Build the Life You Want

Informationen zum Autor Arthur C. Brooks is the Parker Gilbert Montgomery Professor of the Practice of Public and Nonprofit Leadership at the Harvard Kennedy School and Professor of Management Practice at the Harvard Business School, where he teaches courses on happiness. He is the creator of the popular How to Build a Life column at The Atlantic , an acclaimed public speaker, and the author of bestselling books, including From Strength to Strength and Love Your Enemies . As a global media leader and communications pioneer, Oprah Winfrey has built unparalleled connections with people around the world. Through The Oprah Winfrey Show , she entertained, enlightened, and uplifted millions of viewers for twenty-five years. Her accomplishments as a philanthropist and her commitment to books, reading and education have established her as one of the most respected and admired public figures today. Klappentext You can get happier. And getting there will be the adventure of a lifetime. Using the tools of emotional self-management, you can take control of your well-being, rather than hoping and waiting for your circumstances to improve. BUILD THE LIFE YOU WANT is your blueprint for a better life. Leseprobe A Note from Oprah One of the many things I got from doing The Oprah Winfrey Show for twenty-five years was a front-row seat to unhappiness. Of every, and I mean every, kind. My guests included people devastated by tragedy, or betrayal, or deep disappointment. Angry people and people who held grudges. People full of regret and guilt, shame and fear. People doing everything in their power to numb their unhappiness but waking up each day unhappy anyway. I also witnessed abundant happiness. People who had found love and friendship. People using their talents and abilities to do good things. People who reaped the rewards of selflessness and giving, including one person who'd even donated a kidney to a stranger he'd recently met. People with a spiritual side that brought richer meaning to their lives. People who'd been given a second chance. Where the audience was concerned, the unhappy guests generally provoked empathy; the happy ones, admiration (and maybe a twinge of wistful envy). And then there was a third category of guest that audiences didn't know what to make of but were genuinely inspired by: people who had every reason to be unhappy and yet were not. The lemonade-making, silver-linings-finding, bright- side-looking glass-half-fullers. The Mattie Stepaneks, is how I came to think of themMattie Stepanek being the boy who had a rare and fatal form of muscular dystrophy called dysautonomic mito- chondrial myopathy, yet managed to find peace in all things and play after every storm. He wrote lovely poetry, was wise beyond his years, and was the first guest I ever befriended beyond the show. I used to call him my angel guy. How could a boy with a fatal disease be as happy as Mattie was? Same with the mother who was full of peace and purpose and ac- tual joy even as she was preparing to die, recording hundreds of voice tapes for her then-six-year-old daughter about how to live. And the Zimbabwean woman who was married at age eleven, beaten daily, yet instead of giving in to despair, maintained hope, set secret goals, and eventually achieved themincluding earning a PhD. How could these people even get out of bed in the morning, let alone be such rays of light? How did they do it? Were they born that way? Was there a secret or pattern of development the rest of the world should know? Because trust me, if there was such a thing, the world would definitely want to know. In my twenty-five years of doing the show, if there was one thing almost everyone in every audience had in common, it was the desire to be happy. As I've said before, after every show I'd chat with the audience, and I al- ways aske...

Autorentext

Arthur C. Brooks is the Parker Gilbert Montgomery Professor of the Practice of Public and Nonprofit Leadership at the Harvard Kennedy School and Professor of Management Practice at the Harvard Business School, where he teaches courses on happiness. He is the creator of the popular “How to Build a Life” column at The Atlantic, an acclaimed public speaker, and the author of bestselling books, including From Strength to Strength and Love Your Enemies.

As a global media leader and communications pioneer, Oprah Winfrey has built unparalleled connections with people around the world. Through The Oprah Winfrey Show, she entertained, enlightened, and uplifted millions of viewers for twenty-five years. Her accomplishments as a philanthropist and her commitment to books, reading and education have established her as one of the most respected and admired public figures today.

Klappentext

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

Most people wish they were happy, and hope the world will deal them the hand that will make it so. They consider happiness to be a feeling that comes and goes, and consider the happiest people to be the lucky ones in life.

All of this is wrong. Getting happier has nothing to do with wishing, feelings, and luck. It is within reach of every person willing to learn and put in the effort. And that effort starts with this book.

In Build the Life You Want, Arthur C. Brooks and Oprah Winfrey introduce readers to the incredible science of happiness, and show how they can use it to improve their lives and lift up others.readers will learn the skills and habits to build healthy relationships, find a spiritual path, manage their emotions, navigate the challenges of work, and age with grace and joy. Along the way, Arthur and Oprah share insights from their own lives and happiness challenges, and real life stories of people who have taken control of their happiness journeys. In every page, readers will delight in new knowledge, gain skills that will change how they live now and into the future, and learn the secrets they can’t wait to share with others.

There is no magic bullet for total contentment, and no shortcut to complete satisfaction. But with a willing spirit and a desire to learn, you can become happier. *Build the Life You Want is where your journey begins.

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

When times are good, this is easy to believe. But sometimes life’s hardships can feel like impossible barriers, making happiness seem out of reach. In these times, the only way to get happier is to wait and hope things get better. Right?

Wrong.

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. Combining their decades of experience studying happiness from every angle, they show you how to improve your life right now – instead of waiting for the outside world to change. This is not another book with unrealistic promises of perfect bliss. It is a research-based work plan that meets you wherever you are and shows you how to make greater happiness a choice.

You will learn how to:
● Manage your emotions so they no longer control your outlook and behavior
● Turn life’s inevitable difficulties and challenges into opportunities for growth
● Strengthen your family ties by managing your expectations and building trust
● Create and preserve deep and lasting friendships at any age
● Develop an approach to work that fits your life and brings satisfaction
● Find your inner peace with a spiritual practice

Build the Life You Want introduces you to the cutting-edge science that can change your life, in understandable terms and with actionable strategies. Along the way, Arthur and Oprah share hard-earned wisdom from their own lives and careers, as well as…