Download or read book Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal written by Jeanette Winterson and published by Open Road + Grove/Atlantic. This book was released on 2012-03-06 with total page 152 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A New York Times bestseller: The “magnificent” memoir by one of the bravest and most original writers of our time—“A tour de force of literature and love” (Vogue). One of the New York Times’ “50 Best Memoirs of the Past 50 Years” Jeanette Winterson’s bold and revelatory novels have established her as a major figure in world literature. Her internationally best-selling debut, Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit, tells the story of a young girl adopted by Pentecostal parents, and has become a staple of required reading in contemporary fiction classes. Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal? is a “singular and electric” memoir about a life’s work to find happiness (The New York Times). It is a book full of stories: about a girl locked out of her home, sitting on the doorstep all night; about a religious zealot disguised as a mother who has two sets of false teeth and a revolver in the dresser, waiting for Armageddon; about growing up in a north England industrial town now changed beyond recognition; about the universe as a cosmic dustbin. It is the story of how a painful past, rose to haunt the author later in life, sending her on a journey into madness and out again, in search of her biological mother. It is also a book about the power of literature, showing how fiction and poetry can form a string of guiding lights, or a life raft that supports us when we are sinking. Witty, acute, fierce, and celebratory, Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal? is a tough-minded story of the search for belonging—for love, identity, home, and a mother.
Download or read book Why Be Happy written by Scott Haas and published by Hachette Go. This book was released on 2020-07-07 with total page 256 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This beautiful and practical guide to ukeireru, the Japanese principle of acceptance, offers a path to well-being and satisfaction for the anxious and exhausted. Looking for greater peace and satisfaction? Look no further than the Japanese concept of ukeireru, or acceptance. Psychologist Scott Haas offers an elegant, practical, and life-changing look at ways we can reduce anxiety and stress and increase overall well-being. By learning and practicing ukeireru, you can: Profoundly improve your relationships, with a greater focus on listening, finding commonalities, and intuiting Find calm in ritualizing things such as making coffee, drinking tea, and even having a cocktail Embrace the importance of baths and naps Show respect for self and others, which has a remarkably calming effect on everyone Learn to listen more than you talk Tidy up your life by downsizing experiences and relationships that offer more stress than solace Cultivate practical ways of dealing with anger, fear, and arguments -- the daily tensions that take up so much of our lives By practicing acceptance, we learn to pause, take in the situation, and then deciding on a course of action that reframes things. Why Be Happy? Discover a place of contentment and peace in this harried world.
Download or read book Happiness Is a Serious Problem written by Dennis Prager and published by Harper Collins. This book was released on 2009-10-13 with total page 196 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this unique blend of self-help and moral philosophy, perfect for fans of Gretchen Rubin’s The Happiness Project or Dan Harris’ 10% Happier, talk-radio host Dennis Prager shows us that happiness isn’t just a value—it’s a moral obligation. When you ask people about their most cherished values, “happiness” is always at the top of the list. In this enduring happiness manifesto, Prager examines how happiness not only makes us better people, but has an effect on the lives of everyone around us—providing them with a positive environment in which to thrive and be happy themselves. Achieving that happiness won't be easy, though: to Prager, it requires a continuing process of counting your blessings and giving up any expectations that life is supposed to be wonderful. "Can we decide to be satisfied with what we have?" he asks. "A poor man who can make himself satisfied with his portion will be happier than a wealthy man who does not allow himself to be satisfied." Prager echoes other political commentators in complaining that too many people today see themselves as victims; he submits that the only way to achieve your desires is to take responsibility for your life rather than blaming others. If you're willing to put some thought into achieving a happier outlook, you will find plenty to mull over in Happiness Is a Serious Problem.
