Books

Average customer rating:

Appears to be a rehash of the DVD
LIFE CHANGING
Finding inspiration
My life has changed
Great inspiring book!!!

The Secret

Manufacturer: Atria Books/Beyond Words
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Similar Items:

The Secret (Extended Edition)
You: On A Diet: The Owner's Manual for Waist Management
The Science of Success: How to Attract Prosperity and Create Harmonic Wealth Through Proven Principles
Law of Attraction: The Science of Attracting More of What You Want and Less of What You Don't
The Law of Attraction: The Basics of the Teachings of Abraham

ASIN: 1582701709

Book Description

Fragments of a Great Secret have been found in the oral traditions, in literature, in religions and philosophies throughout the centuries. For the first time, all the pieces of The Secret come together in an incredible revelation that will be life-transforming for all who experience it.

In this book, you'll learn how to use The Secret in every aspect of your life -- money, health, relationships, happiness, and in every interaction you have in the world. You'll begin to understand the hidden, untapped power that's within you, and this revelation can bring joy to every aspect of your life.

The Secret contains wisdom from modern-day teachers -- men and women who have used it to achieve health, wealth, and happiness. By applying the knowledge of The Secret, they bring to light compelling stories of eradicating disease, acquiring massive wealth, overcoming obstacles, and achieving what many would regard as impossible.

Customer Reviews:

Appears to be a rehash of the DVD.......2007-06-28

Disclaimer: I don't own this book. I own the DVD and I love it. The information and experience I get from watching the video are invaluable and are already making an impact on my life.

That being said, last night I went into Barnes and Noble to see this book on one of the front display cases, and I picked it up to thumb through it to see what was different about the book from the DVD. I didn't find anything. The book contained verbatim quotes from the "teachers" in the film. Which isn't bad, it just didn't add anything.

If you prefer reading, get the book. If you prefer watching it and seeing visual representations of what they're demonstrating, get the DVD. If you want something to listen to in the car or on the subway, get the audiobook. Just your personal preference.

LIFE CHANGING .......2007-06-27

The message of this book is not new. In my opinion most of the messages of this book are similar to Psycho-cybernetics by Maxwell Maltz.
But I love it. I have watched the movie and It's great. It's a simple read and very informative.

Finding inspiration.......2007-06-27

Well I had see the movie, and decided I would get the book. I found it very fun and inforative. I try and use The Secret all the time. I think all people should check this book out. It is very easy reading too.
Check it out!
Gidget Nebel

My life has changed.......2007-06-27

My life has changed because of this cd set. my boyfriend says that my total personality has changed for the better. i have only loving relationships. i have built a force field around me that only allows those in harmony with my desires in my physical life experiences and for that i am so grateful to the secret.

Great inspiring book!!!.......2007-06-27

This book is excellent...it helps you to focus your energies only on positive things....I did many things that the book teaches and amazingly a lot of things came through....love it....

Average customer rating:

A good read, as far as it goes...
Usefull Patient Health Guide
Doctors thinking
Long on stories, short on analysis
Very good

How Doctors Think
Jerome Groopman
Manufacturer: Houghton Mifflin Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Education & Training | Medicine | Subjects | Books

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Better: A Surgeon's Notes on Performance
Einstein: His Life and Universe
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Final Exam: A Surgeon's Reflections on Mortality
How Doctors Think: Clinical Judgment and the Practice of Medicine

ASIN: 0618610030

Book Description

On average, a physician will interrupt a patient describing her symptoms within eighteen seconds. In that short time, many doctors decide on the likely diagnosis and best treatment. Often, decisions made this way are correct, but at crucial moments they can also be wrong -- with catastrophic consequences. In this myth-shattering book, Jerome Groopman pinpoints the forces and thought processes behind the decisions doctors make. Groopman explores why doctors err and shows when and how they can -- with our help -- avoid snap judgments, embrace uncertainty, communicate effectively, and deploy other skills that can profoundly impact our health. This book is the first to describe in detail the warning signs of erroneous medical thinking and reveal how new technologies may actually hinder accurate diagnoses. How Doctors Think offers direct, intelligent questions patients can ask their doctors to help them get back on track.

Groopman draws on a wealth of research, extensive interviews with some of the country's best doctors, and his own experiences as a doctor and as a patient. He has learned many of the lessons in this book the hard way, from his own mistakes and from errors his doctors made in treating his own debilitating medical problems.

How Doctors Think reveals a profound new view of twenty-first-century medical practice, giving doctors and patients the vital information they need to make better judgments together.

Customer Reviews:

A good read, as far as it goes..........2007-06-28

On a personal level, this book validated my own unfortunate experience with the medical profession. While it did not tell me anything of which I wasn't aware, I believe its value lies in exposure of these issues by a physician/author with high name recognition, such as Dr. Groopman.

Unfortunately, many readers will meet counterparts of themselves and their doctors in this book, which reveals some of the more obvious pitfalls of medical care. However, Dr. Groopman's candid exposure of certain faults in a doctor's thought process, personal bias, and self-serving actions, only scratches the surface of deeper, more pervasive problems in medicine.

I would like to believe that this book will encourage doctors who need
it most to reflect upon and change the ways in which they misjudge, misread and mistreat their patients. Realistically though, I believe these are the very doctors whose thinking will remain unchanged. I hope I am wrong.

It would take more than this book to change the thinking of those doctors whose misdeeds destroyed my own health. Certain unethical behaviors long accepted as the norm are too deeply ingrained in our society. Unfortunately, for the most part, "rightness" in our world exists more as a concept, than in deed. For every patient who survives years of misdiagnosis and harmful treatment and whose life is saved by an exceptional doctor, there are countless others who are further victimized BECAUSE of that first doctor's mistake.

I would have liked to see Dr. Groopman take this book a step further into the realm of cover-ups and the conspiracy of silence in the medical profession, a major influence on doctors' thoughts and actions. How many doctors have seen patients injured by a colleague's negligence and acted to help that patient? Not many. More often, the patient is written off with a "functional" diagnosis, which sticks to and precedes them and sets the stage for repeated useless and humiliating medical encounters.

