Recommended Books

We are so obsessed with our dreams that we have forgotten how to obtain them. This exciting new e-book will show you how. "Here's my question to you: If you could find a resource that offered everything you ever wanted to know, on how and what you had to do to become happy and wealthy would you be interested? Well you have found it. If you're really interested in making a better life for yourself and your willing to learn and practice these simple principals then you have found what you are looking for. My method for obtaining the happiness and wealth you want can work for you." Mark Claridge's book is simply a "must have" for those who are serious about achieving their full potential. Everyone can benefit from using the techniques in this book. And, as a bonus, Mark also includes some very useful and relevant books for free. Click here to read more

All Winners Are Losers

When looking for our own self-development we are often bombarded by slogans that claim to show us the ‘key to success’, or steps that can guarantee that we ‘win in life’, no matter what it is we want. But, can we be winners and, more importantly, should we strive to be winners?

Life is hard; from the moment you are born, gasping for your first breath, till the moment you die, gasping for your last. Life throws many obstacles, frustrations and tragedies at us. And most of us feel powerless to prevent or avoid what is being thrown at us. It seems only natural and right to want to overcome these unpleasant events: to surmount them, to rid our lives of them, to win. When searching for the winning formula, we find many self-proclaimed experts who tell us that if we do as they do we too can be a successful winner like them. They preach that we only need a ‘key’ or a technique to acquire a winner’s mentality to rid ourselves of failure. And, for a fee they’ll show us how!

Should we be following in the footsteps of these win-at-all-cost gurus? It's awfully tempting, especially when we see the lifestyle that these people claim to have; the big house, the flash car, the smart clothes and the big cheesy grin. For these people life seems to be an ordered, mapped out plan with success upon success, win after win. So, should we be striving to win everything, just like them? I think not.

When I look closely at one of these 'winning gurus', I can see that there is something about them that is missing. Sure, they have all the material possessions I don't have. They have that look of confidence that I know I don't have. Life is easy for them, whereas I find it a real struggle at times. That big, assured grin can't hide what is missing; their humanity. A human being will and must experience failure and loss. The first step in being a successful human being is to accept this.

Life can't be planned and mapped out. We can't win everything we desire. We delude ourselves if we believe this, and we delude others if we preach it. Life is chaotic and without rhyme or reason. There are times when we will lose. Being successful in life isn't about winning; it's about loosing, and how we deal with loss.

If you're serious about self development then forget about winning and concentrate on loosing. A loser can often be a more fulfilled and better person than someone who knows nothing but winning. You learn more about the human condition through loss than through winning. The strongest, best people I have ever met have been the ones who have lost a great deal, sometimes everything, but who have had the strength to accept their loss and still believed that life was something beautiful and worth living.

• Finding happiness is a meditation away
  
  What makes us happy? Is happiness a state of mind or is it linked to having a good paying job, good health, healthy family, healthy bank balance, etc.?
  


• My Bed Restores Me To My Happiness
  
  Happiness interview: Agapi Stassinopoulos. Through a mutual friend, I e-met Agapi Stassinopoulos. She has a new book that?s just hitting the bookstores, Unbinding the Heart. She grapples with the question of how we can ?unbind our hearts? better to experience playfulness, connection, self-expression, and joy. Clearly happiness is at the heart of this challenge. Gretchen: ...
  


• Achieving Happiness: Life lessons from the dying
  
  Have you ever wondered what's most important to people at the end of their lives? That knowledge could have a powerful impact on your life. In a beautifully written book, "The Top Five Regrets of the Dying," Bronnie Ware describes how her life was profoundly transformed by the lessons she learned while providing care to the terminally ill. There is much to learn from the life stories of the ...
  


• BOOK WORLD Bestsellers — Jan. 22, 2012
  
  A groundswell of new titles (both fiction and nonfiction) joined the rankings this week. In nonfiction, it was a curious blend of business/management titles (David Novak’s how-to management book jumped from #6 last week to the top spot), self-help relationship advice (finding happiness, both in and out of the bedroom) and biographies (the much-hyped look at the First Family as well as a ...
  


• Proven Ways to Find Happiness at Work
  
  The expression, "finding your passion," seems easier said than done, but many have made that discovery by simply testing their aptitudes or natural, inherited abilities.
  


• Money can buy happiness if you know how to spend
  
  London, Jan 28 (IANS) People spending money to enjoy different experiences in everyday life, such as on days out or concert tickets, are happier than those who spend on buying possessions, says a study.
  


• ANN ARBOR: Screening of 'Happy' to commemorate World Happy Day Feb. 11
  
  February doldrums got you down? Are you feeling overwhelmed by stress and cabin fever? Need some help shaking the mid-winter blues?
  


• Author advises ‘simplicity revolution’
  
  If you’re working longer but taking home less, are overextended on your credit and still looking to acquire more “stuff,� you may be a candidate for a simplicity revolution, says an Evanston author who advocates a return to simpler living. Sue Schell, a longtime Evanston resident and free-lance writer is the author of the plucky new book – “A Simplicity Revolution: Finding Happiness in the New ...
  


• Does Technology Affect Happiness?
  
  As young people spend more time on computers, smartphones and other devices, researchers are asking how all that screen time and multitasking affects children’s and teenagers’ ability to focus and learn — even drive cars.
  


• Best Valentine's Day Gift Ever: Hire a Babysitter
  
  MommyMixer.com solves age old parental challenge of finding Valentine's Day babysitters.(PRWEB) February 05, 2012 Finding a sitter has always been an age-old parental challenge, never mind trying to line up a sitter for Valentine’s Day. Your typical sitter has sweet plans of her own and the sophomore next door has basketball practice again. Your parents live out of state and there is no way you ...