ʻ59 Seconds: Think a Little,
Change a Lotʼ– by Professor
Richard Wiseman
In “59 Seconds”, psychologist
Professor Richard Wiseman
presents his bite-size approach
to change that helps people
achieve their aims and ambitions
in minutes, not months. This
could be perfect for busy, curious,
smart people, as itʼs an easy
and enjoyable book to read– the
kind that you can dip in and out
of, picking up interesting, and
sometimes surprisingly effective
tips along the way. There
is a lot of advice packed into
this small book which can be
quickly employed and applied
to serve the willing reader. Here
is a sample of Wisemanʼs transformative
tips.
If you want to lose weight, try
placing a full-length mirror in
your kitchen. Presumably, when
you catch sight of your reflection,
you are likely to prepare
less food.
Use topics of conversation
that create intimacy to establish
immediate rapport on a first
date. Frequently scribble on
pieces of paper how much you
love the person youʼre going out
with, and significantly increase
the chances of success in the relationship;
The topics covered include
happiness, persuasion, motivation,
creativity, attraction, stress,
relationships, decision making,
parenting and personality. Each
section begins with a discussion
of the relevant research into the
subject at hand and ends with
practical suggestions for how to
make use of the findings to improve
your own life.
Wiseman mines the academic
research and presents new
findings in a readable manner.
However, if youʼve read a lot of
self-help literature before, some
of the ideas might seem obvious
or dated. It is somewhat similiar
to his previous publication
ʻQuirkologyʼ in that it contains
surprising facts about human
behaviour scattered among the
advice.
His formula is to dispel a
common myth, then he cites research
data, and offers his quick
solutions. This probably wonʼt
change your life, but if youʼre
interested in finding out which
sport is likely to make you most
attractive to the opposite sex, or
that you can increase your creativity
by surrounding yourself
with potted plants, this book is
for you. And at the end, you can
read his top ten tips.
'Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman
ʼs Search for Everything
Across Italy, India and Indonesia
ʼ by Elizabeth Gilbert
Elizabeth Gilbert took an extended
trip as a way to reclaim
herself after a painful marriage
breakdown. These are her reflections,
composed as an extended
letter to a close friend of hers.
The book has sold in millions
as it spoke to so many readers,
especially other women of similiar
experience, and in need
of spiritual healing. Julia Roberts
has agreed to play her in
a movie adaptation of the book,
apparently because it mover her
so much.
The author is careful to tell us
that she was only able to embark
on this inner journey because
she was ready to do so. She
had prepared herself with two
years of psychotherapy and six
months use of anti-depressants.
In order to give herself the
time and space to find out who
she really was and what she really
wanted, she got rid of her
belongings, quit her job, and
undertook a year-long journey
around the world—all alone.
ʻEat, Pray, Loveʼ is the absorbing
chronicle of that year.
Her aim was to visit three places
where she could examine one
aspect of her own nature set
against the backdrop of a culture
that has traditionally done
that one thing very well.
In Rome, she studied the art of
pleasure, learning to speak Italian
and gaining the twenty-three
happiest pounds of her life. India
was for the art of devotion, and
with the help of a native guru
and a surprisingly wise cowboy
from Texas, she embarked
on four uninterrupted months of
Bookworm
Reviewed by Nessa Jennings
NEWSFOUR FEBRUARY / MARCH 2010 PAGE 17
spiritual exploration.
In Bali, she studied the art of
balance between worldly enjoyment
and divine transcendence.
She became the pupil of an elderly
medicine man and also fell
in love the best way– unexpectedly.
Profoundly deep, the book
uses the technique of romantic
fiction grafted onto a travelogue
to describe the authorʼs soulsearching
and self-discovery,
leading the reader down uncharted
paths.
She says that she went there
not only on her own quest, but
on behalf of others, also asking
any questions she imagined
for them. That perhaps explains
the mass identification with the
book.
Trying to understand the popularity
of the book, she says we
all have that yearning for pilgrimage
hard-wired into us. It
is our deep yearning to know
ourselves through philosophical
and spiritual means. Very wellwritten,
like an exotic tapestry,
it is as deeply pleasurable |
ʻSmile or Die: How Positive
Here she tears wholeheartedly
ʻLife Coachesʼ who have adopted