Download or read book Happy written by Derren Brown and published by Random House. This book was released on 2016-09-22 with total page 552 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Sunday Times Bestseller 'Really brilliant and just crammed with wisdom and insight. It will genuinely make a difference to me and the way I think about myself.' Stephen Fry ___ Everyone says they want to be happy. But that's much more easily said than done. What does being happy actually mean? And how do you even know when you feel it? In Happy Derren Brown explores changing concepts of happiness - from the surprisingly modern wisdom of the Stoics and Epicureans in classical times right up until today, when the self-help industry has attempted to claim happiness as its own. He shows how many of self-help's suggested routes to happiness and success - such as positive thinking, self-belief and setting goals - can be disastrous to follow and, indeed, actually cause anxiety. Happy aims to reclaim happiness and to enable us to appreciate the good things in life, in all their transient glory. By taking control of the stories we tell ourselves, by remembering that 'everything's fine' even when it might not feel that way, we can allow ourselves to flourish and to live more happily. ___ What readers are saying: ***** 'Immensely positive and life-affirming' ***** 'This is the blue print to a good life' ***** 'Thought provoking and potentially life-changing.'
Download or read book Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit written by Jeanette Winterson and published by Open Road + Grove/Atlantic. This book was released on 2007-12-01 with total page 192 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The New York Times–bestselling author’s Whitbread Prize–winning debut—“Winterson has mastered both comedy and tragedy in this rich little novel” (The Washington Post Book World). When it first appeared, Jeanette Winterson’s extraordinary debut novel received unanimous international praise, including the prestigious Whitbread Prize for best first fiction. Winterson went on to fulfill that promise, producing some of the most dazzling fiction and nonfiction of the past decade, including her celebrated memoir Why Be Happy When You Can Be Normal?. Now required reading in contemporary literature, Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit is a funny, poignant exploration of a young girl’s adolescence. Jeanette is a bright and rebellious orphan who is adopted into an evangelical household in the dour, industrial North of England and finds herself embroidering grim religious mottoes and shaking her little tambourine for Jesus. But as this budding missionary comes of age, and comes to terms with her unorthodox sexuality, the peculiar balance of her God-fearing household dissolves. Jeanette’s insistence on listening to truths of her own heart and mind—and on reporting them with wit and passion—makes for an unforgettable chronicle of an eccentric, moving passage into adulthood. “If Flannery O’Connor and Rita Mae Brown had collaborated on the coming-out story of a young British girl in the 1960s, maybe they would have approached the quirky and subtle hilarity of Jeanette Winterson’s autobiographical first novel. . . . Winterson’s voice, with its idiosyncratic wit and sensitivity, is one you’ve never heard before.” —Ms. Magazine
Download or read book Why Can t I Just Be Happy written by Rolf Nabb and published by New Traditions Books. This book was released on 2004-07 with total page 135 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Why can't I just be happy?" We've all asked ourselves this question from time to time and we've all wondered why it's so hard. Considering that you probably include yourself in the vast majority of what I'll refer to as "us," you probably find yourself wondering this from time to time as well. From my years of observation and talking to people, I've figured out that being a happy person is a pretty easy thing to accomplish if you can just set your sights on the right targets and get your priorities straight. Regardless of what misery you've suffered or are suffering, if you can just step back and gain a little perspective, you'll see that you too can be happy. You're much stronger than you think.
Download or read book Why Can t I Be Happy written by Jamila khan and published by . This book was released on 2022-12-16 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Why Can't I Be Happy" is for people who desperately want to transform their lives.In this inspiring story, Jamila Khan recounts her childhood years of physical and emotional trauma both in recognizable (violence, death, etc.) and subtle daily trauma (bullying, belittling, shamed, etc.) led to self-destructive behaviors in her young adulthood. Through the powerful work of transformative education, Khan was able to reframe her childhood trauma, both known and subtle, into stories of compassion, empathy, forgiveness, allowing her to move forward to live a life she loves. Denied the right to an education, Jamila took responsibility for her life and completed her education to become a pastoral psychologist. Her experience from her travels, education, and faith has shaped the person she is today. ?Identify and transform your childhood trauma and the stories you tell yourself, which stops you from moving ahead.?Create a life you love, moving from self-hate to self-love?You will gain compassion, empathy, forgiveness, and loveBy the end of Why Can't I Be Happy, you'll understand how you formed your false self with steps and tools to change it, and you will be able to say I love the life I lived.
