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The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin ~ FOLLOW ------ The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom ~ FOLLOW

Author and Publisher's Twitter Accounts will be featured here! For special requests, please send me an email. :)

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Archive for 2011

Book Giveaway Winner!


September 11,2011, I was honored to welcome our Guest Author, Lynn Johnston. She wrote up a very interesting article entitled, "Does the Tortoise Always Beat the Hare?", where she talked about the two basic strategies that human beings use to achieve a goal or make a change:  innovation (the Hare) and incrementalism (the Tortoise). Lynn graciously provided H.O.B with a copy of her book to give away to one of the commenters. After about a three week wait for the drawing.....the winner is….

Teresita Sanchez!! 
Congratulations!
(a random number generator was used to pick a winner.)


----------

Also, check out Lynn Johnston's blog -- > http://www.smallstepstobigchange.com

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BOOK GIVEAWAY - The Kaizen Plan for Healthy Eating by Lynn Johnston

Lynn Johnston blogs about how to take control of your life 10 minutes at a time using the kaizen approach: http://www.smallstepstobigchange.com

Each week, readers of her blog receive a small, simple step they can use to improve some area of their lives.

She's the author of The Kaizen Plan for Decluttering Your Computer and The Kaizen Plan for Healthy Eating.

Lynn lives in central Texas with her husband. Her hobbies including reading, writing speculative fiction, and cheering on the anoles in her backyard vegetable garden.

Email: kaizenlynn AT gmail DOT com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Kaizen-Plan-Take-Control-of-Your-Life-10-Minutes-at-a-Time/128938320505399
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/TheKaizenPlan

EXCERPT FROM THE KAIZEN PLAN FOR HEALTHY EATING:

We all know how important it is to eat healthy foods, but knowing and doing are not the same thing. Our eating habits are established when we're too young to make good choices ourselves, so we learn to eat what our parents eat. As we grow up, our food choices are influenced by those around us and we might try new dishes here and there, but chances are the patterns are already set by the time we're teens. By the time we're old enough to think rationally about what we should eat and why, we've been in the habit of eating the same types of foods for maybe a decade and a half. And the longer you've been stuck with a habit, the harder it is to break.

The good news is there's a way to make it easier to break those habits. We humans are wired to resist big changes because the risk of losing what we've got right now is high with a big change. But we've also evolved to adapt to small changes almost without noticing, because if we couldn't handle the little day-to-day changes life inevitably throws at us, we would never have survived as a species.

The Kaizen Plan for Healthy Eating takes advantage of your natural ability to adapt to microchanges with minimal effort. Other books will tell you to throw away all your junk food and replace it with foods you may not like yet and might not know how to prepare to your own tastes. The cold turkey approach fails because it triggers the automatic resistance that kicks in whenever someone tries to force us to do something (even if that someone is ourselves!).

I say, leave the junk food there for now. Let me introduce you to some small changes—so small you'll barely feel like you're changing anything. Over time, you'll find yourself eating less junk food naturally, because you'll have gradually trained your taste buds to enjoy healthier meals. You'll start to crave the good stuff because you'll have discovered it makes you feel better and you have found ways to prepare it so you like how it tastes.

In this book, I've broken down the elements of a healthy diet and identified one or more small changes that address each element. You're probably already doing some of the things suggested here. If so, good for you! Please choose the small steps that complement what you're already doing right.

This is not a weight loss plan, although if you implement the changes suggested in this book, you may find yourself dropping excess pounds. If your goal is to lose weight, the changes you make as you work through this book will make it easier for you to adapt to a reasonable weight loss plan later, and will build up your body so it can adapt more quickly to exercise.

This approach is not a quick fix. If you make one small change a week, you could easily spend an entire year improving the quality of your diet. But because those changes happen gradually and relatively painlessly, they'll stick with you.

What is Kaizen?

Kaizen is a Japanese word meaning "continuous improvement" and it's used in the business world to describe the approach of accomplishing things by making a series of small, simple changes that result in gradual improvement. It's the approach Japanese businesses took after World War II to remake their manufacturing industry and turn companies like Honda and Toyota into the world-renowned corporations they are today.

