Naked Truth #45: Women are damned as aggressive if we negotiate for more pay, and damnably underpaid if we don't. Force yourself to negotiate and learn how.""
   
   I read this is about three hours and enjoyed it. It would make a great airplane book. Some of the "Naked Truths" resonated strongly and will no doubt stay with me.



4. Excellent reading for any lady that wants to become a CEO or Exec VP. A career changing book to say the least as you enjoy sharing the authors secrets. This book is short & to the point; definite & helpful hints to incorporate into your daily strategies.



5. Robin Wolaner wholeheartedly believes that her willingness to show emotion, sensitivity and, yes, even vulnerability, in the workplace is the reason she succeeded in business. Her refreshing, candid book is more of a memoir than a business text or a step-by-step guide. In it she reveals business lessons through the lens of her own experiences. Her purpose is to help women utilize their unique strengths, follow their intuition and sharpen their decision-making skills. The practical tips at the end of each chapter simplify this process for the reader. Although Wolaner makes every effort to be as emotionally "naked" on the pages as she tried to be in the boardroom, she does now and then slip into a self-congratulatory or even slightly self-justifying tone, but she brings lots more to the table than that. getAbstract suggests that her frank, autobiographical business book is the perfect read for women who want to learn by example. And everyone will benefit from and enjoy her roster of "naked truths."

3 comments about Stairway to Success: The Complete Blueprint for Personal and Professional Achievement.

1. This book must have been read by every successful person. Its intriguing as well as informative style is one that can be found no where else. Nido is an extremely intelligent human being that ought to be listened to. Anyone that reads this book will definitely improve their lifestyle. All of Nido's books have been wonderful, and this one surely did not let me down. Everyone should get this book.



2. I found this book to be informative, motivational, and very impactful. I highly recommend it.



3. This is an outstanding book! I highly recommend it!
   
   Dr. Michael Beitler
   Author of "Strategic Organizational Change"

3 comments about The Way of Human, Volume I: Developing Multi-dimensional Awareness, the Quantum Psychology Notebooks (Way of the Human; The Quantum Psychology Notebooks) ... the Human; The Quantum Psychology Notebooks).

1. Not the path for everyone, as Wolinsky himself emphasizes, but The Way of the Human is a path for all who are willing - and still able - to inquire. If you have an open mind, Wolinsky will open it further. If you are a true believer, prepare to be outraged at least once per chapter.

   These three volumes offer some of the freshest insights into human psychology and spirituality that you will read anywhere. Included are ideas about the evolutionary origin of the psyche that you may have read about elsewhere but will now find have personal significance. Each volume contains exercises intended to lead to "multi-dimensional awareness" - mindfulness multiplied.

   Wolinsky refuses to be a "guru". You won't find an opiate in what he has to say. Nor will you find volumes that have been carefully edited. I find that I can't resist reading with a pencil in hand cleaning up typos, word transpositions, and much more so that next time around I can read straight through. These ideas deserve a better presentation. (But how many typos will you find in this review?)

   These three volumes offer the clearest introduction to his work. Read these before, and perhaps instead of, any of Wolinsky's earlier books.




2. An Excellent Introduction of Non-duality, or should I put it this way "Nisargadatta Maharaj's teaching in action". I cannot find words to express my gratitude to Dr. Wolinsky's work. I have red Nisargadatta Maharaj's "I am That", but did not fully understand some parts of it. The very fine teachings of Maharaj sometimes are very hard to understand, but Dr. Wolinsky made it easy for everyone.
   "The Way of The Human" is one of those rare books that not only gets to the essence of spiritual awakening, but also offers practical tools and guidance
   Excellent Material a work of brilliance, love, clarity and humility, giving us the tools we so deeply need for Self-realization.



3. This is my fourth book by this author. I haven't heard of his books before, but stumbled across them browsing titles on Amazon. Thought provoking, to say the least. I have digested these books by reading them, taking a break, then re-reading them later. I am very impressed with the author's attitude towards his own work. He is persistent in reminding his readers that his ongoing writings about Quantum Conciousness, are not for everyone. At the same time I can tell he has a heart for helping people come to a point of self-realization.
   
   I can't recommend which of Wolinsky's books should be read first. I am glad I read Quantum Consciousness and The Tao Of Chaos before reading this book. I could also see this as a good introduction to his other works. If you are a seeker, I think you must read at least one of his books. Prepare to be challenged.
   
   I judge a book by how many times it can be read and remain interesting. I believe Wolinsky's books are a good investment.

1 comments about Organizing for Success.

1. A must read for anyone who wants to get somewhere in life. Are you someone who just goes with the flow and then wonders why you're not getting where you want to be, or not getting there quick enough? Are you unhappy with the deck you are being dealt at work, or the path your career is taking? Are you trying to lead a company and you have nothing but headaches during your working day? If you answer "yes" to any one of these questions, then read this book. It's a very well written book on time management.
   
   The book addresses workload challenges, unproductivity, the importance of goals, and provides practical insights, good strategies, and helpful tips. It will inform you (or remind you) that good meetings are paramount at work. It points out that a well-kept desk as opposed to a sloppy one will make you a more productive person. And that phone calls and emails should not be an all-day thing; they should be compartmentalized and dealt with in time blocks.
   
   Although multitasking is probably the norm in most people's lives today, this book will remind you that making action item lists each morning and strategically organizing the action items is a far superior way of getting things done than just doing tasks as they show up in your face.
   
   The title of this book includes the word "success." And the author in his book talks about the importance of goals in order to have a chance at success. If one focuses on goals and maps out or plans a series of objectives necessary to reach those goals, then it's just a matter of performing the tasks necessary to meet the objectives to reach the goal. Spend your time doing the things that will move you toward your goals, and eliminate or minimize your participation in activities that don't help you reach your goals. That's the essence of time management, and the essence of the message of this book.
   
   It's an easy read, and one that is well worth your time.

No comments about Stand Up For Your Life.