Studies have proven that patients do not sue doctors who are open and honest, yet doctors continue defending their furtive behavior, using potential lawsuits as justification for their duplicity. How many doctors have been threatened with exclusion from hospital privledges should they dare blow the whistle on a colleague? And how many see patients injured from negligent surgery and refuse to "see" serious injury caused by faulty surgical technique? Not many.. Instead, he gives his colleague the benefit of the doubt, regardless of how blatant the error, and thinks "There but for the grace of God go I".

"How Doctors Think" is a good and easy read.. entertaining with just the right amount of shock value to hold the average reader's interest..which is not too much. There's lots more dirt beneath this rug that needs to surface before any change for the better can take place. Dr. Groopman has opened the door for deeper investigation, exposure and accountability of the profession in which we entrust our lives.

Usefull Patient Health Guide.......2007-06-28

I am a semi-retired eye surgeon. Even I learned quite a bit from reading this book. As well as providing me with tools to use when I am the patient trying to communicate with my physicians and other health care providers it has provided me with the knowledge and insights needed to improve my comunications with my patients.

Doctors thinking.......2007-06-27

I thought this most interesting I am retired now, but it would have been nice to have been able to read this 10 or 15 years ago.
I gave the book to a PhD Educational Psychologist, who I work out with, and he is enjoying it as well.
Dr Groopman has published in the New Yorker and I thought his articles there were well done.
As a former hand surgeon, inspite of practicing in a rural area, I knew what dynamic scapholunate instability was. I don't if it has an agree on treatment at this point in time
A great book to see how a doctors thinking goes and better yet for patients to cause their case to be considered fairly and thoughly.
His feelings on HMOs are interesting, makes me fell retirement is timely.

Long on stories, short on analysis.......2007-06-24

"How Doctors Think" is a good book on an important subject. The book is divided into chapters about different medical specialties: a chapter about primary care physicians, a chapter about radiologists, etc. Each chapter has one or more stories in which a doctor made a mistake. Some of these stories are more than twenty pages long. Most have too much non-essential detail, such the view from the doctor's office. Then Groopman explains why the doctor made the mistake. I liked the breadth of reasons Groopman finds for doctors mistakes, ranging from asking close-ended questions instead of open-ended questions, to bias against patients who don't take care of their bodies (smokers, drinkers, obese people), to cognitive errors such as stopping searching when you find the first disease (and so missing second or third diseases in some patients). I especially liked the analyses of how doctors handle uncertainty (and how much uncertainty there is in medicine).

If this had been a textbook it would have been organized by types of errors, with a conceptual structure or framework. As it is you remember the cases but it's hard to remember the analyses. Probably 99% of the readers want to be entertained by interesting stories and don't care about why (for example) the least accurate radiologists are the most confident of their diagnoses. Luckily the notes at the end of the book are detailed and recommend more detailed books and journal articles.

Very good.......2007-06-23

Groopman tackles one of the important issues of our age: how we can do a better job at medicine. Surprise: one of the keys is for doctors to listen to their patients. This point is also made in the excellent book by Gawande(Better). Every time I read a book like this it makes me believe I sould hire an expert to go with me when I visit a doctor. Someone needs to be watching because it is so easy to make a mistake. This book is both informative and interesting to read. Recommended.

Simpleology: The Simple Science of Getting What You Want

Average customer rating:

This book is OK
This man has got to write more books!
Indeed really simplistic
Full of psycho-babble
Simpleology,The Real Deal!

Simpleology: The Simple Science of Getting What You Want
Mark Joyner
Manufacturer: Wiley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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The Irresistible Offer: How to Sell Your Product or Service in 3 Seconds or Less
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Life's Missing Instruction Manual : The Guidebook You Should Have Been Given at Birth
Buying Trances: A New Psychology of Sales and Marketing

ASIN: 0470095229

Book Description

Success is simple, and scientifically reproducible, if you know the 5 Laws

Simpleology proves that success and happiness are easier to achieve than most people think they are. In fact, people can almost guarantee their own success simply by following a few simple rules. These "5 Laws of Simpleology" aren't new; they've been around forever. Throughout history, these 5 laws have helped the world's greatest minds amass fortunes and forge new paths. But until now, no one has committed them to paper in so simple and straightforward a style as Mark Joyner has here. Applicable to any challenge or goal and irrefutably commonsense, these 5 laws form the basis for almost any successful person or endeavor. Simpleology explains the 5 laws in detail and shows readers how to apply them to every aspect of their lives.

Mark Joyner (Auckland, New Zealand) is a leading authority on Internet marketing. The former CEO of Aesop Marketing Corp., he is the author of four previous books, including The Irresistible Offer (0-471-73894-8) and The Great Formula (0-471-77823-0), both from Wiley.

Customer Reviews:

This book is OK.......2007-06-22

This book is a quick read, so thumbs up for that. Conversely, it left no lasting impression. It does reference other material that is great.

This man has got to write more books!.......2007-06-19

One of my favorite authors when it comes to business and marketing. I was absolutely blown away by his previous offerings of The Great Formula and The Irresistible Offer. I was familiar with his Simpleology site, but I did not appreciate it until I read this book. Be warned, you really must have an open mind to appreciate this work. It's not as easy to read as his previous books but when you start reaching the end of it, you'll put everything together and understand why the practice is called 'Simpleology'. Another gem and must read!

Indeed really simplistic.......2007-06-16

234 pages of small talk to get to the "shocking" advice to think like an opportunist and go for it to be one

Full of psycho-babble.......2007-06-14

I thought this book would tell me something that I didn't already know. Anyone who has taken a psych 101 course could regurgitate the babble that was written here. Most of the books that I read are very helpful and fulfill the hype- if you think that this book will make your life simple and allow you to get what you want, go somewhere else! Sorry Mark, but most people won't understand 3/4 of the book because you didn't write it in laymen's terms.

Simpleology,The Real Deal!.......2007-06-08

I'm a big fan of Mark Joyner and all his work, but this time,upon reading his new book "Simpleology : The Simple Science of Getting What You Want",I was really shocked!!
It's unbelievable!
Honestly,this time Mark Joyner broke all the barriers,
passed all the boundaries,
I felt as if he is writing from inside my mind!

It's not just another theory book about success or mind or any regular topic,
it's a mind bomb that'll completely transform
the life of whoever read it!

I'm very glad to put a hand on something like this!

All Praise and Respect to Mark Joyner.

StrengthsFinder 2.0: A New and Upgraded Edition of the Online Test from Gallup's Now, Discover Your Strengths

Average customer rating:

Excellent Assessment Tool
Confirmed my suspicions
Awesome work place team building tool.
Good Team Building Exercise
What are your strenghths?

StrengthsFinder 2.0: A New and Upgraded Edition of the Online Test from Gallup's Now, Discover Your Strengths
Tom Rath
Manufacturer: Gallup Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Go Put Your Strengths to Work: 6 Powerful Steps to Achieve Outstanding Performance
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Know-How: The 8 Skills That Separate People Who Perform from Those Who Don't

ASIN: 159562015X

Book Description

DO YOU HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO DO WHAT YOU DO BEST EVERY DAY?

Chances are, you don't. All too often, our natural talents go untapped. From the cradle to the cubicle, we devote more time to fixing our shortcomings than to developing our strengths.

To help people uncover their talents, Gallup introduced the first version of its online assessment, StrengthsFinder, in the 2001 management book Now, Discover Your Strengths. The book spent more than five years on the bestseller lists and ignited a global conversation, while StrengthsFinder helped millions to discover their top five talents.

In its latest national bestseller, StrengthsFinder 2.0, Gallup unveils the new and improved version of its popular assessment, language of 34 themes, and much more (see below for details). While you can read this book in one sitting, you'll use it as a reference for decades.

Loaded with hundreds of strategies for applying your strengths, this new book and accompanying website will change the way you look at yourself -- and the world around you -- forever.

AVAILABLE EXCLUSIVELY IN THE NEW & UPGRADED EDITION OF STRENGTHSFINDER 2.0
(using the unique access code included with each book)

* A new and upgraded edition of the StrengthsFinder assessment

* A personalized Strengths Discovery and Action-Planning Guide for applying your strengths in the next week, month, and year

* A more customized version of your top five theme report

* 50 Ideas for Action (10 strategies for building on each of your top five themes)

* The more user-friendly StrengthsFinder 2.0 companion website, with a strengths community area, library of downloadable discussion guides and activities, a strengths screensaver, and a program for creating display cards of your top five themes

Customer Reviews:

Excellent Assessment Tool.......2007-06-28

I have used this with clients and have been impressed with how consistently on-target the assessment is. Rather than focusing on weaknesses to improve, the premise of the assessment is that one can be far more effective by recognizing their strengths and building on them. Most recently, I purchased a bulk amount of the books to issue to a client group of 12 people. (You have to purchase the book to get the "secret online code.") The group learned not only what their own strengths were (some initial surprises as the respondents had never considered some of the strengths before) but how the traits of other team members complemented the team. The individual reports generated include an action plan to build on your strengths. All in all, a good and deservedly popular tool.

Confirmed my suspicions.......2007-06-27

I bought this product at the suggestion of a counselor and found that it was somewhat insightful. It confirmed what I suspected about myself (...after perusing the themes previously...).

How much can one read into this type of examination? Not sure...but I will say that a recent job inquiry provoked a very similar online examination through an independent agency. This type of book + examination might be the next thing in HR.

Awesome work place team building tool........2007-06-27

We have recently used this book to engage employees in searching for their hidden strengths. We have found it an invaluable tool in improving employee performance and productivity. Give it a try!

Good Team Building Exercise.......2007-06-26

We used this book as a team building activity at our annual offsite planning session. It was valuable and reasonably accurate and helped to guide people on the team to a better understanding of the personalities within the group. It would be better if it ranked all 34 themes in the report so that you also knew where you were not strong.

What are your strenghths?.......2007-06-24

I have taken the strenghthsfiner test 3 times, and it has been consistant throughout every test. If you want to learn how to maximize on your strenghths vs. worry about your weaknesses, this is the best investment you can make. The book allows you take the test online, and learn how to use your strenghths to your advantage in all aspects of your life. A must do, in my opinion.

Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done

Average customer rating:

Most important business book since Good to Great
Makes you wonder what "Management Talent " is
Limited Scope - Do some people believe the world really works like this?
A must read
Business case studies

Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done
Larry Bossidy , Ram Charan , and Charles Burck
Manufacturer: Crown Business
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Organizational Behavior | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

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Winning

ASIN: 0609610570

Amazon.com

Disciplines like strategy, leadership development, and innovation are the sexier aspects of being at the helm of a successful business; actually getting things done never seems quite as glamorous. But as Larry Bossidy and Ram Charan demonstrate in Execution, the ultimate difference between a company and its competitor is, in fact, the ability to execute.

Execution is "the missing link between aspirations and results," and as such, making it happen is the business leader's most important job. While failure in today's business environment is often attributed to other causes, Bossidy and Charan argue that the biggest obstacle to success is the absence of execution. They point out that without execution, breakthrough thinking on managing change breaks down, and they emphasize the fact that execution is a discipline to learn, not merely the tactical side of business. Supporting this with stories of the "execution difference" being won (EDS) and lost (Xerox and Lucent), the authors describe the building blocks--leaders with the right behaviors, a culture that rewards execution, and a reliable system for having the right people in the right jobs--that need to be in place to manage the three core business processes of people, strategy, and operations. Both Bossidy, CEO of Honeywell International, Inc., and Charan, advisor to corporate executives and author of such books as What the CEO Wants You to Know and Boards That Work, present experience-tested insight into how the smooth linking of these three processes can differentiate one company from the rest. Developing the discipline of execution isn't made out to be simple, nor is this book a quick, easy read. Bossidy and Charan do, however, offer good advice on a neglected topic, making Execution a smart business leader's guide to enacting success rather than permitting demise. --S. Ketchum

Book Description

The book that shows how to get the job done and deliver results . . . whether you’re running an entire company or in your first management job

Larry Bossidy is one of the world’s most acclaimed CEOs, a man with few peers who has a track record for delivering results. Ram Charan is a legendary advisor to senior executives and boards of directors, a man with unparalleled insight into why some companies are successful and others are not. Together they’ve pooled their knowledge and experience into the one book on how to close the gap between results promised and results delivered that people in business need today.