But the kaizen approach isn't limited to business. It can be applied to any goal or project that can be broken down into smaller steps. The biggest benefit of the kaizen approach is that it eliminates overwhelm. All you have to do is focus on one small step at a time.

What is a Kaizen Plan?

A Kaizen Plan is simply a set of small but doable steps taken one at a time. Each step addresses some aspect of the problem you want to solve or the goal you want to achieve.

The effect of a Kaizen Plan is cumulative. Each small step you take synergizes with the others, so life gets better faster than you’d expect.

Each step in a Kaizen Plan has to fit several criteria:

- Simple. A plan consisting of complicated, difficult steps is a plan that never gets executed.

- Short. A change that requires you to set aside a large block of time is a change that doesn't get made. But a change that you can do in a few minutes is much easier to squeeze into your busy schedule. Most of the changes I've suggested can be done in just a few minutes per day.

- Personalized. The most effective small steps are the ones that directly address your needs. Always feel free to modify any of the suggestions in this book so they work for you, or use them as inspiration for coming up with specific changes that meet your needs.

- Affirming. You shouldn't have to change your personality to change your habits. The goal isn't to become a different person, it's to become a healthier version of who you already are.

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Does the Tortoise Always Beat the Hare? by Lynn Johnston

Her Online Bookshelf is proud to welcome our guest blogger, Lynn Johnston. 


We’re giving away a copy of The Kaizen Plan for Healthy Eating by Lynn Johnston! Read this post and comment (answer the questions at the end of this post) for your chance to win the book! 

Does the Tortoise Always Beat the Hare?

I'm sure you've heard Aesop's fable, The Tortoise and the Hare, in which the swift but erratic Hare loses a race to the slow but steady Tortoise.  

When I was a kid, I found this particular story annoying.  I didn't want to plod through my life like a boring old Tortoise.  I wanted to be fast and bouncy like the Hare!  And I wanted the Hare to win.  

Fast should beat slow all the time, shouldn't it?

As an adult, I've come to appreciate the meaning of that fable.  The Tortoise and the Hare symbolize the two basic strategies that human beings use to achieve a goal or make a change:  innovation (the Hare) and incrementalism (the Tortoise).

Innovation is what we normally think of when we contemplate change.  It's drastic, sweeping change that attempts to replace what already exists with something completely new.  

Most diets are like this.  You throw out or hide all the food in your house that isn't allowed on the diet, you stock up on all the foods you're supposed to be eating, and you put yourself on the new regimen of unfamiliar meals, intending to change your eating habits overnight.  

Most plans for getting in shape are like this too.  You sign up with a gym or buy free weights or an exercise DVD, and you set your alarm an hour earlier so you can work out first thing.

Change through innovation is exciting, and that excitement can carry you through the initial phase of the change.  When you're innovating, everything is fresh and new.  It's also fast; a lot of change is crammed into a relatively short period of time.  You expect to see results quickly when you're innovating.

But innovation is based on the assumption that you're determined to change your habits overnight, that you've got the discipline to follow the new program to the letter, and the mental energy to be constantly vigilant against the old habits, which sneak back in whenever you're tired or distracted.

Innovation can also be disruptive, because the learning curve for innovation is steep.  You may have to drop everything else while you're learning how to adapt to the new process and monitoring yourself for lapses.  Innovation can be stressful.

Because of this, many attempts to change through innovation fail miserably, after a short but intense period of effort.  After two weeks of eating nothing but celery sticks and vegetable soup, the diet goes out the window.  Sore, strained muscles make a second visit to the gym torture, and the third visit never happens.  Your resolve weakens, and you fall back on old habits.

Innovation is successful when the person making the change is highly-motivated.  Unfortunately, this level of motivation can be hard to muster unless you've had some sort of wake-up call.  Your boss threatens to fire you if you're late again.  You have a heart attack and your doctor gives you three months to live unless you stop eating bacon and start eating broccoli.  Your husband refuses to kiss you again until you've quit smoking.  

