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Enough Already: The Power of Radical Contentment
In a world where fear, crisis, and insufficiency dominate the media and many personal lives, the notion of claiming contentment may seem fantastic or even heretical. Yet finding sufficiency right where you stand may be the answer to a world obsessed with lack. In his warm, down-to-earth, and believable style, Alan Cohen offers fresh, unique, and uplifting angles on coming to peace with what is before you and turning mundane situations into opportunities to gain wisdom, power, and happiness that does not depend on other people or conditions. Peppered with many true-life anecdotes and inspiring examples, Enough Already embraces the desire for change and improvement as part of the journey. Sometimes getting fed up with situations that are not working delivers the impetus to create better ones. You will be moved, illuminated, and tickled to find that what you seek may already be within your grasp and surely within your potential. If contentment is radical, then this book may well spur a revolution of well-being!
260 pages, Paperback
First published February 15, 2012
19 people are currently reading
150 people want to read
About the author
Alan Cohen
195 books214 followersAlan Cohen is the author of several self help books.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
August 29, 2014
My favorite quotes by Alan Cohen:
"Don't delay awakening by studying the darkness. Step into the light."
"Struggle is not inherently more valuable than joy."
"If we suspended our belief in personal sacrifice, we might discover that life is happy to empower us without exacting a fee."
"You are not intruding on life by being here. You do not need to apologize for your existence."
"Ask yourself, 'If I were willing to let this be easy, how would I be approaching this differently?'"
"Touch the place inside you that is capable of relaxing about your task."
"People and experiences come and go, but love lives inside you. Go to where the love lives and you will never be abandoned."
"When obligations overshadow inspiration, we need to stop and revisit our priorities."
"You are not a black hole that needs to be filled. You are a light that needs to be shined."
"The Law of Allowing calls you to trust that other people are capable of succeeding without your managing their lives."
"Have as much stuff as you can enjoy and manage peacefully."
"If you have learned, the experience has served."
"Fortune is not a fact; it's an interpretation."
"Contentment is not a stagnant pool, but a dynamic stream that keeps you moving in new and often unexpected directions. Following the current of excitement will take you to more fascinating and rewarding places than clinging to known rocks."
"When the time comes to graduate [from any part of life], you need not feel guilty. As the mature eagle spreads its wings and soars over mountains and valleys below, it feels not a stitch of remorse. It is fulfilling its destiny, as you must fulfill yours."
"You are never more than a thought away from peace."
"There is a difference between finishing and completion, two different frequencies. ... Finishing is logistical, while completion is attitudinal. Finishing is a step that comes at the end of a series of actions. Completion is a state of wholeness you enjoy no matter what your state of action."
"Do not delay joy for want of time, geography, finances, or approval--or any other requirement you have been taught. Teach yourself freedom with the same zeal the world taught you limits. Do not banish happiness to a future time, and do not consign it to any source outside yourself."
My favorite quotes by others he included in his book:
"It is up to us; there is no one left to blame. We can't go back and hang the first amoeba." - Rebecca McClen Novick
"The foolish man seeks happiness in the distance; the wise grows it under his feet." - James Oppenheim
"Life in Lubbock, Texas taught me two things: One is that God loves you and you're going to burn in hell. The other is that sex is the most awful, filthy thing on earth and you should save it for someone you love." - Butch Hancock
"Don't wait until conditions are perfect to begin. Beginning makes conditions perfect." - Howard Cohen
"Don't delay awakening by studying the darkness. Step into the light."
"Struggle is not inherently more valuable than joy."
"If we suspended our belief in personal sacrifice, we might discover that life is happy to empower us without exacting a fee."
"You are not intruding on life by being here. You do not need to apologize for your existence."
"Ask yourself, 'If I were willing to let this be easy, how would I be approaching this differently?'"
"Touch the place inside you that is capable of relaxing about your task."
"People and experiences come and go, but love lives inside you. Go to where the love lives and you will never be abandoned."
"When obligations overshadow inspiration, we need to stop and revisit our priorities."
"You are not a black hole that needs to be filled. You are a light that needs to be shined."
"The Law of Allowing calls you to trust that other people are capable of succeeding without your managing their lives."
"Have as much stuff as you can enjoy and manage peacefully."
"If you have learned, the experience has served."
"Fortune is not a fact; it's an interpretation."
"Contentment is not a stagnant pool, but a dynamic stream that keeps you moving in new and often unexpected directions. Following the current of excitement will take you to more fascinating and rewarding places than clinging to known rocks."
