Really Thought Provoking

This is my first and I hope many more reviews to come, as I find them very useful in choosing whether to buy a book or not.<br /><br />Anyway, I have had this book for 3 months now and found it completely enthralling. The book is about why we all at times make irrational choices such as when we are in groups, committees and depending on our emotional state. It all seems to"click" and when you see real life examples at work you feel as if you know why! For me it does make me aware of how I am making my decision.<br /><br />I recommend this for anyone interested in how the human mind comes to decisions, why politicians make awful policies and cannot go back and why military generals should not believe in their own abilities.

An invitation to read the book

I read the book some years ago. It seemed to make sense but didn't stick by me. However, when you hear Covey and his stories, it is more convincing then print. When I have the time I'll pick the book up again. Covey's voice and tone are not the most entertaining but the clear presentation of ideas and his stories make up for this. <br /><br />This isn't an audio book. It is more like a speech with some comments and music in between to cut it up in chapters. If I buy an e-book it's because I want to hear it while doing other stuff. The CD contains one track of approx 70 minutes. Several tracks so you it would be easier to pick up where you left before would be better.

type is better then audio for some things

If you the sort of person who"knows" they could do a hell of a lot better if they just got up in the mornings and went for it, then welcome to your future. <br /><br />I want to compare this to the audio courses, because i hope that the reader will either have tried the courses and just not acted on them or, maybe they find the price of the courses too high and so avoided Tony. Well i got news for you, take your time with this book, read a page or three and then put it down. Take in what you have read, slowly work your way through it and you have more than the audio courses. You see, the guy might sound nice, but boy can this guy write! <br /><br />It is an easy book, but its big and the info is rich. Every few pages you should get closer to understanding what you need to do. Let me put it this way, I have the business most of you would want. <br /><br />I sort of had it before reading this book. I could walk out the door and work when i wanted, the problem is, I never wanted to. Something stopped me, I stopped me. As a born procrastinator I was doomed. My whole life was facing ruin. Then, I had the good fortune to listen to a course a friend gave me. It was good, and to a degree it set my mind in the right direction. But it did not quite register and although the audio courses might work for some, I just felt like I knew what I had to do but still was not doing it. <br /><br />So, I bought this book (its cheaper at amazon than what i paid) and it was the best investment I have ever made. You see, it suddenly hit me that the reason I was not walking through my door and working was because I had never really learned how to make a decision. Anyway, I shall not babble any longer, just to say that due to this book I now earn a lot of money, but, much much more importantly, I do it in such a way as i can not wait to get to work every day. I constantly think about how I can make improvements, not just money but to my whole life and those around me.<br /><br />so, my recommendation, buy this book for yourself if you think you need a push. More importantly, buy it for someone you know and give them the greatest gift ever.<br /><br />good luck, not that you need it.<br /><br /><br />So, Thanks Tony, I owe you one, mate.<br />

Love You Mr Richards

First I got the book which I thought was excellent, then I got the CD which is amazing. I feel a different person, my outlook is bright, I just seem to know which decision is right. The Cosmic Ordering book and CD combo is a must have. Thank you soon much Stephen Richards.

A Bad MIx of Some Great Works

As one other reviewer, I bought this book because I liked the title. But that is where the similarity of our reviews ends.<br /><br />The book is strange in the way the story develops, and the aide memoires used by Sharma are bizarre in the extreme. While I recognise the sense in providing some life lessons in stroy format, it does not gel well, and has a lot of mixed messages in the delivery (e.g. Julian Mantle (the monk) advocates the seeking of a simple life free from materialism, but then says that the techniques can be used to acumulate wealth, and material possessions.)<br /><br />It is a poor blend of Napoleon Hills"Think and Grow Rich" - a more preferrable read - and some Eastern Mysticism. I think a lot of the impact is lost in the unfeasibility of the monks in the himalayan hills (not to mention the ease with which Julian apparently finds them!). It is like a blend of red wine and a single malt. Work well on their own, but have little business being put together!<br /><br />It is my habit to complete a book, but this has been turgid going, and frankly of little or no value.

Upbeat ode to confidence and a positive attitude

David J. Schwartz wrote this book nearly 50 years ago, but its principles are as fresh as the latest positive thinking seminar. Attitude, says the author, determines whether people embrace opportunities in life, and how they handle difficulties and challenges. He teaches that professional and personal success is rooted in self-confidence, conviction and optimism. Schwartz's advice and recommendations hold up, though you may wonder what planet you're on when he refers to $65 weekly salaries and $1,200 down payments on homes. Life obviously has changed dramatically in the past half-century and, considering the vast number of self-help books on the market, Schwartz's ideas hardly seem revolutionary, though they may have been at the time. We believe this classic retains its valuable foundation: A basic, useable approach to pursuing a happy, purposeful life.

Great book

I am new to NLP and I found this book to be clearly written,concise and very well structured. It has given me an excellent understanding of how the processes, concepts and tools work. It will take a good amount of commitment to learn the whole book but definitely worth it. I can believe that you won't have to do a course necessarily if you assimilate the book and actively apply the principles.

Deep, full of insight, helpful and a little loony.