When your motivation is more along the lines of "Gee, it would be nice to fit into my skinny jeans," chances are you're going to run out of willpower after about a week of dieting.  Because even though it would be nice to fit into those jeans at some unspecified time in the future, it seems even nicer to eat that cupcake with the vanilla buttercream frosting right now.

Does that mean we're all doomed to be chubby and out of shape and forever failing to achieve our goals?

Thankfully, no.  There's a second approach to change that doesn't require a life-or-death, all-or-nothing mentality.  It's called incrementalism.

Incrementalism is the strategy of taking small, consistent steps toward a particular goal.  Incrementalism assumes that you are not a juggernaut of willpower, and that habits formed over a decade or two are not likely to be changed overnight.  It allows you to break your goal down into easy, doable tasks that fit into your current schedule.  It recognizes that the bigger the change you're trying to make, the more likely it is that you'll backslide.

Let's say your goal is to eat healthier.  That sounds like one goal, doesn’t it? But it requires a lot of willpower because it’s really a lot of little changes that you have to stay on top of all the time. (That, incidentally, is why it’s so darned hard to go on a diet.)

The incremental approach lets you separate that big goal into all its little changes and lets you focus on one at a time.

Let's contrast the two approaches:

Innovation:  You could swear off sugar, throw away all the junk food in your house, go grocery shopping for healthy food, buy a cookbook of healthy recipes, and then try to learn how to cook (and enjoy eating) healthier food next Monday. But that’s going to make next week pretty stressful, because you're going to be tackling a new learning curve while, at the same, time, exhausting your willpower by resisting cravings. Plus, you'll have spent money you hadn’t budgeted for, so you’ll feel even worse if you're not successful in sticking to the new diet.

Incrementalism:  Deciding that you're going to buy several pouches of frozen veggie mixes and eat one each day is a simple, affordable change that doesn’t require you to adjust any other aspect of your life.

You could go a step further, and decide that steamed veggies will be the first course of dinner, so you fill up on nutritious food and have less room in your stomach left over for lasagna or dessert. This is a little bit bigger change, but it’s doable. You're not denying yourself lasagna or dessert, you're just arranging the meal in such a way that you're eating the "good stuff" first.

Doesn’t that seem easier?

Of course, you still have a dozen other small changes to make.  But you’ll make them after eating veggies first has become an automatic habit.  Maybe that takes a couple of weeks.  Maybe it takes longer.

Once it seems normal to start dinner with a helping of vegetables, then you can add another small step, like swapping your afternoon M&Ms for a healthier snack, or taking a multivitamin, or going for a walk after lunch.

True, the incremental approach to change does take longer.  But when change happens gradually, it's also more likely to stick, because smaller changes require less motivation and are less disruptive to your current routine.

So the Hare does occasionally beat the Tortoise—when the Hare is seriously motivated.  But the rest of the time, the Tortoise wins the race.  

What would you most like to change about your life?


What small change could you make right now that would get you started on the path to that larger change?

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The Kaizen Plan for Healthy Eating by Lynn Johnston

Who says eating healthy has to be boring? A few days ago, I got a book entitled, "The Kaizen Plan for Healthy Eating ", by Lynn Johnston. This book will remind you that there are ways on how you can EAT healthy without torturing your taste buds! On a greater note, this book also covers such an admirable success story of someone who took charge of her own life and made those baby steps into a noticeable positive change.

The author, Lynn Johnston, was diagnosed with fibromyalgia --- a  disorder characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain accompanied by fatigue, sleep, memory and mood issues (Mayo Clinic). She was told that there was no cure for fibromyalgia and she would need to take antidepressants and painkillers for the rest of her life. Instead of just sitting around, Lynn did an extensive research on treatments and holistic antidotes to help herself with her condition. Lynn took her condition as a motivation to improve her eating habits. After four years of slowly improving her diet, Lynn reached a point where she didn't have any symptoms of fibromyalgia at all.

QUICK VOCABULARY:
"Kaizen" is a Japanese word meaning "continuous improvement" and it is used in the business world to describe the approach of accomplishing things by making a series of small, simple changes that result in gradual improvement.  

The Kaizen Plan , like how the author described it, is a set of small doable steps taken one at a time. Each step addresses some aspect of the problem you want to solve or the goal you want to achieve. Kaizen Plan isn't like any other diet plans out there! I was amazed on how she structured her plan for healthy eating. Aside from sharing her health journey, I think it was also important that she talked about certain Psychological blocks that hinders people in achieving their goals. As a reader, that section of the book reminded me that we do have the ability to control these psychological blocks, and all we need is proper self-discipline and motivation.

The 26 steps of this program include mental techniques for building willpower and staying motivated, behavioral techniques that make eating healthy easier, and lots of ways to eat healthy without sacrificing flavor.

SNEAK PEAK:

This book also includes:

- Tricks for sneaking more fruits and vegetables into your diet
- How to train your taste buds to like healthy foods
- Suggestions for treating your "vegephobia"
- The simple technique that makes the food you’re already eating more nutritious


No radical changes, no throwing away half the food in your cupboards, no sugar withdrawal. You’ll create a flexible, personalized plan that gently eases you into better eating habits.

So, if you are one of those people who wants to embrace a healthy lifestyle and clean-up their diet quite a bit... I highly recommend reading this book to guide you in your healthy eating journey! Remember, it is better to take baby steps to achieve a goal, than taking a huge leap and not achieve anything at all!

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The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin


This post is about "The Happiness Project" written by a lady who wants to research and see if she can make her happy life even better.  She notes in the beginning that she wasn’t unhappy, nor did she have the luxury to change her life in some drastic way (she has a husband and two young daughters). But what she could do is focus on the little things in life to try and find more joy in every day.

I’ve always wanted to read The Happiness Project for a long time now, not because I’m unhappy, but because it fits with this general trend in my reading of looking for books about different ways to live your life. I have found that  reading books like this makes me more aware on how I could avoid living life in a way that would place myself in a quicksand of false happiness.

While most of us might say that what's written in this book are things we could have figured out on our own,I bet there are still some who haven't figured some things out yet. Sometimes it takes a book or someone else’s perspective (in this case both) to make you think about how your life is.Yes, you may have considered yourself happy, but it doesn't mean that you couldn't get any happier. 

At some point, she talked about the need for reward and acknowledgment. I think most of us would love to be acknowledged with great things we've done, especially if we worked so hard, no matter how minor it is. I can however, see how some people would disagree with the need for acknowledgment.... I respect their opinion.. :)

Additionally,  she also talked about the "marriage" month. She worked on learning to “fight right,” nag less, and do small things to show her affection for her husband; often, the flaw of a relationship starts with these negative gestures. The conscious effort to speak more positively to her partner took a lot of work and concentration, but the results were worth the mindfulness.

One more thing I liked about Gretchen's approach was that she picked one particular area to focus on each month, and then added a new area the next month. It seemed like that kept it from being overwhelming. I definitely recommend adding The Happiness Project to your reading list! If you loved Eat.Love.Pray, I am sure you'll like this book!



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Dance in the Bliss of Life!

Although your life may not be as perfect as you'd like, you can always look around and find people who are worse off than you. I am not asking you to feel glad that they are feeling a bit more miserable or messed up in life....I just want you to realize and be grateful for the problems you don't have. Take some quiet time away from the noise and haste, and count your blessings each day. Take inventory. Start with the people in your life who bring you joy and satisfaction; they are a gift to you.

Be thankful for the choices you've made, both good and bad. Accept your mistakes and go on. You can't change them anyway. Learn from them and apply what you've learned. Don't allow them to have more influence on your life than they deserve. They're just mistakes; they're not your final grade. Besides, making them now may keep you from making bigger mistakes later in life. Use them to help you with other choices so you won't keep doing the same things again.


Go outside and touch the sky. Enjoy the colors of the landscape; romp and play on the grassy ground. Smile at the world, and marvel at the wonders of the universe. Embrace the air; be thankful. Don't allow any negative feelings to creep into your consciousness. Feel the power of your own acceptance. Put a positive spin on every thought you have.

