I Love Books!

The Joy Diet by Martha Beck

I've read Beck's earlier work, Finding Your Own North Star: Claiming the Life You Were Meant to Live, and really enjoyed it, so I was thrilled when the library had the audio version of  The Joy Diet: 10 Daily Practices for a Happier Life available when I set out on a road trip earlier this month. 

Beck's style is simple, fun and encouraging.  While the diet metaphor seems a little stretched at times, the ideas are sound and even somewhat unique. In fact, I found the ideas in the book so useful for me and my clients I purchased a hardcopy as soon as I arrived home.

Beck maintains that unlike a food diet, with the joy diet you have to take the steps in order and master each one before moving onto the next.  The first step, getting quiet and doing nothing, is probably the hardest, and she gives ideas on what to do if you have a tough time mastering it.

The ten practices (in order) are:

- Do nothing for 15 minutes

- Tell yourself the truth (through a prescribed set of questions)

- Identify and explore a deep desire

- Explore creativity in bringing about your desire

- Take small risky steps toward your desires

- Give yourself at least three treats per day, one for taking the risk and two just because

- Turn your work into play

- Laugh at least 30 times per day.  (Does that seem like a lot or a little to you?  The average adult laughs 15 times per day -- the average child 300+ times!)

- Connect with someone important to you

- Feast with or without food, in other words celebrate moments by savoring them completely

Wisdom of the Peaceful Warrior, by Dan Millman

Wisdom of the Peaceful Warrior: A Companion to the Book That Changes Lives is a quick read and a great follow-up to the original book, Way of the Peaceful Warrior: A Book That Changes Lives which I wrote about here.  It is written in a very simple manner.  With a quote from the original text and additional information or answers to questions.  Written 25 years after the original, it seems to cover the most common questions Millman has been asked over the years.

It seemed like this could be akin to a magician revealing his secrets.  While answering a lot of my questions, enough mystery remained that I could remain intrigued by the original text.  And have a unique, personal experience with it. 

Now, I'm curious about the movie.  Has anyone seen it?

Way of the Peaceful Warrior, by Dan Millman

Okay, so I'm a little late to the game.  Way of the Peaceful Warrior: A Book That Changes Lives was originally published in 1980 and since then millions have read and loved it.  Now you can add me to the list.

It's hard to categorize this book.  Essentially it's the "basically true" story of Dan Millman's journey to discover himself.  Dan, a very successful college athlete feels empty, like something is missing inside, and meets a guide and teacher who helps him to find greater meaning and happiness.  It's part memoir and part how-to manual with a little bit of storytelling thrown in to tie the whole thing together.

I think one of the things that made it so compelling for me, was the "normalness" of Dan.  He didn't have a particularly wonderful or horrible life -- places we often think we need to be for things to really change.  Instead, he took his everyday, regular human-ness, and found something greater within himself, and could see the world in a different way.

Millman has a whole series of books (and you already know how much I like a good series!) and I've just checked out Wisdom of the Peaceful Warrior: A Companion to the Book That Changes Lives .  It's builds on some of the concepts from the original book.  I'll let you know what I think.

The Success Principles, by Jack Canfield

As a Life Coach, I read a lot of personal development and self-help type books.  I'm always looking for ways to better help my clients (and I might learn a thing or two myself!).  This book was recommended to me by friend and client, Janine Adams. 

The Success Principles, How to Get from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be is one of the most thorough personal development books I have ever read!  It seemed a little overwhelming at first with 64 principles and 475 pages.  Really, who can be expected to remember 64 principles that take an average of seven pages each to explain?  But then I started reading it.  It is well-written, easy to read, lots of great examples and really powerful information.  If you use it like a workbook and actually do the exercises and experiments that Canfield recommends, you could turn your life around in a very short time.

Not just theoretical, this book really covers how to be the person you want to be, do the things you want to do and have the life you've always dreamed about.  It is like having your own personal coach in book form.  I'd love to hear your personal experiences in using the principles Canfield recommends.

For more information, visit The Success Principles Website.