Choose the Life You Want: The Mindful Way to Happiness Paperback – March 11, 2014

I have to admit that I'm a fan of Tal Ben Shahar. His first two books plus his Positive Psychology training course have positively influenced my life.He even influenced my MBA research orientation when I choose the "Sense of Coherence" , a coping model that Tal advocates, as the core of my MBA Leadership research thesis , which made it initially controversial to my school (dealing with psychology rather than pure business) . Yet it was a great academic experience with a lot of contribution to my resilience.When this book came out and I passed through its table of content, I didn't expect much more than a "me too" version of his compilation book "Even Happier".To my surprise, this book turns out to be the best & most practical work for Tal!Not only that the format of the book is easily accessed through the "lessons" presentation style that can be chosen by the reader according to situational needs, but also the book is written in a style that combines scientific perspectives with inspirational stories & creative metaphors in a literary style.On the other hand, I find at least 30% of the psychological interventions & advises in the book as novel & never presented before by Tal: Lessons like Loving-kindness meditation, deceptive brain messages, listening to silence and many more, were indeed A-ha moments to me.The greatest lesson I learned was this: It seems that over- analysis of oneself through dealing with self help books can be a source of misery rather than happiness, real happiness comes from focusing outward rather than onward. That was a real sound advice to me , as a self-help addict reader.By the end of the book, I realized that Tal has covered almost everything in the realm of the empirically tested self help & P.P techniques.That's why now I choose to call this book the "encyclopedia" of self help.The only downside of this book is that it has too much of "good things" that can be sometimes overwhelming. To benefit from the book, I had to go picky & choose what sounds more influential to my life.But yes, Tal has done it again.

This book gets this rating for it really explains the small choices it took for you to find happiness. You were more mindful.

I have watched the entire lecture series from psych 1504 on you tube. This short, easily read book distills the wisdom of those lectures into a great source of strength and happiness that can be referred to as often as one likes and whenever needed to bring about a positive attitude adjustment.permission to be human,learn to fail, and throw the knapsack over the wall are some of my favorites along with the upward spiral of appreciation and gratitude.Tal, I hope you put together the online masters degree in positive psychology. I have already read many of the books you referenced in class and welcome the opportunity to learn more. I am almost sixty years old, but can still learn new tricks.

Happiness is a choice you make every day. This book provides tips for every day happiness. I like that you can pick this book up for 5 minutes and set it back down. It's a great book to read before bed time. I like how the author takes negative perspectives and re-frames them through a positive lens. It's not fluff, it is practical advice for how you choose to show up every day.

I always buy these books when I am feeling motivated for a positive change and then eventually lose interest. While I will admit I go through fits and spurts of "self improvement", I found this book (like many others) to be a bit unrealistic in what is being asked of the reader. For example, sometimes people annoy me and there is very little to be learned from them except how to avoid them. That being said, some of the meditations are gentle reminders that we do not always have to succumb to our negative emotions and we should look on the bright side of things when we can. These are both easy to put into practice... and just as easy to ignore.My recommendation? Wait a week and if you are still feeling the urge to be a better person, pick it up. If after a week, you've forgotten, I just saved you $10-$15 which will buy a lovely meal you should enjoy with friends.

At the start I thought of this book, as another list of daily suggestions on how to better lead your life, but as I began reading it, and mainly for the stories that the author shares with the reader in each mini-chapter, I found again, the wise ideas that the author, shares with the reader. I have also read and have a hard copy of Happier, also by the same author, another book that I also like and where I underlined many pieces of text.But back to Choose the life...I found interesting, the "do this or do that" alternatives offered in the 101 options to choose from, which is wonderfully explained in the introduction. A good book for me. Raúl

As I started this, I quickly realized that while is could fall into the "quick read" category, it is better digested slowly. I made it part of my morning routine, and read a "way to happiness" each day.There wasn't anything mind-blowing in this book, rather, it delivers just what it advertises: a way to mindfulness. The book looks at your life, and your outlook on your life and circumstances, as a choice of perspectives; whatever is causing you anxiety or distress at this current moment probably has a flip-side that would create a more positive feeling. For each of the 101 choices, there is an anecdote offered that illustrated the success found when the positive view is taken. Our perspective dictates our reality.It is a worthwhile read, and if you can be mindful enough to remember these choices when you're faced with trouble, I've little doubt that the lessons of this book can change your life.

This is an excellent book that everybody should read. Excellent material and condition.

O conteúdo do livro é muito estimulante ! Vale a pena ler ! Contudo os de Albert Ellis são melhores !

Es un libro excelente, me lo recomendaron mucho y sin duda alguna es una obra de arte. Es un libro sin lugar a dudas que marca tu vida de forma positiva.

It has been a wonderful read. You will definitely get a handful of good advices and guidance that definitely impacts your life positively if followed.

Professor Tal Ben-Shahar is writing to everyone. Not only interesting and well presented but also easily understandable. I love his teaching approach and his writing too. His view on life and his advices well worth to read. I recommend to everyone who wants to have a better quality of life.