Bask in the glory of awareness. Experience the joy of praise. You're ALIVE! Appreciate the GIFT of your LIFE!


Oh, and if you're reading this... I just want you to know that you're one of the many reasons why I feel so blessed... I appreciate the time you've spent here in my blog... Thanks dear reader! :)

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Eject Rejection: Push that button (Motivational Monday #1)

Have you ever been rejected by someone? How often do you feel rejected? Have you ever stopped asking for something because you have been scared of hearing the two-letter word of rejection--- "NO"? Well, guess what? You're in good company. Whether you were rejected as a child, as a member of an organization, rejected from your dream university, or a marriage proposal, you are not alone. 

I, too, have been rejected in life for countless times. May it be about the events I have proposed within a group, an idea I presented, or about my application to a group where I've always wanted to be a part of... it doesn't matter... The truth of the matter is, everyone rejects and is being rejected. Some may feel a sense of rejection at least sometime in their life. It's not easy to ignore the feeling after being rejected; However, we should face it, or at least reject the negative thoughts caused by it. Always keep in mind that rejection is a natural part of life. I personally believe that everything in life ,may it be good or bad, has great lessons to be learned. Let me share with you a few things I learned after being rejected for countless times....
Everything stays the same after a rejection.  If you submit an application to a company and you don't get in,  here's one fact that I want you to think about... You WERE NEVER in that company before you turned in your application,and you are NOT in that company after you applied. So... Have you lost anything at all? Your life didn't get better and it didn't even get worse.... It stayed the same... The only thing that will make it worse is if you choose to gather all the times when you have been rejected, took everything in general, and let the negative emotions bind it altogether.. 

Rejection has no real meaning, unless injected with thoughts and emotions. I came to realize that rejection is just a concept that we unconsciously design in our mind, and this what makes us think and view everything differently after being rejected. 

Quit assuming! Some people, including me, tend to assume things after being rejected. For instance, friend A asks friend B to hangout one night... Unfortunately, Friend B rejected Friend A's invitation. Now, Friend A feels like Friend B rejected her because she's not fun to hangout with. Who knows? Maybe it's not you that they didn't like... Maybe it was just your proposal, your idea... or better yet, it's possible that the reason is not you at all!

Rejection SHOULD make us better. This can only happen if we take rejection positively. Learn from it, and never let it be the reason of your downfall in life. Use it as a free Learning tool. Never let rejection give you a wrong  definition of who you really are. If it did had the chance to define you, re-define yourself. 
Keep the 3 SWs in mind. Some Will, Some Won't, So What! If a person said yes, then great! If a person said no, SO WHAT! There are a lot more opportunities out there! Somewhere, there are good, better, and even great things that awaits you. Just hang in there, my friend. 
After a rejection, learn from it... move on.. push yourself forward... Keep in mind that it's not the very last opportunity available around the world because there's a lot more around you, and you just have to keep on trying and searching for more... Believe in yourself! There's always a great deal of a value to you. Take an imaginary eject button with you, anywhere you go, and always remember to push it when you have to. 

Behind every rejection are better opportunities. ~ trish <3

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The Journey (How To Live By Faith in an Uncertain World) by Billy Graham

I got this  book as one of my 18 treasures during my Debut Celebration(year 2008). This was given to me by a family friend.

The title of the book, "The Journey",  is apt for someone who has journeyed so far and long with Christ.  I think this is a good book because we can learn so much from a few people in history, like Billy Graham, who have gained so much wisdom on Christianity through their journey in faith. While the book is mostly focused on Christianity, I'd say that it also serves as a reminder for most of us who lose track of what we believe in and live for because we often focus more on our careers that takes up most of our time and attention.. The good part of the book is that there are nuggets that were really interesting and inspiring.

My favorite part is chapter 27... Passing the Baton...