"When the time comes to graduate [from any part of life], you need not feel guilty. As the mature eagle spreads its wings and soars over mountains and valleys below, it feels not a stitch of remorse. It is fulfilling its destiny, as you must fulfill yours."
"You are never more than a thought away from peace."
"There is a difference between finishing and completion, two different frequencies. ... Finishing is logistical, while completion is attitudinal. Finishing is a step that comes at the end of a series of actions. Completion is a state of wholeness you enjoy no matter what your state of action."
"Do not delay joy for want of time, geography, finances, or approval--or any other requirement you have been taught. Teach yourself freedom with the same zeal the world taught you limits. Do not banish happiness to a future time, and do not consign it to any source outside yourself."
My favorite quotes by others he included in his book:
"It is up to us; there is no one left to blame. We can't go back and hang the first amoeba." - Rebecca McClen Novick
"The foolish man seeks happiness in the distance; the wise grows it under his feet." - James Oppenheim
"Life in Lubbock, Texas taught me two things: One is that God loves you and you're going to burn in hell. The other is that sex is the most awful, filthy thing on earth and you should save it for someone you love." - Butch Hancock
"Don't wait until conditions are perfect to begin. Beginning makes conditions perfect." - Howard Cohen
October 10, 2016
Incredible book. The author finds a perfect balance between pragmatism and "light" spirituality! I'm already coming back to this book often and more quotes from it remained in my head than from any other recently read book.
If you are wondering what you should do in your life, if you should rather rely on your own strength or the supernatural providence, this book is a must read to you! It doesn't matter if you're 10 or 70 years old! And what's important - what lots of books of this sort have and this one doesn't - it doesn't have unbelievable stories, it's not at all repetitive, it's not full of bologna! Read this book and you may be changing your life for better soon! And the author's life example is the best proof it is working! I am planning to read more of his books soon.
If you are wondering what you should do in your life, if you should rather rely on your own strength or the supernatural providence, this book is a must read to you! It doesn't matter if you're 10 or 70 years old! And what's important - what lots of books of this sort have and this one doesn't - it doesn't have unbelievable stories, it's not at all repetitive, it's not full of bologna! Read this book and you may be changing your life for better soon! And the author's life example is the best proof it is working! I am planning to read more of his books soon.
November 7, 2014
Interesting book. It has some great ideas. The author talks a bit too much about god for my taste, as well as he has a way of saying that to solve problems, you should just let god do his things. Which is kind of hard for an agnostic, and also it seems easy for him to say all those things, but not everybody is as lucky in life as he his. Anyway, I had a good time reading it and it helped me to become a little bit more content.
January 6, 2014
Excellent! I can't say enough great things about this book. It is written in a way that is easy to understand, but its message is loud and clear. This book helps shift negative perspectives and aids in reframing faulty thinking. It has helped me almost more than any other book I've read. I highly recommend!!!
May 17, 2017
A very warm, fluffy-like book: Many beautiful, wise and profound thoughts expressed in a natural sequence... I enjoyed a lot reading it, and I will keep it close to me so I can browse it once in a while when in need of the reminder that I am enough, I have enough ... we are all enough.
July 27, 2021
I enjoy Alan Cohen's writing and his big picture thinking, although his ideas / stories kind of run together - therefore 4 stars not 5. The first book of his, A Course In Miracles Made Easy is the one I would recommend first. If I need a pick me up though, Alan Cohen is the way to go.
September 8, 2015
Rather than re-invent the wheel, or in this case the book summary, I will defer to the author, Alan Cohen, to give an explanation of what the book is about. The theme of “Enough Already” is, “You can have enough because you are enough, you deserve enough, and enough is always available constitutes the core lesson, and every sentence and chapter illuminates the central principle from a unique angle. “
The End….
Just kidding. While above summary is completely succinct and accurate, there is a great deal more about “Enough Already” that I want to share because it contains an abundance of compassionate, self-empowering wisdom. Using personal accounts, quotes from both well- known and less-familiar people throughout history and just pure insight into life itself, Alan Cohen reminds us that while we are seeking externally for our bliss we always have the opportunity to find it within.
During this discussion the author shares: his formula for manifestation, how obstacles are actually for our benefit, how we need to create an idea in the inner world BEFORE it can manifest in the outer world, that suffering is a result of fighting against life, the destructive nature of guilt and negative emotions, and so much more.
Actually, just as I deferred to the author for the book summary in the first paragraph of the review, I believe that it is far more transformative to defer to Alan Cohen’s direct quotes that it is for me to simply give a summary of the information. This is a very small sampling of the comments/thoughts that I found to be extremely profound:
“Knowledge helps you navigate the earth, but wisdom helps you navigate the landscape of your soul. Knowing how to get from Tucson to Los Angeles is important, but knowing how to move from fear to love is more important.”
