This was a free Kindle book full of funny advice complimented by illustrations and photographs about how not to become your parents by Dr. Rick of theThis was a free Kindle book full of funny advice complimented by illustrations and photographs about how not to become your parents by Dr. Rick of the Progressive commercials. It's a quick read, a person could get through it before their tea gets cold.
Some of the advice I didn't agree with. For example, Dr. Rick says aprons are only for protecting a cook's clothing and should not contain messages. C'mon! You should see the HILARIOUS Heisenberg "Let's Cook" apron I bought for Lisa. I'm still laughing.
Most of the advice is right on but unfortunately much too late for an old fellow like myself who is probably un-savable. This is a fun light read if you need a few laughs. ...more
This is a tough one to review. Some parts were really interesting to me and some parts weren't but maybe would be to others with different life experiThis is a tough one to review. Some parts were really interesting to me and some parts weren't but maybe would be to others with different life experiences than me. Overall, though, I liked it as it gave me some context in to some mental illnesses I have no experience with, and it made me think differently about issues that I could relate to.
Cons: (1) Wow, there is a lot of swearing in this. It felt a bit over-the-top at times. I don't mind swearing at all (I've seen Chris Rock in concert three times) but sometimes it was jarring and she tended to use other unnecessary adjectives (like ass(UGH)), too. I guess maybe she is trying to appeal to younger, hipper readers than gray, old me. (2) The audiobook recording was probably the worst quality I've ever heard. It sounds like it was recorded in a closet or bathroom on an iPhone. I got used to it after a while but I know from personal experience you can get a good headset with microphone that sounds at least acceptable for fairly cheap. Why wouldn't you care about how your own book sounds? (3) I'd say over half the book is about the affects of trauma on our brains and self harm, and there are short chapters devoted to anxiety, depression, and anger - the three subjects which I was interested in learning about. There was also a chapter on addiction which was interesting. (4) She goes down the pseudoscience woo path with alternative medicines and treatments (like reiki and universal energy). To her credit she warns the reader that she were were entering "woo-woo" territory and explains why she thinks some of it makes sense.
Pros: (1) The writing style was really down to earth and Dr. Faith comes across as a caring, personable, and sincere person. She forgoes big "doctor" words and conveys her points in a way an everyday chap such as myself can follow. (2) The aforementioned chapters about anxiety, depression, and anger really hit home with me. She mad great points about how these conditions manifest themselves in your brain and some tactics to handle them better. (3) It's short, and it's never dull or slow!
Every human has mental health issues, and I think there is something in this book for everyone. Even though I'm lucky to not have to deal with trauma or addiction I came away understanding these issues better and understanding what sufferers of these are going through. But most of the issues she talks about probably apply to most of us in some fashion.
If interested in this, I would recommend buying a paper copy as you don't have to suffer through the poor audio book quality and the paper book contains a recommended reading section which I would've liked to peruse. Also, you could highlight parts.
Because of it's delivery it's certainly not the self-help book for everyone. There are certainly some polar opposite ratings and reviews of it out there. I'm giving the audiobook 3.5 stars.
The Richest Man in Babylon is a fantastic little book which I believe should be required reading in high school along with typical collection of the gThe Richest Man in Babylon is a fantastic little book which I believe should be required reading in high school along with typical collection of the great books we all had to read. It was recommended by a financial planner whose podcast I listen to. Basically this is a collection of short and simple financial parables told by a Babylonian who rose from being a slave to the richest man in the city.
Even though it was written in 1926 and the fictional narrator lived 4,000 years ago the advice given is simple and relatable, and still relevant in today's modern world. I wasn't taught personal financial management at all in high school, which is so important. I really didn't understand basic economics or investing 101 until I got in to college. I hope this has changed since I attended high school in the 1980s, and don't recall what my sons were taught in high school or college. At the very least, this little book would be a good introduction of money management, and put some good basic advice in their head.
I'm going to buy a couple copies for stocking stuffers this Christmas.
Also included in my copy was the The Magic Story which is about a short tale, found in an old discarded scrapbook, which positively changes the lives of all who hear or read it. ...more
I found this book while organizing our home library. No idea how I ended up with it or where it came from. I hope past Jeff didn't spend money on it. I found this book while organizing our home library. No idea how I ended up with it or where it came from. I hope past Jeff didn't spend money on it.
The author claims that the book "sets forth a new view of the world and of life" and "presents a new guideline for human thought and action". He refers to the harmony of the behavior of energy forms (life) as "pro-evolution-ness" (pro-evo) and, vice-versa, "anti-evolution" is the obstructing of cosmic evolution based on negative thoughts and actions. It feels very new-agey, and to bring it down to earth there are a number of quotes thrown in here and there from the likes of Julian Huxley and Lao Tzu and references to the works of Einstein, Heisenberg, Plato, and many other well know scientists and philosophers.
This feels like someone's woo-ey interpretation of an ethical system which isn't that different from any other. Follow your conscience, be a good person, do the right thing. Nothing new, just new terminology. Most of the book was very skim-worthy with just quick hits on a number of different subjects.
The blubs on the back of the book are questionable:
"The author should make the book available everywhere-so many people would be helped." - A large country's institution for press, books, films, television, and radio.
What?!
"The book may be a catalyst for the process of human renewal." - Dr. H.D.W., physics.
"The principle to guide human thought and action is convincing." - P.H., Chinese scientist
No names given on all seven blurbs. You can't make this stuff up! Or can you?...more
It's pretty cool to be driving to work while listening to the thoughts of a Roman emperor from almost two thousand years ago. He touches on a variety It's pretty cool to be driving to work while listening to the thoughts of a Roman emperor from almost two thousand years ago. He touches on a variety of subjects in Meditations. I found some of this interesting and some tedious. The philosophy parts seemed generic and like something I've heard from other philosophers since. Aurelius was one of the first to write down his musings and life affirmations and he comes across as a brilliant and introspective man. Equally interesting was hearing how he thought the world worked, it was fascinating to hear how a highly educated man of his time thought.
I listened to this on Librivox and the narration quality was uneven and audio quality really poor with some narrators. It was hard to listen to at times. Perhaps I'll buy this at a used bookstore someday and give it another shot. Maybe my experience will be better. As it stands, it was worth my time but not particularly memorable. ...more
I liked Waking Up for the most part, some parts had me riveted but there were also parts where I felt like fast-forwarding. In the book, Sam Harris prI liked Waking Up for the most part, some parts had me riveted but there were also parts where I felt like fast-forwarding. In the book, Sam Harris provides an overview for the nonreligious how to be spiritual – or more specifically, how to be more aware of one’s consciousness and peacefulness by meditation. He states, “Spirituality remains the great hole in secularism, humanism, rationalism, atheism, and all the other defensive postures that reasonable men and women strike in the presence of unreasonable faith.” Harris is a neuroscientist and has a knack for explaining how our brains work and how mental discipline can lead one to a happier life.
Harris attempts to wrestle the concept of spirituality away from where it as always resided, in the minds of believers of the supernatural. He argues that spiritually is a natural state based on experience and neurology and not anything supernatural or religious. He takes down the claims of near-death experiences, especially some of the recent high-profile cases which resulted in the subjects making millions on their New York Times bestseller-list book. Also fantastic was the conclusion of the book, in which Harris takes off the gloves in his criticism of religion. He contends, "We have failed, generation after generation, to abolish the delusions and animosities of our ignorant ancestors. The worst ideas continue to thrive and are still imparted in their purest form to children.”
Also interesting was the chapter about pharmacology. Harris talks about the therapeutic benefits of certain illegal drugs such as LSD and Ecstasy. I've never heard someone talk about such drugs in a positive, neurological context.
The parts of the book that lost me were where Harris talks about his mediation training under his Eastern spiritual leaders. The history of some of these gurus and their movements seemed to drag a bit and felt like unnecessary information.
I listened to his in audio and it was read by Sam himself. He has a pleasant but monotonous voice. There are parts I will go back and listen to. Overall, a good read....more
Ummmm........this book was clearly not intended for my ilk - an old guy who has been married to the same person for 29 years, been with the same emploUmmmm........this book was clearly not intended for my ilk - an old guy who has been married to the same person for 29 years, been with the same employer for 25 years, and lived in the same house for 28 years. A boring person. I could relate to a lot of what Manson said because been there-done that. I probably would've got a lot out of this book and enjoyed it had I read it 30 years ago but reading it as an older person I grew tired of the gratuitous swearing, poop jokes, and sex jokes. And I'm really not in to self help books, anyway.