In this chapter, he talks about families...  According to Billy, parents shouldn't just be a provider of any physical needs as necessities for their children. They must also be prepared to help their children develop mentally and emotionally...For without this, children will enter adulthood ill prepared and doomed to failure... Let your children grow freely, knowing that they will make mistakes along the way, don't hammer it too hard on them as it will only break their confidence in giving themselves a chance to move on and make the best out of it. Make them realize that with mistakes, comes valuable lessons. Mental and emotional development doesn't just happen in a snap... It takes deliberate effort and positive support on both parties. He also reminds his readers that being wise parents, we must accept the fact that every child is different... every family is different... and every day is different.. As a future parent to my children, I think this is what most of us should keep in mind.

I recommend this book to everyone, especially to those who are starting out in faith in Christ or anyone who is seeking a devotional book that will remind them of the basics of Christianity.

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The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom

After a productive activity I had with my Psychology friends at NIU, we toured around Evanston and visited a few stores.... We found a small book store that sells books by pound and at a good price. As I was searching for books, I found the book "The Five People You Meet in Heaven". I briefly scanned the book and have found it really interesting....

The Five People You Meet in Heaven is a novel written by Mitch Albom. It secrenates both the life and death of a simple yet dignified old man, Eddie. After dying in a tragic accident, Eddie finds himself in heaven where he encounters five people who have significantly affected his life. Each of which grants a share of wisdom unto him, instilling a deeper comprehension regarding the most intimate facets of life.

Eddie meets the "Blue Man", or Joseph Corvelzchik. He is a member of a carnival freak show at Ruby Pier. Joseph Corvelzchik attained his status by using silver nitrate treatment for his nerves as a child, resulting in argyria. At first, Eddie was afraid that Joseph might seek for revenge against him after causing his death. However, it was not the case. Joseph didn't do anything to harm Eddie, but instilled one valuable lesson that all of us should always put into consideration.... "Everything we do may affect others."

The Second Person Eddie meets in heaven is the Captain, from whom he learns about sacrifice.  In this chapter, the Captain tells Eddie how he died. Not only that he had stepped on a land mine while trying to get Eddie back to safety, but also, he did this to save most of his fellow comrades from the explosion. Also, the captain reveals who fired a shot to Eddie's leg during a mission, not to harm him, but to save his life... 

The Third Person Eddie Meets in Heaven is Ruby, the wife of a wealthy man who built Ruby Pier many years ago. In the midst of their conversation, she shares her innermost secret.... her wish that the pier was never built... Ruby’s story reflects the idea that events before we are born still affect our lives, as do the people before us. Through sharing the story of her father, Ruby stresses the importance of forgiveness.We cannot remain angry at one other for things in the past. Although we may be under the impression that we can damage someone by upholding hatred for them, the reality is that we are harming ourselves even more than the ones we hate. 

After another touching conversation with Ruby, Eddie then meets the fourth person in heaven.... his wife Marguerite. Eddie discloses everything Marguerite missed over the final 40 years of his life. Not long after, it led up to the discussion about her death. From there, Marguerite reveals another lesson to Eddie....
It is never easy to deal with the loss of a loved one, and nearly impossible to cope with the premature death of a spouse. Although life is finite, love is eternal. Marguerite explains to Eddie that even after a loved one dies, the feeling of love lives on. In the absence of a physical connection, another emotion grows stronger than before.. It will forever be stored, filled with emotions, will always be shown in a highly defined projection, sealed with the bond created by every meaningful moments.... memory. 

Lastly, Eddie meets a young filipina girl, Tala, where it turns out that she was the shadow he saw in the burning hut. Eddie explains to her that he was sad because he feels as if he didn’t do anything meaningful with his life, and that he feels guilty that he wasn't able to save the girl. To this, Tala responds by sharing with him his purpose on earth. “Children. You keep them safe. You make good for me. Is where you were supposed to be...” (p. 191).

This is the first book of Mitch Albom's that I've read and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It made me think about things in a different way. It was well-written, graceful, and just an all-around good book. Such a wonderful piece of literature!

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Who Moved My Cheese? by Spencer Johnson M.D.

As I was browsing the books we have in the basement, I took this book out from the pile and just went through the whole book briefly. I saw the photos, and looking back at the title itself, it seemed like it was just a childish book... but when I started reading the book, the 12th page of the book caught my attention...

Written by Dr. Spencer Johnson, it deals with 4 fictional characters... 

The two mice: are the creatures to be admired, as unlike men they are not lazy and constantly on a move. They are sharp, perceptive and always ready to move.
Sniff - Who sniffs out change early
Scurry - Who scurries into action

The two little people: 
Hem - who denies and resists change as he fears it will lead to something worse
Haw  - who learns to adapt in time when e sees changing can lead to something better.

The story shows how these four imaginary characters face change in their lives & how each one of them deals with it differently. The moral of the story supposedly, is that change is a part of life and in order to survive it is necessary to be constantly on high alert and be innovative enough to deal with it.

The cheese is symbolic for power and money that is in the hands of the those who mold our world into a maze where we, like the four imaginary characters, cannot see what's beyond the tall solid walls. We, as average people, have left the right of molding and creating cheese in the hands of a few powerful people, who control and manipulate us in some shape or form. On a more serious note, the book is symbolic of the tragedy of modern life. We live in a world in which we somewhat have a few limits here and there when we are to consider the entire world we're stepping on for which also has control over our lives. The world appears like a confusing maze, surrounded with tall walls where we spend our entire lives running around them, trying to find the cheese.

This book somewhat serves as a reminder that change is a part of life and in order to survive it is necessary to be constantly on high alert and be innovative enough to deal with it. Our roles change,  situations change, people change, we change jobs& careers, we change places, not only the physical part of it but also the way/culture of living, in this fast moving world of technological development, everything is changing and changing at such a fast pace!


I think it's a good book! It only took me about two hours to finish it... I recommend it! :)


Side note: I can't help but think.... that if we only keep on convincing people to accept life as it is without at least  trying and taking actions that could somehow help them deal with each situation, changing with the conditions, instead of changing the conditions that create such conditions, I doubt that people will still come up with a question that may help them deal with changes and difficult circumstances.... A question I came up with after reading the entire book ---“Why can’t I make my own cheese? Better yet, can I make my own cheese? How can I make my own cheese without being too dependent on changes? ” 





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Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey



I must say that this Stephen Covey’s best-selling book is definitely a good package to invest your money on. It is a good combination of a not-your-ordinary business book slash self-development book with a few management tips included, on many organizations around the world.


Covey believes that the foundation of organizational excellence is personal excellence. And in order to make it possible to reach this excellence, he profoundly shared his list of Seven Habits. When you first look at the word 'habits', you may think that you do not really have to spend so much time to really think about it, and that all it takes is common sense. However, as what Stephen Covey said, "common sense is not always common practice."

  •     Be Proactive: take responsibility for everything you do and never blame anyone or anything
  •     Begin with the End in Mind: always think of what you want to achieve before doing anything
  •     Put First thing First: finish the most important and most urgent task first
  •     Think Win/Win
  •     Seek First to Understand, then to be Understood
  •     Synergize
  •     Sharpen the Saw
These seven habits are so important in the world of business, and most importantly, in life. They can be applied in nearly every situation, and if successfully practiced, will help us improve our lives at home, work and play. However, the effectiveness of these habits will depend on a person's willingness to face himself honestly and courageously, and the dedication to apply and practice the seven habits daily, in order to become more effective. 


I loved the fact that Stephen Covey used the phrase "highly effective people" rather than "successful people", because it is about achieving what you want in life that makes you feel satisfied and successful, and not about meeting the standards of what others' consider as success...

As a business student and an ordinary person, I highly recommend this book!

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Be Featured!


Another feature of this site is the "Featured/Spotlight" section. This will contain any of the following:

  • an article promoting an author/book/publisher
  • an interview with an Author
  • an entry/video promoting their events

For special requests, please contact me at: yurisha08 [at] gmail [dot] com

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Launch of "Her Online Bookshelf"



Join me as I travel through pages...

"Her Online Bookshelf" is not like any other book blogs. Considering the fact that I am not a professional reviewer, I will create my own type of post for book reviews. You won't see the series posts that you find everywhere else, nor will there be a weekly contest. This is a place for book lovers to come and discuss the literary world,whether it's reading or writing. or both!

I will start posting book reviews by the 9th of July, 2011.


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