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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The best psychology book of 2003, 14 Nov 2003
This review is from: What Happy People Know: You're Only 6 Steps Away From Happiness (Paperback)
This book fully fits in the current positive psychology movement, of which I consider emotional intelligence to be a part, too. The authors explain how many people tend to make themselves unhappy, by having the wrong expectations from life and by looking for happiness in the wrong places. Reading this book should help you change your minds and figure out why you must stop running those unhappiness patterns. The book is illustrated with numerous examples of how Dan baker helped his patients achieve this and at the end of the book you get an “action plan”, which is unfortunately only an overview table of the “do’s and don’ts of happiness”. I’ve hesitated to give this book only 4 stars, because for me it doesn’t fully live up to its promise of being a self-help book. It calls for a sequel, which should explain better how to use techniques such as “personal appreciation”, making perceptual shifts, managing your own emotions, using constructive questioning, etc. When I showed the book to some of my coaching customers of the past week, they were going: “Yeah, that makes sense, but how do I do it?” The good news is that there are many therapists and coaches who should have learned the techniques Baker & Stauth mention. It would be a good thing for their clients if they start reading and applying this book, in stead of creating “victims”, by leading their patients down the old therapeutic pathways. Luckily, you don’t have to start waiting for the sequel before you can get started on your own: If you haven’t been trained in the tools and techniques the authors recommend, either visit a coach who is willing to help you following these methods or search for a good introduction course in emotional intelligence or NLP to help you out. Patrick Merlevede, MSc author of “7 Steps to Emotional Intelligence”
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Six Steps to happiness, 12 Nov 2010
This review is from: What Happy People Know: You're Only 6 Steps Away From Happiness (Paperback)
This book really hit a nerve with me. I have bought this copy for a friend. I had been feeling fed up for a while, one thing after another not working out for me and found this book in a libary initially. There is nothing in here you do not already know however the stories told are fantastic examples of how anyone can be happy and reminder of what REALLY makes us happy is a brilliant reminder.
I particually like the '12 qualities of happiness' Love, Optimism, Courage, Sense of freedom, Proactivity, Security, Health, Spirituality, Alturism, Perspective, Humour and Puprose. Like I said there is nothing ground breaking and it does not actually tell you what to do to be happier, we are all different and need to makes different choices that are right for us.
So, am I any happier? The answer is yes, some days. I still and always will have off days, I go over individual chapters as and when I feel a little down and it does help.
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3.0 out of 5 stars
Not the best, not the worst, 18 Dec 2009
This review is from: What Happy People Know: You're Only 6 Steps Away From Happiness (Paperback)
I bought this so I could lend it to someone. I thought from the title that they'd find it useful but after I read it, I wasn't so sure so it's still sat on my shelf unlent...
I used to be unhappy but am now very happy and reading it for me was confirming that the way I think now is the way to be happy. But if you're locked into negative thinking habits, this book probably wouldn't have much of an impact on you? There may be one or two real nuggets in here, and as a positive person you can be satisfied with that, but a negative person will read it and see it as a waste of time perhaps.
Your reaction to a book like this ultimately will say more about the reader than the quality of the message I guess.
Yes maybe it's a worth a read, but I don't think it's a life changer?
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