Just get it. It'll cost you a penny second hand, and it's well worth it. I mean just look at the fact there are 38 reviews to it's name!<br /><br />But beware, he's going to talk about God. That's right, a psychotherapist talking about God. He only does so however in the last section and by then you've got enough benefit from it to throw it away with a smile and no resentment, no matter how hardened an atheist you are.<br /><br />

A total mind shift! Total accountability! Freedom

Dr Joe Vitale intriguingly documents his own journey of mental and emotional transformation and how he came to understand the Hawaian method of attracting health, wealth and happiness. As you read he masterfully takes you through his memories as if you were there experiencing each it with him. You find yourself asking the same questions, having the same feelings and having the same revelations that he had as your perspective is dramatically changed. An insightful read that is well worth every moment! I couldn't put it down.

Interesting and thought-provoking, but limited in its practical effectiveness

I can't think of any non-religious individual more qualified to address the terror of death, man's strongest and most natural fear, than Dr. Irvin D. Yalom. Having recognized that death anxiety is oftentimes at the root of his many patients' problems, he developed his own brand of existential psychology (even as the profession moved away from this type of approach) to help get to the root causes, no matter how hidden they might be from the surface, of many of his patients' problems. Basically, Yalom : Death :: Freud: Sex. The good doctor has also mined the thoughts and insights of many a great philosopher in formulating his psychological world view (his incredible novel, When Nietzsche Wept, is what introduced me to Yalom in the first place). There's also the fact that Yalom is now in his mid-seventies, an age at which you can't help but come to some kind of terms with your own mortality. Never one to isolate his professional self from his patients or readers, Yalom shares his own personal feelings and thoughts to an unprecedented degree in these pages. <br /><br />Fear of death is the one thing that unites all of mankind. Even our most idyllic days of childhood offer no immunity from it, as that is when most of us are forced to confront death for the first time - be it a grandparent, aunt, pet, etc. Granted, I have the kind of mind that seemingly begs to be someone's case study, but some of my earliest memories had me wondering if I might already be lying dead in my coffin, dreaming my life over again - and I have long predicted that I would die at 42 (I hope I'm wrong, since 42 isn't all that far away now). At least I, as a Christian, know that death is in no way the end; I can't really imagine how atheists could ever come to terms with the looming nothingness awaiting them in their graves. Since Yalom is such an atheist, I was most interested in seeing what he would have to say on the subject. <br /><br />The basic message I get from this book is that one must identity and then confront one's fear of death, for in doing so you can learn to appreciate life all the more. Yalom talks a lot about the positive correlation between one's sense of"the unlived life" and death anxiety, and it would certainly seem to be true that many individuals (including yours truly) let their fears hold them back from living life to the fullest. To hear Yalom describe cases in which people broke through their walls of fear to find a new and extremely passionate love for life is undeniably inspirational. His is an Epicurean philosophy, and Yalom shows how"eat, drink, and be merry for tomorrow you may die" is a distorted and far too simplistic concept of his favorite philosopher's beliefs. Epicurus, Yalom tell us, believed the whole point of philosophy was to relieve human misery - and that a great deal of said misery was a product of the omnipresent fear of death. Yalom also emphasizes the concept of rippling as a counter argument to the often cited transiency of human life. The things we do and say will affect others on down the line long after we are dead and forgotten. Frankly, the concept of rippling doesn't do a whole lot for me, but it is the kind of argument atheists have to make in order to convince themselves that their lives are not inherently meaningless. <br /><br />Basically, Yalom tells readers that they can create their own fates, one which they can embrace rather than cower before in fear, and he offers examples of individuals who overcame debilitating death anxiety and emerged as happier, more alive men and women capable of living their lives and connecting with their fellow man in ways they could never have imagined. For my money, though, Yalom's own personal ideas and insights make for the most interesting reading. It's not every day that a leading existential psychologist grants us entry into his most personal and deepest thoughts. Does Yalom succeed in offering"specific methods" with which to battle death anxiety? No, not really, but I will say that I found the book fairly inspirational and thought-provoking. Still, Yalom's personal dismissal of any and all religious beliefs his readers (and undoubtedly a significant number of his patients) may have is a definite weakness that calls into question its ultimate effectiveness. Rooted in secular humanism, though, Staring at the Sun can only take the religious reader so far, for the utter finality of death is not an obstacle of death anxiety that we have to overcome.

Absolutelly essential book for any shelf

As a trainee teacher I have found this completely vital for informing planning of so many lessons. It contains a wealth of ideas for every teaching and learning style with detailed explanations and justification for each teaching technique. Written and illustrated with passion and vigour, Ginnis conveys an infectious passion for teaching on every page which in itself is inspirational. By explaining the reasoning behind each teaching technique this book becomes a mine of useful tools and not just another book of random activities with no direction. Absolutely brilliant read.

So simple it made me sit up and take action.

I highly successful business colleague gave me this book. Another book that contains principles so simple you want to slap yourself for dragging your feet and into sorting yourself out and having the rewarding life you want. This book is truly written with warmth and love that can be felt when reading.

Absolutely worth it!