After a long, stellar career with General Electric, Larry Bossidy transformed AlliedSignal into one of the world’s most admired companies and was named CEO of the year in 1998 by Chief Executive magazine. Accomplishments such as 31 consecutive quarters of earnings-per-share growth of 13 percent or more didn’t just happen; they resulted from the consistent practice of the discipline of execution: understanding how to link together people, strategy, and operations, the three core processes of every business.

Leading these processes is the real job of running a business, not formulating a “vision” and leaving the work of carrying it out to others. Bossidy and Charan show the importance of being deeply and passionately engaged in an organization and why robust dialogues about people, strategy, and operations result in a business based on intellectual honesty and realism.

The leader’s most important job—selecting and appraising people—is one that should never be delegated. As a CEO, Larry Bossidy personally makes the calls to check references for key hires. Why? With the right people in the right jobs, there’s a leadership gene pool that conceives and selects strategies that can be executed. People then work together to create a strategy building block by building block, a strategy in sync with the realities of the marketplace, the economy, and the competition. Once the right people and strategy are in place, they are then linked to an operating process that results in the implementation of specific programs and actions and that assigns accountability. This kind of effective operating process goes way beyond the typical budget exercise that looks into a rearview mirror to set its goals. It puts reality behind the numbers and is where the rubber meets the road.

Putting an execution culture in place is hard, but losing it is easy. In July 2001 Larry Bossidy was asked by the board of directors of Honeywell International (it had merged with AlliedSignal) to return and get the company back on track. He’s been putting the ideas he writes about in Execution to work in real time.

Download Description

The book that shows how to get the job done and deliver results... whether you're running an entire company or in your first management job

Larry Bossidy is one of the world's most acclaimed CEOs, a man with few peers who has a track record for delivering results. Ram Charan is a legendary advisor to senior executives and boards of directors, a man with unparalleled insight into why some companies are successful and others are not. Together they've pooled their knowledge and experience into the one book on how to close the gap between results promised and results delivered that people in business need today.

After a long, stellar career with General Electric, Larry Bossidy transformed AlliedSignal into one of the world's most admired companies and was named CEO of the year in 1998 by Chief Executive magazine. Accomplishments such as 31 consecutive quarters of earnings-per-share growth of 13 percent or more didn't just happen; they resulted from the consistent practice of the discipline of execution: understanding how to link together people, strategy, and operations, the three core processes of every business.

Leading these processes is the real job of running a business, not formulating a "vision" and leaving the work of carrying it out to others. Bossidy and Charan show the importance of being deeply and passionately engaged in an organization and why robust dialogues about people, strategy, and operations result in a business based on intellectual honesty and realism.

The leader's most important job -- selecting and appraising people -- is one that should never be delegated. As a CEO, Larry Bossidy personally makes the calls to check references for key hires. Why? With the right people in the right jobs, there's a leadership gene pool that conceives and selects strategies that can be executed. People then work together to create a strategy building block by building block, a strategy in sync with the realities of the marketplace, the economy, and the competition. Once the right people and strategy are in place, they are then linked to an operating process that results in the implementation of specific programs and actions and that assigns accountability. This kind of effective operating process goes way beyond the typical budget exercise that looks into a rearview mirror to set its goals. It puts reality behind the numbers and is where the rubber meets the road.

Putting an execution culture in place is hard, but losing it is easy. In July 2001 Larry Bossidy was asked by the board of directors of Honeywell International (it had merged with AlliedSignal) to return and get the company back on track. He's been putting the ideas he writes about in Execution to work in real time.

Customer Reviews:

Most important business book since Good to Great.......2007-06-08

Bossidy put together the most comprehensive top to bottom case for execution yet written. What so many books on business forget to emphasize is the people part of the equation. Bossidy balances not only having the right people but making sure the company is passionate about developing them and getting them in the right jobs where they can produce the best results for the company and themselves. Strategy is worthless without the right people that can execute to make the strategy happen. While Bossidy advocates strong messures for non preformers, he does so with delibert respect for individuals and reasonable compassion.
Rod Hagenbuch

Makes you wonder what "Management Talent " is.......2007-05-27

After reading this book I realized that these authors were lamenting the same point found in the hundreds of other business books I've read over the years. That the so called "Management Talent" isn't really talent after all. It is just goals, plans, action, and perseverance. Since the vast majority of people, even in business, don't do this or at least not consistently makes those that do seem like exceptional managers.

I marginally liked this book. I agree with one reviewer that this is just a case study on project management.

Limited Scope - Do some people believe the world really works like this?.......2007-05-16

I was looking forward to this book with a great deal of anticipation on "how." The trouble was, the underlying assumptions were that any reader has the carte-blanche power to hire and fire CEO's at-will. In the more common work-a-day world, I know of virtually no one with this kind of authority, so there was precious little I was able to take away from it. Overall, the theme of the text was more to instill a great deal of fear in those who are under you so THEY execute tasks, not the one who is in charge. I fail to see how this could apply to anyone but the precious few in the U.S. who have a 7-8 figure salary. I am also very puzzled at the positive reviews I have seen so far.

A must read.......2007-05-15

Book recommended by my manager. Great recommendation!
All stories and advices make sense either your are CEO and simply manager.
Very interesting reading even if you don't struggle to get things done..I'm sure you ain't :)

Business case studies.......2007-04-21

Execution is interesting in the context of numerous case studies that the authors have covered, but lacks a real, predictive model. There is some solid advice in the book, and a few lessons to be learned from the discussed examples, but many of the recommendations are either tautological, or simply motherhood and pie. At times, the authors contradict their own recommendations in the case studies and propose circular definitions that lead nowhere fast. This is not to say that this is a poor book, it's well written and offers some great insights - I just wouldn't place it at the top of my reading list.

The Lucifer Effect: Understanding How Good People Turn Evil

Average customer rating:

Great study,,,
A case where less is more is called for
Powerful critique of the Situation and the System - marred only by his ethical conundrum
A chilling and vital look into our own human propensity for evil
Brilliant Thinking on the Psychology of the Human Dark Side

The Lucifer Effect: Understanding How Good People Turn Evil
Philip Zimbardo
Manufacturer: Random House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable

ASIN: 1400064112
Release Date: 2007-03-27

Book Description

What makes good people do bad things? How can moral people be seduced to act immorally? Where is the line separating good from evil, and who is in danger of crossing it?