“Most technical questions can be answered within seconds by doing an Internet search. Your more crucial need is to access the Innernet–the vast reservoir of truth embedded in your deep subconscious (or superconscious) mind.”
“We all have possessions, and we want to keep them. The question is: Do you own your possessions, or do they own you?”
“We reward knowledge, but overlook wisdom.”
“There is no argument between science and spirit, except in minds that do not grasp the magnitude of both.”
And these examples are found in just the first 30 pages!
As you can see, like the physical arrangement of the book, which is, “…organized holographically, meaning that every chapter and section relates to the theme like spokes radiating the center of a wheel, rather than on domino falling after another. All truths are connected to each other, like facets of a diamond” we will find that any quest of self-exploration ultimately leads back to oneself. In other words, and so eloquently stated by George Moore, and quoted by Alan Cohen, “A man travels the world over in search of what he needs and returns home to find it.”
The End….
Just kidding. While above summary is completely succinct and accurate, there is a great deal more about “Enough Already” that I want to share because it contains an abundance of compassionate, self-empowering wisdom. Using personal accounts, quotes from both well- known and less-familiar people throughout history and just pure insight into life itself, Alan Cohen reminds us that while we are seeking externally for our bliss we always have the opportunity to find it within.
During this discussion the author shares: his formula for manifestation, how obstacles are actually for our benefit, how we need to create an idea in the inner world BEFORE it can manifest in the outer world, that suffering is a result of fighting against life, the destructive nature of guilt and negative emotions, and so much more.
Actually, just as I deferred to the author for the book summary in the first paragraph of the review, I believe that it is far more transformative to defer to Alan Cohen’s direct quotes that it is for me to simply give a summary of the information. This is a very small sampling of the comments/thoughts that I found to be extremely profound:
“Knowledge helps you navigate the earth, but wisdom helps you navigate the landscape of your soul. Knowing how to get from Tucson to Los Angeles is important, but knowing how to move from fear to love is more important.”
“Most technical questions can be answered within seconds by doing an Internet search. Your more crucial need is to access the Innernet–the vast reservoir of truth embedded in your deep subconscious (or superconscious) mind.”
“We all have possessions, and we want to keep them. The question is: Do you own your possessions, or do they own you?”
“We reward knowledge, but overlook wisdom.”
“There is no argument between science and spirit, except in minds that do not grasp the magnitude of both.”
And these examples are found in just the first 30 pages!
As you can see, like the physical arrangement of the book, which is, “…organized holographically, meaning that every chapter and section relates to the theme like spokes radiating the center of a wheel, rather than on domino falling after another. All truths are connected to each other, like facets of a diamond” we will find that any quest of self-exploration ultimately leads back to oneself. In other words, and so eloquently stated by George Moore, and quoted by Alan Cohen, “A man travels the world over in search of what he needs and returns home to find it.”
February 3, 2013
Excellent book. I've now read two or three of Alan Cohen's numerous books, and each has been excellent. I love how he weaves personal experience in with learning from others and from life. East to read and the chapters are short.
February 6, 2016
This was brought to me at exactly the right time. .
Everything in here is a reservation of things I know but sometimes refuse to remember. So glad to have read this and grateful I will be able to return to it when I feel my thoughts have gone astray
Everything in here is a reservation of things I know but sometimes refuse to remember. So glad to have read this and grateful I will be able to return to it when I feel my thoughts have gone astray
January 3, 2014
I loved it. I've read it twice now and I love to randomly open a page for a quick affirmation on staying positive. I had to buy a copy for my own (which I rarely do) because it's so motivating.
January 19, 2017
Loved this book. I enjoyed reading bits each day and pondering. It is a keeper on my bookshelf and will recommend to my friends.
May 20, 2013
Rating 4.5
August 26, 2015
Love love love!! Finished this month's ago, but never updated status! One of my favorite books!! Definitely good to read through twice. One time quickly, another time savoring each section.
January 29, 2016
Wonderful
A very enlightening book of knowing the possibilities. I will definitely recommend it to others. It is a must read.
A very enlightening book of knowing the possibilities. I will definitely recommend it to others. It is a must read.
October 13, 2021
It is by freeing ourselves from the mental cages that keep us spinning around in circles and taking control of the game that we can manifest our desired destiny.
Inspiring book!
Inspiring book!
Read
May 28, 2017Excellent book. Lots of good information.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews