Build the life you want : the art and science of getting happier

Title:

Author:

Brooks, Arthur C., 1964- author.

Added Author:

Winfrey, Oprah,

Personal Author:

Brooks, Arthur C., 1964- author.

ISBN:

9780593545409

Physical Description:

xxvu, 242 pages ; 22 cm

Abstract:

"Arthur C. Brooks and Oprah Winfrey combine their decades of experience studying happiness from every angle to show readers how to improve their lives right now, instead of waiting for the outside world to change. They offer a research-based work plan that shows the reader how to manage their emotions so they no longer control their outlook and behavior; turn life's inevitable difficulties and challenges into opportunities for growth; strengthen their family ties by managing expectations and building trust; create and preserve deep and lasting friendships at any age; develop an approach to work that fits their life and brings satisfaction; and find inner peace with a spiritual practice"-- Provided by publisher.

Subject Term:

Happiness.

Change (Psychology)

Self-realization.

Genre:

Self-help publications.

Summary:

Holds:

Available:*

Library	Material Type	Shelf Number	Status
Searching... Belmont	Book	158 BROOKS	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Ginter Park	Book	158 BROOKS	Searching... Unknown
Searching... West End	Book	158 BROOKS	Searching... Unknown

Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

You can get happier. And getting there will be the adventure of your lifetime.

INSTANT #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

In Build the Life You Want , Arthur C. Brooks and Oprah Winfrey invite you to begin a journey toward greater happiness no matter how challenging your circumstances. Drawing on cutting-edge science and their years of helping people translate ideas into action, they show you how to improve your life right now instead of waiting for the outside world to change.

With insight, compassion, and hope, Brooks and Winfrey reveal how the tools of emotional self-management can change your life―immediately. They recommend practical, research-based practices to build the four pillars of happiness: family, friendship, work, and faith. And along the way, they share hard-earned wisdom from their own lives and careers as well as the witness of regular people whose lives are joyful despite setbacks and hardship.

Equipped with the tools of emotional self-management and ready to build your four pillars, you can take control of your present and future rather than hoping and waiting for your circumstances to improve. Build the Life You Want is your blueprint for a better life.

Reviews (1)

Kirkus Review

An accessible road map to greater fulfillment, connection, and magnanimity. During the 2020 pandemic, Brooks, a professor at the Harvard Kennedy School and the Harvard Business School, began a column in the Atlantic, "How To Build a Life," offering practical wisdom and tools for a purpose-driven, satisfying life. A fan of Brooks' work, Winfrey writes, "This man was singing my song." Over the course of this collaboration, Brooks presents "clear, science-based information about how your happiness works and then instructions on how to use this information in your life." Winfrey contributes intermittent, brief notes about experiences and opinions--e.g., "It's about happier--a relative, contextualized, fluid condition, not some perfect fixed ideal….Happier is not a state of being, but a state of doing--not a thing you wait around and hope for, but an achievable change you actively work toward." After defining happiness ("a combination of enjoyment, satisfaction, and purpose"), the authors focus on the benefits of and skills required for emotional self-management ("metacognition, emotional substitution, and adopting an outward focus"). Winfrey suggests writing down words to that effect and taping them to your refrigerator: "Your emotions are only signals. And you get to decide how you'll respond to them." Brooks delineates simple, actionable steps such as keeping a journal. "Spend more time enjoying things that amaze you," he writes, emphasizing how to consciously cultivate gratitude, humor, hope, and compassion. An example of his advice includes, "Unfollow people you don't know…whose posts you simply look at because they have what you want." He posits that family, friendship, work, and faith "are the pillars on which a good life is based," and he focuses the final four chapters on each of these. Brooks is masterful at synthesizing enormous quantities of research into a simple and supportive text. A quick read, this hopeful book will benefit readers searching for enriched well-being. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.