Renowned social psychologist Philip Zimbardo has the answers, and in The Lucifer Effect he explains how–and the myriad reasons why–we are all susceptible to the lure of “the dark side.” Drawing on examples from history as well as his own trailblazing research, Zimbardo details how situational forces and group dynamics can work in concert to make monsters out of decent men and women.

Zimbardo is perhaps best known as the creator of the Stanford Prison Experiment. Here, for the first time and in detail, he tells the full story of this landmark study, in which a group of college-student volunteers was randomly divided into “guards” and “inmates” and then placed in a mock prison environment. Within a week the study was abandoned, as ordinary college students were transformed into either brutal, sadistic guards or emotionally broken prisoners.

By illuminating the psychological causes behind such disturbing metamorphoses, Zimbardo enables us to better understand a variety of harrowing phenomena, from corporate malfeasance to organized genocide to how once upstanding American soldiers came to abuse and torture Iraqi detainees in Abu Ghraib. He replaces the long-held notion of the “bad apple” with that of the “bad barrel”–the idea that the social setting and the system contaminate the individual, rather than the other way around.

This is a book that dares to hold a mirror up to mankind, showing us that we might not be who we think we are. While forcing us to reexamine what we are capable of doing when caught up in the crucible of behavioral dynamics, though, Zimbardo also offers hope. We are capable of resisting evil, he argues, and can even teach ourselves to act heroically. Like Hannah Arendt’s Eichmann in Jerusalem and Steven Pinker’s The Blank Slate, The Lucifer Effect is a shocking, engrossing study that will change the way we view human behavior.

Customer Reviews:

Great study,,,.......2007-06-21

I can't really say that this was a long awaited book for me since the experiment took place well before I was born, but it was great to read it since it shows the myriad of implications in modern research as well as important connections to psychology, morality, ethics and even linguistics. Zimbardo's writing is thorough and takes the reader through the entire experiment, the aftermath, and the way it made him feel as a researcher and his consequent reflections. This "forbidden" experiment, as we would call it, would never happen in this day because of lawsuits galore, but the fact that it did take place has a great deal of value. There is much to be learned from Zimbardo's work and hopefully it can be used for some good in the future.

A case where less is more is called for.......2007-06-13

One can try to tick off the positive epithets attracted by this book in the media like sand grains trapped in an open sandwich. it is interesting, surprising and provocative by turns. However, it is too undigested for the general reader. The time spent on relaying the discussion and results of the Stanford experiment, among others, is simply too distended. The book is bloated around this work. What prison guard X said/did to prisoner Y occupies far too much space. Zimbardo does not draw out the interesting philosophical doorstep size questions their behaviours raised. When it came to his analysis of Abu Gharib I found myself, to my shame, switching off, dulled and irritated by the endless phenomenological descriptions. An intersting book but could be much shorter in its present form and much longer if co-authored by a philosopher.

Powerful critique of the Situation and the System - marred only by his ethical conundrum.......2007-06-07

We all like to think of ourselves as having an independent mind, and doing what we know is right. That's our Western cultural indoctrination. But decades of social psychology research say otherwise. We're mostly a bunch of sheep. No matter how independent we think we are, we conform to the social situation in which we find ourselves. We're not a whole lot more independent than a feather being buffeted in the wind, or a leaf being buffeted by the tides.

"Yes, that's true - for most people, but not for ME," we think in response. Zimbardo's purpose is to move us beyond this stubborn bias toward personality theory as explaining human conduct. That's a formidable task, but he does an amazing job of summarizing the research on conformity, obedience, and other factors that influence people to act in opposition to their underlying moral beliefs (such as deindividuation, dehumanization, anonymity, bystander effects).

He goes a step beyond this well-established body of research, to argue for the powerful effects not only of the Situation but also of the System. He offers a powerful critique of systemic forces that help shape behavior in specific contexts. Zimbardo compares the System that led to prisoner-on-guard abuse in his famous Stanford Prison Experiment with the System that set up the Situation leading to the infamous prisoner abuses at Abu Ghraib in Iraq. (He has insider information on the latter as well, as he was an expert witness for one of the soldiers.)

It's a powerful argument, and one that he makes accessible to non-academics through his "Shucks, I'm just a poor boy from the Bronx ghetto" prose.

I recommend this book highly. I wish that everyone in the arena in which I work, the criminal justice system, had the knowledge it contains.

Why not five stars, then? For one thing, he waxes eloquent for a bit too long. We don't get past his Stanford experiment until page 256. Less redundancy would have cut at least 100 (out of 550) pages, and made for a snappier read. I was also disappointed in the technical quality of the writing. One doesn't expect to see misplaced modifiers in a scholarly text. Nor the degree of cut-and-paste from other sources that is contained in the last few chapters (regarding Abu Ghraib).

But looming larger is the ethical conundrum. Zimbardo acknowledges responsibility for the abuses that occurred in his simulated prison in the basement of Stanford University's psychology department. Because he didn't adequately supervise them, the mock guards - especially on the night shift - ran amok, torturing, force-feeding, and sexually humiliating the prisoners until Zimbardo finally called a halt. Even though he accepts responsibility, he minimizes the damage, rationalizing the experiment due to its social utility. I can see that point, but I'm not sure he's in a good position to be making it, given his obvious self-serving bias. He's no longer a poor boy from the Bronx; he's a powerful white man in the dominant intelligentsia, one of many psychologists and medical doctors who have inflicted human suffering in the guise of science. He also dismisses criticism of his research as being funded by the Defense Department, although on the Stanford campus during that period of the anti-Vietnam war movement, the lines were clearly drawn between academics who took military money and those who didn't. While reading the book, I just couldn't get past the contradiction between his criticizing his abusive experiment while simultaneously continuing to profit from it.

A chilling and vital look into our own human propensity for evil.......2007-06-07

I don't know of many things more important than understanding how regular people like you and me can be manipulated by systems and situations into doing terrible things. The Holocaust, the killing fields of Cambodia, ethnic cleansing in the former Yugoslavia, the Mai Lai massacre, Abu Ghraib, and the horrors currently being perpetrated in Darfur, in Guantanamo, and in torture centers run by governments around the world cannot be understood, and certainly cannot be prevented, without such understanding.

That is what Stanford psychologist Philip Zimbardo, creator of the infamous Stanford Prison Experiment 30 years ago, does in this detailed, sobering, and profoundly insightful book.

I will not try to summarize what Zimbardo says, because I think that every person concerned about the state of the world should read the book from the preface to the last page of the notes.

What I can say is that Zimbardo's analysis is not based on ancient religious or philosophical ideas about good and evil; it most emphatically does not accept that the great and small terrors that we humans continue to inflict on each other are caused by "a few bad apples;" and it refuses to let those of us who are sure that, unlike so many others, we could never be moved to do terrible things, remain secure in that delusion.

Instead, _The Lucifer Effect_ is based on fact, on decades of hard-won experimental evidence, and on careful and insightful reasoning.

To his credit, Zimbardo also discusses the heroism of those equally ordinary people who successfully resist the powers of a cruel system or situation to corrupt and destroy. I hope that if enough people read this book, it will inspire more of us to that level of empathy, humanity, independence, and courage.

Robert Adler, author of _Science Firsts: From the Creation of Science to the Science of Creation_; and _Medical Firsts: From Hippocrates to the Human Genome_.

Brilliant Thinking on the Psychology of the Human Dark Side.......2007-05-29

Five stars to "Lucifer," the book that illustrates how any of us could, under certain circumstances, act in an evil manner. THIS BOOK HAS IT ALL! Philip Zimbardo presents an in-depth look at his infamous Stanford Prison Experiment and provides amazing parallels with the equally infamous Abu Ghraib prison -- abuse, torture and more. Dr. Zimbardo, Professor Emeritus at Stanford University, details the psychology of this horrendous event: rather than our looking inward to deviant personalities, he examines the situations that can lead one to act cruelly to other human beings.

Zimbardo provides a fascinating running commentary in a play-by-play, blow-by-blow description of both events, with chilling similarities. Whether one wants a quick insight or deep psychological analysis, Zimbardo delivers. He was privvy to special information at Abu Ghraib, some of which he shares with the reader in a "can't put down," page-turning fashion.

Interestingly, Zimbardo takes real events and makes them read like a novel, full of suspense -- with him at your side whispering the meaning of it all in your ear. The doctor is definitely in the house!

And he'll surprise you in the end (not a spoiler!). To discover his take on how to break free and become a hero despite these horrendous factors is pure icing on the cake.

The book will entertain you, and have you think at the same time -- essentials of a great read. Highly recommended.

Gary Frieden, Ph.D.

Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes are High

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One of the most useful and helpful guidelines out there
Crucial Conversations: Breakthrough communications needed for today
Good self-help book
A Must-Read
Great toolkit for difficult situations

Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes are High
Kerry Patterson , Joseph Grenny , Ron McMillan , Al Switzler , and Stephen R. Covey
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill
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Crucial Confrontations
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ASIN: 0071401946

Book Description

The New York Times Bestseller!

Learn how to keep your cool and get the results you want when emotions flare.

When stakes are high, opinions vary, and emotions run strong, you have three choices: Avoid a crucial conversation and suffer the consequences; handle the conversation badly and suffer the consequences; or read Crucial Conversations and discover how to communicate best when it matters most. Crucial Conversations gives you the tools you need to step up to life's most difficult and important conversations, say what's on your mind, and achieve the positive resolutions you want. You'll learn how to:

Prepare for high-impact situations with a six-minute mastery technique
Make it safe to talk about almost anything
Be persuasive, not abrasive
Keep listening when others blow up or clam up
Turn crucial conversations into the action and results you want

Whether they take place at work or at home, with your neighbors or your spouse, crucial conversations can have a profound impact on your career, your happiness, and your future. With the skills you learn in this book, you'll never have to worry about the outcome of a crucial conversation again.

Download Description

Crucial Conversations offers readers a proven seven-point strategy for achieving their goals in all those emotionally, psychologically, or legally charged situations that can arise in their professional and personal lives.

Customer Reviews:

One of the most useful and helpful guidelines out there.......2007-05-31

If you have no need to communicate with anyone in this world, then this book is bound to be a waste. But, but, but - for all other situations this is a priceless addition to your library. Contains useful advice and explanations on how to communicate better both in personal and professional settings. Of course, the recommendations and suggestions need to be tweaked according to your personality and lifestyle, but mostly this works well, and there aren't too many books out there that do a better job. Go and get your own copy - you will thank me later!

Crucial Conversations: Breakthrough communications needed for today.......2007-05-27

People talk less and less these days about the things that really matter, the things that inspire and hurt us, and the ending results usually mean break offs in our relationships and jobs. This book is a wake up call to all of us that somehow got the message that it's not ok to talk through things. Simple tips and techniques are offered to help us move past the discomfort of bringing up sensitive topics and onto a path where we can constructively work through issues with the people we are most heavily invested. Halfway through the book, I've begun to implement some of the tips and see a huge positive change in how my efforts are being received. This is both a great business and relationship book...highly recommended to anyone with a relationship worth maintaining.

Good self-help book.......2007-05-19

I know people who really get a lot out of this book. Good book for recognizing and speaking up in high-importance conversations. There's a quiz which clues readers in on where they should concentrate their efforts. However, after the quiz (maybe 20% in to the book) it became very redundant. I was glad my boss paid for it and not me.

A Must-Read.......2007-05-16

I was told about this book by a colleague at work, and I am very glad I took her advice in reading it. It offers steps and strategies to effectively communicate and have important discussions without causing unnecessary conflict and hurt feelings. I have already found this to be helpful in my conversations at work, school, and in my personal life.

Great toolkit for difficult situations.......2007-05-14

This book has provided me with an outline to understand and share tools to help manage difficult conversations. I've found myself learning many of the lessons this book has nicely detailed the hard way, and find that owning this book helps re-enforce lessons I've learned (and learning new lessons) on handling difficult conversations both in the workplace and at home. I would encourage anyone interested in handling their relationships with others better to take a serious look at this book.

Average customer rating:

Inspiration for the weary
Excellence
Martha Borst's book is BETTER
A number of years
Sermon & Synergy, Recipes Or Tactics?