But hey, millennials! Read this! You'll definitely get something out of it and enjoy the "cool" presentation.
I didn’t hate it, though, and really did enjoy a few chapters. The Freedom Through Commitment chapter was totally relatable to me. In the chapter Something Beyond Our Selves he banters about our "immortality projects", or what we are doing to see that we live on in the world after our deaths. The book finishes on a high note with the chapter The Sunny Side of Death in which he offers constructive ways to appreciate life by facing the inevitability of death.
A couple of quotes I enjoyed:
"Victimhood chic is in style on both the right and the left today among both the rich and the poor. In fact, this may be the first time in human history that every single demographic group has felt unfairly victimized simultaneously."
"The pampering of the modern mind has resulted in a population that feels deserving of something without earning that something."
Yup.
Overall, it was an OK read so I'm giving it two stars....more
This book was excellent. I listened to the audio book version read by the author, and enjoyed it much more than his other book I just listened to, TheThis book was excellent. I listened to the audio book version read by the author, and enjoyed it much more than his other book I just listened to, The Tipping Point. I listened to most of Outlier on a road trip with rapt attention, I found it so interesting. The basic premise of the book is that there is more than meets the eye to the super successful people or "outliers" in society such as Bill Gates, The Beatles, and elite soccer players and hockey players. I won't say what his reasoning is based on but he makes a convincing case in each example. He also touches on a lot of other subjects such as why math is easier for Asians, why America is falling behind in education, and how a culture's social idiosyncrasies can cause problems in the workplace; the latter was illustrated using stories of airline pilots from different countries.
Highly recommended for anyone with interest in business and biographical books. Now I must go and get my 10,000 hours of practice in on my guitar. ...more
I thought The Tipping Point was OK. I thought the chapters about the success of Sesame Street and how the Ya Ya Sisterhood took off were interesting. I thought The Tipping Point was OK. I thought the chapters about the success of Sesame Street and how the Ya Ya Sisterhood took off were interesting. Some of the trends in the book seemed to be a bit too complex to explain in the simple fashion in which he used. The book reminded me a bit of Freakonomics, but the latter book made more sense to me. I'm going to give Gladwell's book Outliers a try next. ...more
What a gem this book is. I’ve been playing golf since taking lessons in grade school and I wish I had known of this book when it came out twenty yearsWhat a gem this book is. I’ve been playing golf since taking lessons in grade school and I wish I had known of this book when it came out twenty years ago. I love playing but have never been very good, but back when I was younger and half-way decent I used to say that if I had a sports psychologist playing with me to talk me off the ledge when my mental game collapsed I would’ve been a bit better and enjoyed the game more. I typically start a round stress-free and relaxed, enjoying just being out and sometimes even killing it like the Bishop in Caddyshack, but all it takes is a bad hole and I feel the doubt and anxiety take over my brain. My confidence drains away, self doubt takes over, and every shot becomes a mental struggle. Getting over this kind of mental block is one of the issues Dr. Bob Rotella addresses in this fantastic little book. I’m not surprised that a number of professional golfers have been advised by the author. What is that old saying? The most difficult distance to master in golf is the one between your ears. I have found this to be 100% true.
This is a thin book with twenty-nine short chapters with great advice applicable to a number of different situations in golf and approaches to take to stay positive. Examples of chapter titles are: A Golfer's Sense of Self, How Memory Works, Staying in the Present, Anger and Acceptance, Trust, Butterflies, Patience, Visualization, and The Myth of the Killer Instinct. He also addresses the proper mental approach to tee shots, approach and chipping, and putting. He covers it all. At the end of each chapter he has the main points summarized in short sentences which aids in remembering them. There is nothing in here about physically improving your swing or putting, that’s on you. That's what your golf pro is for. The doc is here to explain to you the golfer’s mind and how to use it to your advantage rather than having it be your foe.
The book is also full of interesting and entertaining anecdotes from his career as a golf psychologist.
A minor gripe I had is that it feels like it’s written for players better than myself. I’m a bogie golfer and he addresses what a golfer can do to get the bad taste of a bogey out of their system. Hell, half the bogies I get I’m OK with. Could’ve been worse, one poorly executed shot per hole is acceptable to me at this stage in my life.
I think any golfer will find this useful and recognize themselves in some or many of the issues he addresses. Playing against some of these courses is hard enough without having to battle your inner demons, too. I think this book will help me. ...more
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