Download or read book Art Lies written by Jeanette Winterson and published by Vintage. This book was released on 2013-04-17 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: One of the most audacious and provocative writers on either side of the Atlantic now gives readers a dazzling, arousing, and wise improvisation on art, Eros, language, and identity. "A series of intense, artful musings that are exhilarating and visionary. . . . Unsettling yet strangely satisfying."--Newsday.
Download or read book I Forgot to Remember written by Su Meck and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2015-02-17 with total page 304 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Just twenty-two years old, Su Meck was already married and the mother of two children in 1988 when a ceiling fan in the kitchen of her home fell from its mounting and struck her in the head. She survived the life-threatening swelling in her brain that resulted from the accident, but when she regained consciousness in the hospital the next day, she didn't know her own name. She didn't recognize a single family member or friend, she couldn't read or write or brush her teeth or use a fork--and she didn't have even a scrap of memory from her life up to that point. The fiercely independent and outspoken young woman she had been vanished completely. Most patients who suffer amnesia as a result of a head injury eventually regain their memories, but Su never did. After three weeks in the hospital she was sent back out into a world about which she knew nothing: What did it mean to be someone's wife? To be a mother? How did everyone around her seem to know what they were supposed to do or say at any given moment? Adrift in the chaos of mental data that most of us think of as everyday life, Su became an adept mimic, fashioning a self and a life out of careful observation and ironclad routine. She had no dreams for herself, no plans outside the ever-burgeoning daily to-do list of a stay-at-home mom. The Meck family left Texas to start over in Maryland, and told almost no one in their new life about Su's accident. Nearly twenty years would pass before Su understood the full extent of the losses she and her family suffered as a result of her injury. As a series of personally devastating events shattered the "normal" life she had worked so hard to build, Su realized that she would have to grow up all over again, and finally take control of the strange second life she had awoken into"--
Download or read book Why Am I So Happy written by Paula Neva Vail and published by . This book was released on 2019-10-15 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this groundbreaking book, Paula Vail, a nationally-recognized leader in personal empowerment, shares her own life's challenges and accomplishments with the readers, and the critical tools you need to open the door to the incredible happiness that resides in each one of us - a joy that is the center of our being. Drawing from her research and personal life experiences, Vail weaves an inspirational and practical account of how we can begin to make changes in our lives through better choices and new attitudes. Why Am I So Happy? is an excellent guidebook with tools to find a happier life. A must-read for everyone trying to gain happiness as we find ourselves with increasing workloads, lots more stress, and negativity all around us, Why Am I So Happy?, isn't only about how to become happier at work. It's about how to reap the benefits of a happier and more positive mind-set to achieve the joy, gratefulness, light, love and success into our lives. You will get insights and tools that you can use in your own personal journey to find happiness and empowerment.
Download or read book If You re So Smart Why Aren t You Happy written by Raj Raghunathan and published by Random House. This book was released on 2016-04-28 with total page 354 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What are the true determinants of a happy and fulfilling life? Widely admired psychological researcher Rag Raghunathan sets out to find the answer, undertaking extensive research into the happiness of students, business people, stay-at-home-parents, lawyers, and artists, among others. From his research he reveals a crucial discovery: many of the psychological traits that lead to success ironically get in the way of happiness. Forging a new way forward, Raghunathan shows how we can transform these key traits of success, namely the need to be loved, the need for importance and the need for control, and replace them with other behaviours, goals and values to improve our life-long levels of happiness.
Download or read book Solve for Happy written by Mo Gawdat and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2017-03-21 with total page 368 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this “powerful personal story woven with a rich analysis of what we all seek” (Sergey Brin, cofounder of Google), Mo Gawdat, Chief Business Officer at Google’s [X], applies his superior logic and problem solving skills to understand how the brain processes joy and sadness—and then he solves for happy. In 2001 Mo Gawdat realized that despite his incredible success, he was desperately unhappy. A lifelong learner, he attacked the problem as an engineer would: examining all the provable facts and scrupulously applying logic. Eventually, his countless hours of research and science proved successful, and he discovered the equation for permanent happiness. Thirteen years later, Mo’s algorithm would be put to the ultimate test. After the sudden death of his son, Ali, Mo and his family turned to his equation—and it saved them from despair. In dealing with the horrible loss, Mo found his mission: he would pull off the type of “moonshot” goal that he and his colleagues were always aiming for—he would share his equation with the world and help as many people as possible become happier. In Solve for Happy Mo questions some of the most fundamental aspects of our existence, shares the underlying reasons for suffering, and plots out a step-by-step process for achieving lifelong happiness and enduring contentment. He shows us how to view life through a clear lens, teaching us how to dispel the illusions that cloud our thinking; overcome the brain’s blind spots; and embrace five ultimate truths. No matter what obstacles we face, what burdens we bear, what trials we’ve experienced, we can all be content with our present situation and optimistic about the future.