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
Stephen R. Covey
Manufacturer: Free Press
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Binding: Paperback

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Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity
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ASIN: 0743269519
Release Date: 2004-11-09

Book Description

In The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, author Stephen R. Covey presents a holistic, integrated, principle-centered approach for solving personal and professional problems. With penetrating insights and pointed anecdotes, Covey reveals a step-by-step pathway for living with fairness, integrity, service, and human dignity -- principles that give us the security to adapt to change and the wisdom and power to take advantage of the opportunities that change creates.

Amazon.com

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change was a groundbreaker when it was first published in 1990, and it continues to be a business bestseller with more than 10 million copies sold. Stephen Covey, an internationally respected leadership authority, realizes that true success encompasses a balance of personal and professional effectiveness, so this book is a manual for performing better in both arenas. His anecdotes are as frequently from family situations as from business challenges.

Before you can adopt the seven habits, you'll need to accomplish what Covey calls a "paradigm shift"--a change in perception and interpretation of how the world works. Covey takes you through this change, which affects how you perceive and act regarding productivity, time management, positive thinking, developing your "proactive muscles" (acting with initiative rather than reacting), and much more.

This isn't a quick-tips-start-tomorrow kind of book. The concepts are sometimes intricate, and you'll want to study this book, not skim it. When you finish, you'll probably have Post-it notes or hand-written annotations in every chapter, and you'll feel like you've taken a powerful seminar by Covey. --Joan Price

Amazon.com Audiobook Review

Anyone who thinks the audiocassette adaptation of Stephen Covey's bestseller, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, is a shortcut to reading the book has another thing coming. As a preview, the cassette is worth every one of its 90 minutes; as a substitute for the original, it will only leave you wishing for the rest. There's a reason 7 Habits has sold more than 5 million copies and been translated into 32 languages. Serious work has obviously gone into it, and serious change can likely come out of it--but only with constant discipline and steadfast commitment. As the densely packed tape makes immediately clear, this is no quick fix for what's ailing us in our personal and professional lives.

The tape opens to the silky-smooth, overtrained voice of the female narrator, who's responsible for tying together audio clips from actual Covey seminars. Leaving aside the occasional attempts at promoting Covey and his institute, her script does a first-rate job of making sense of Covey's own intense, analogy-rich style of explaining his habits. There's nothing simple about his approach to becoming an effective person. The first three habits alone--which have to do with personal responsibility, leadership, and self-management--could take years to master. Yet the last four are unattainable, the narrator insists, if you can't acquire the personal security--the "inner core," says Covey--that presumably comes from a mastery of the foundation.

Throughout our lessons, Covey's presence is both learned and thoroughly appealing. He drops references to the likes of Socrates, T.S. Eliot, and Robert Frost with the aplomb of an English professor. And his knack for mixing everyday stories with abstract concepts manages to clarify difficult issues while respecting our intelligence. You could argue that the cassette is nothing more than a clever marketing tool for selling another few million copies of the book. But, even at that, it's worth the investment in time and concentration: in the end, we're moved to learn more about integrating all seven habits in our struggle to become better and, yes, more effective people. (Running time: 1.5 hours, one cassette) --Ann Senechal

Customer Reviews:

Inspiration for the weary.......2007-06-27

In one word: inspirational! We need more leaders like the those detailed in this engaging text!

Excellence.......2007-06-27

Lives up to the changing world. After about 10 years I listened to the disc again but this time with my 16 year old son on a car trip and he enjoyed it quite a bit. He commented over and over " Oh thats where you got that pops!" The next few days I heard him applying what he learned with his younger brother and was talking with his girlfriend about it who he found out had received the book for her 15th Bday from her dad. Both kids are outstanding young adults.

Martha Borst's book is BETTER.......2007-06-26

I read lots of leadership based books and I felt that the book released by new author Martha Borst called "Your Survival Strategies are Killing you" was 1000 times more exciting and helpful.

A number of years.......2007-06-23

I read this book a number of years ago as part of a semester long class with it as the main teaching tool. From what I remember it provides good insights into time management, prioritizing tasks and breaking down a goal into bite size pieces so that a person isn't overwhelmed by the size of what needs to be done.

Sermon & Synergy, Recipes Or Tactics?.......2007-06-22

I think all of the above apply. This is a book on organizational excellence. The seven habits can be applied in most of lifes various situations. But note, if you don't like preachy advice or being introspective about your own faults you may find this very annoying? From dependence to maturity: from private success to public accolades. Simply put, this is largely about attitudes & beliefs. The author seeks to teach the synergy of positive belief & action, instead of self-fullfilling cynicism. I give it three & a half stars for depth of effort & presentation. I will have to follow the advice therein more to add more stars.

Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die

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out of normality
Marketing book
Fascinating ... a must read for anyone in publishing.
A must-read on communication
This is made to stick

Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die
Chip Heath , and Dan Heath
Manufacturer: Random House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1400064287
Release Date: 2007-01-02

Book Description

Mark Twain once observed, “A lie can get halfway around the world before the truth can even get its boots on.” His observation rings true: Urban legends, conspiracy theories, and bogus public-health scares circulate effortlessly. Meanwhile, people with important ideas–business people, teachers, politicians, journalists, and others–struggle to make their ideas “stick.”

Why do some ideas thrive while others die? And how do we improve the chances of worthy ideas? In Made to Stick, accomplished educators and idea collectors Chip and Dan Heath tackle head-on these vexing questions. Inside, the brothers Heath reveal the anatomy of ideas that stick and explain ways to make ideas stickier, such as applying the “human scale principle,” using the “Velcro Theory of Memory,” and creating “curiosity gaps.”

In this indispensable guide, we discover that sticky messages of all kinds–from the infamous “kidney theft ring” hoax to a coach’s lessons on sportsmanship to a vision for a new product at Sony–draw their power from the same six traits.

Made to Stick is a book that will transform the way you communicate ideas. It’s a fast-paced tour of success stories (and failures)–the Nobel Prize-winning scientist who drank a glass of bacteria to prove a point about stomach ulcers; the charities who make use of “the Mother Teresa Effect”; the elementary-school teacher whose simulation actually prevented racial prejudice. Provocative, eye-opening, and often surprisingly funny, Made to Stick shows us the vital principles of winning ideas–and tells us how we can apply these rules to making our own messages stick.