I was quite sceptical when I was first told to read this book because I have read other books on cognitive therapy and I had been bitterly disappointed but this book changed things for me. I also found that how I felt was completely normal at the time because I still get the same reaction from others to whom I recommend this book. All one has to do is to be really open to change and the suggestions and advice in this book can definitely change one's life for the better. It is not easy to leave old habits behind and to learn new ones and I often wondered, whilst reading it, if I could be bothered with this life long task. Because remember, it IS a life long task. It is a journey that you have to embark on to change years and years of ingrained thinking patterns which is ever so hard to, first, get your head around and then secondly, to actually action. But please try it and do not despair because with the help of this wonderful book everyone can obtain the ability to break free from life traps that prevent us from living a psychologically better life, becoming more self-aware and altogther calmer and more in control. I really suggest that you take the chance! You will thank me for it later...

consolation in hard times, and making good times super

<br />From what ever dire straith we are in, we can feel a bit better about it, and think about in a way that gives us relief, this in my perception is the premise of this book. What would be nice is to read real life examples of people who have put the processes into practice. I did the one on relationships and did feel better about the whole situation. These thoughts patterns have another positive side effect, they put us into a situation which will allow us to act and regain our emotional stability. They seem simple, deceptively so, but they are powerful. Sometimes its the simple things which have the most profound effect.

great but too much of the same thing

Actually when i first opened it, i found it fascinating. The ideas behind it are great (even though it doesn't always work for everything) but soon it goes on and on, round and round the same thing. It's not a big book already, i think it should be even shorter and to the point and could tell a bit about the controversial issues that it takes to: STOP THINKING ABOUT EVERYTHING... Still, i think it's a great book!

Making"The Way" More Accessible

I believe that this book and the book"Understanding: Train of Thought" <br />are the two most influential books on the market. These books are <br />designed to be savored one page at a time and they are full of life <br />lessons, which are done in such a way that will help you create a <br />more joyous life. I can't recommend these books highly enough.<br />

I am Confused!

I am looking for a book on Puberty for my ten year old son (and for me, being a girl I know nothing about boys and puberty!). I have looked at this one to see what the review says and the reviewer says she bought it for her daughter! Presumably this is in the wrong place? I am really struggling with this as for books where the age range is described as 9-12, the reviewers seem to be saying they are aimed at teenagers. Most of the other reviews refer to teenagers as well. Could we have better age range guides, please?! I have given the book 1 star, not because it isn't any good, I haven't read it (I am trying to find out whether I should!!), but because the system tells me I have to.

Fantastic

Through anecdotes about his practice and examples of the stories he used, My Voice will go with You is a fascinating and highly readable insight into the genius of Erickson. The stories are always compelling; often funny; and occasionally bizarre; making this a really enjoyable read. The only problem for me is that many of the stories are so context specific that it is difficult to know how they could be applied elsewhere. Nevertheless this a fun, easy read and there are many ideas that you can apply in your own metaphors.

Helpful

This is a concise and helpful little book. Guides you through the entire research process. If you want Heavier technical info on statistics or SPSS you need Healey (’Statistics: A tool for Social Research’) or Bryman (’Quantitative Data Analysis With SPSS Release 13 for Windows’). However this book is a great starting point, and provides a list of suggestions for further reading at the end of each chapter. Brief but fairly comprehensive, it covers ethics, access, analysis, literature review, note taking, etc.

This is by no means the most detailed book on the subject (if more detail is required, for example if studying research methods in itself as a part of your course, consult Bryman ’Social Research Methods’) however the title is appropriate, containing ’A guide for first time researchers’. The blurb says: ’serves as a guide to practice for beginner researchers’ which it does very well.

Hence 5 stars.

Worthy of a read if you can bear the style.

According to Edward de Bono's book-jacket biography, there are over 4,000,000 references to his work on the internet . The figure is to be found from general search results, which will throw up all references to anyone called Edward, as well as all references to Bono. Dr de Bono has clearly not thought this through, which is unfortunate for someone whose book claims to deliver a supreme method for thinking. This very fact that such a dishonest exaggeration of the author's importance is given within the first paragraph sets the tone that continues throughout this entire book (in the second paragraph, he reports that he was named one of the 250 most important people who have contributed to humanity throughout history: Jesus Christ, Mohammed, Buddha, Lao Tzu, Homer, Pythagoras...Edward de Bono?!).<br /><br />That's not to say there is no merit in this book at all, even if the method is not entirely idiot [i.e. de Bono] proof. The Six Hats method enables us to evaluate any given situation by applying a series of approaches to our thinking. According to de Bono, these six approaches (objective, emotional, cautious, optimistic, creative, control) encapsulate the full spectrum of human thought, although most untrained people limit their potential for thinking in habitually applying only one or two. <br /><br />The beauty of the method is in the simplicity - it is easy to grasp and easy to apply (though the author's struggle to pad out this simple idea for 177 pages is at times nothing short of painful, and most readers will grasp the method effectively by reading only the key parts of each section). It might well change the way you think for the better; that is, if you can bear to put up with de Bono's self-aggrandising, word-filling style.