Download or read book Why Is She So Happy written by Sarah J. Baker and published by Lulu.com. This book was released on 2017-02-28 with total page 73 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Why is She So Happy is a 30 day happiness challenge for the worn and weary woman. It is designed to be a journal, encouraging women to write out their thoughts and experiences that result from each daily challenge, and can be used multiple times to rejuvenate the spirit.
Download or read book Pursuit of Happiness written by David G. Myers and published by Harper Collins. This book was released on 1993-06-01 with total page 340 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Social psychologist David G. Myers has reviewed thousands of recent scientific studies conducted worldwide in search of the key to happiness. With wit and wisdom, he explodes some of the popular myths on the subject and presents specific techniques for finding true joy in living: Are most people happy? What are the inner traits of happy people? Are extroverts happier than introverts? Are men happier than women? Does religious faith promote inner peace and joy? Does well-being come with being well-off? Are happy children more likely to become happy adults? What part do friends play in personal happiness? Is age a factor in feeling happy? What can you do to improve your own sense of well-being? and much more
Download or read book Be Happy at Work written by Joanne Gordon and published by . This book was released on 2005 with total page 360 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Joanne Gordon examines the lives of 100 women who, like herself, choose happiness in the workplace over monetary compensation or other benefits and shows how other women can apply this information to their own lives.
Download or read book Happy As written by Lisa Portolan and published by Bonnier Zaffre Ltd.. This book was released on 2018-06-01 with total page 237 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In a world where data is the new currency, social media is turning us all into walking, talking billboards and brands and we're meant to be mindful, manifesting and present, isn't it a bit rich to be expected to be happy too? After a lifetime spent actively searching for happiness as well as studying it, communications executive and yogi Lisa Portolan shares valuable insights into how we made happiness a science and an industry, created products around it and supported it with a whole heap of advertising to ensure that works, but is 'brand me' just a recipe for unhappiness? 'Lisa points the way to an alternative approach where instead of performing or pursuing an artificial construction of happiness, we can discover our authentic, holistic selves, and learn that this is enough.' - Tom Dawkins 'A big call, but coming from a practitioner of the dark arts of advertising and persuasion Lisa's insights are f*cking surprising and enlightening.' - Paul Bongiorno AM 'Lisa Portolan's fascinating exploration of happiness reveals fresh insights into this much-lauded but little-examined condition. Startling in its insight and surprising in its scale, Happy As sheds light into the darker corners of people's search for joy. And, oddly enough, it is an unbridled joy to read.' - Tim Ferguson
Download or read book Toxic Positivity written by Whitney Goodman and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2024-04-02 with total page 305 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A powerful guide to owning our emotions—even the difficult ones—in order to show up authentically in the world, from the popular therapist behind the Instagram account @sitwithwhit. Every day, we’re bombarded with pressure to be positive. From “good vibes only” and “life is good” memes, to endless reminders to “look on the bright side,” we’re constantly told that the key to happiness is silencing negativity wherever it crops up—in ourselves and in others. Even when faced with illness, loss, breakups, and other challenges, there’s little space for talking about our real feelings—and processing them so that we can feel better and move forward. But if non-stop positivity is the answer, why are so many of us anxious, depressed, and burned out? In this refreshingly honest guide, sought-after therapist Whitney Goodman shares the latest research along with everyday examples and client stories that reveal how damaging toxic positivity is to ourselves and our relationships, and presents simple ways to experience and work through difficult emotions. The result is more authenticity, connection, and growth—and ultimately, a path to showing up as you truly are.