Customer Reviews:

out of normality.......2007-06-27

It is an excelent book for those days that we need to know some thing differnet and "practic" for improving our lifes and work. The only "bad" thing about the book, is that the format or style is very simple and traditional, so , the authors did not apply at all their own concept to their own book.

Luis, from Mexico

Marketing book.......2007-06-27

If you only buy one book and you are going into business for yourself with a product, this is the one to purchase.

Fascinating ... a must read for anyone in publishing........2007-06-27

This was recommended on the blog of Thomas Nelson's president, and I am so glad he did! Whether you are creating a book proposal, or trying to come up with just the right title, or trying to figure out what angle is most "marketable," this is must-reading (or listening, in this case).

A must-read on communication.......2007-06-13

The authors had been too humble to title their book "made (ideas) to stick" and regard it as a complement to the bestseller "Tipping Point" (pg13). IMHO, this is one of the best books on communication. Some may argue that the six principles (SUCCESs: simplicity, unexpectedness, concreteness, credibility, emotions, stories) of sticky ideas are not unique. However, the samples and peripheral ideas presented are so intriguing. In short, a must read for all (who need to communicate). Highly recommended!

p.s. Below please find some favorite messages I found in it for your reference:-

Curse of knowledge: Once we know something, we find it hard to imagine what it was like not to know it. Our knowledge has "cursed" us. And it becomes difficult for us to share our knowledge with others, because we cant readily re-create our listeners' state of mind. pg20
If you say three things, you dont say anything. pg33
Simple = Core + Compact pg45
Statistics arent inherently helpful; it's the scale and context that make them so. pg146
If I look at the mass, I will never act. If I look at the one, I will. - Mother Teresa pg165
Why dones mental stimulation work? It works because we cant imagine events or sequences without evoking the same modules of the brain that are evoked in a real physical activity.......Notice that these visualizations focus on the events themselves - the process, rather than the outcomes. No one has ever been cured of a phobia by imagining how happy they'll be when it's gone. pg212
Picturing a potential argument with our boss, imagining what she will say, may lead us to have the right words available when the time comes.....can prevent people from relapsing into bad habits such as smoking, excessive drinking......can also build skills. pg213
If you make an argument, you're implicitly asking them to evaluate your argument - judge it, debate it, criticize it - and then argue back, at least in their minds. But with a story, you engage the audience - you are involving people with the idea, asking them to participate with you. pg234

This is made to stick.......2007-06-13

This book is interesting, fun and deeply insightful. It provides useful thoughts about how to frame your ideas so that they do stick. If communication, of any sort from advertising to science, is a major part of your business, this book will be valuable.

The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom (A Toltec Wisdom Book)

Average customer rating:

Not unless you're already "into" this kind of stuff.
We Always Come Back To This Source!
Okaay
A Master Plan for Life
So good, I have to share

The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom (A Toltec Wisdom Book)
Don Miguel Ruiz
Manufacturer: Amber-Allen Publishing
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Four Agreements Cards

ASIN: 1878424319

Amazon.com

Sit at the foot of a native elder and listen as great wisdom of days long past is passed down. In The Four Agreements shamanic teacher and healer Don Miguel Ruiz exposes self-limiting beliefs and presents a simple yet effective code of personal conduct learned from his Toltec ancestors. Full of grace and simple truth, this handsomely designed book makes a lovely gift for anyone making an elementary change in life, and it reads in a voice that you would expect from an indigenous shaman. The four agreements are these: Be impeccable with your word. Don't take anything personally. Don't make assumptions. Always do your best. It's the how and why one should do these things that make The Four Agreements worth reading and remembering. --P. Randall Cohan

Book Description

In The Four Agreements, don Miguel Ruiz reveals the source of self-limiting agreements that rob people of joy and create needless suffering. Based on ancient Toltec wisdom, the Four Agreements offer a powerful code of conduct that can rapidly transform anyone's life to a new experience of freedom, true happiness, and love. These agreements are deceptively simple: Be impeccable with your word (speak with integrity; say only what you mean); Don't take anything personally (nothing others do is because of you); Don't make assumptions (find the courage to ask questions and express what you really want); Always do your best (and you will avoid self-judgment, self-abuse, and regret). Peter Coyote's resonant reading emphasizes the power in these remarkable tenets.

Customer Reviews:

Not unless you're already "into" this kind of stuff........2007-06-27

Personally, after listening to almost half, I have come to the conclusion that this stuff is a bunch of......poo. It rambles endlessly and whatever the author is trying to say is needlessly basted in an unending metaphor. It's just idiotic nonsense and unless you're already died in the wool mystic new-age please don't waste your money. Or send me a couple of dollars and a pre-posted envelope and you can have mine. Hurry before I throw it in the garbage.

We Always Come Back To This Source!.......2007-06-21

Over the course of several years of coaching leadership groups it never ceases to amaze me how often group members and I, myself, find crucial applications for these deceptively simple Four Agreements. When we don't KNOW we all have a strong desire to fill in the blank. When we remember Ruiz's guidance to Never Assume, and to not Take It Personally, we can hold off our anxiety, and leave it blank until we do really know the facts. The author does a great job of expanding our thinking on these simple principles and convinces us that life may not really be that complicated after all if we don't make it so. On the personal level I have bought a copy of this book for every one of my grown children and they all love it!

Michael Arloski, Ph.D., PCC, author of Wellness Coaching For Lasting Lifestyle Change

Okaay.......2007-06-17

Started reading this publication and came to my senses. Jehovah God in his word, The Bible, has given wisdom necessary for over two thousand years. All I had/have to do is consult it, then DO.

Gave book to the Salvation Army.

A Master Plan for Life.......2007-05-29

The Four Agreements are ones that I follow. Basic rules for a good honest and Spiritual life. Have given it and recommended it to many over the years. It's hard to argue with the pure logic and mystical wisdom presented in these pages. The lesson of the Magical Kitchen has improved my life. Peace, Saint

So good, I have to share.......2007-05-27

This was purchased for my nephew as a gift. This is my 5th copy purchased in addition to the first I bought for myself. It's simple, and true. I recommend it to everyone.

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