A Unified Theory of Happiness: An East-Meets-West Approach to Fully Loving Your Life

by Andrea Polard

The Western world teaches us that happiness comes from achievement - from setting goals and actively pursuing them. Eastern wisdom teaches us that surrender is the key, that we must let go in order to experience the great flow of being that is only available in the present moment. How do we take the best wisdom from both of these approaches, and honor what Dr. Andrea Polard calls "the two wings of happiness" that allow us to truly soar?

Discover Dr. Polard's groundbreaking synthesis of Western thinking and Eastern philosophy with A Unified Theory of Happiness, a warm and personalized guide for the transformation of consciousness that allows personal well-being and fulfillment to flourish. While our lives are full of ups and downs, Dr. Polard teaches us that we don't have to let these ups and downs control our experience of life. A Unified Theory of Happiness teaches you the skills to choose and accept happiness by

How to navigate the active "Basic Mode" and the non-active "Supreme Mode" of consciousness to respond to life's complexities with flexibility Tools to build ambition, competence, confidence, and connection - essential aspects of reconciling with life's fragility and building an engaging, authentic self Paths to receptivity, tranquility, reliance, and lightheartedness - keys to accessing your natural connection with the whole of being, and realizing your non-dual self The Theory of Elastic Consciousness - a balanced place in perfect accord with an authentically lived life "Happiness," says Dr. Polard, "is a complex path that becomes easy only as we walk it." At last, here is a work that provides a comprehensive understanding of happiness that honors the full spectrum of life's offerings while broadening your experience of its inherent joy.

Genres: Nonfiction

Audible Audio

First published April 28, 2012

Reviews

[Ian · Rating 3 out of 5]

I only managed to get half way through this - for some reason I just couldn't engage with it. That isn't to say that there aren't some nuggets of wisdom in it:

p17: "The opposite of happiness is the overwhelming experience of static disengagement, of standing by life, as if separated by impenetrable glass through which we observe the lives of others, like spies/ And really the greatest pain is feeling a single feeling statically and repeatedly, or feeling nothing at all"

p25: "...happiness escapes the unfocsued mind....Unfocused we live below capacity, without choice fulfilment. Leaving our consciousness to its own devices saps vitality."

p58: "the ultimate goal isn't a particular type of man or woman but a particular type of connection we want to experience..."

p63: "...being pressed to find solutions to problems we didn't know existed, we discover all kinds of things."

p64: "Collecting cookbooks alone cannot make us happy, but cooking can."

p82: "Being unfocused makes us dilettantes, an invitation to diversified mediocrity."

p83: "What I did not understand was that it was this very fear that prevented me from spending enough time with any one thing long enough to become a master in anything at all. Once I let go of becoming "everything", I could become "something"..."

p163: "looking at the way we think means to notice the speed with which we think and to notice pauses, hesitations, repetitions, ruminations, and the emotional tone whether negative neutral or positive...Looking at the way we think without judgement, brings us clarity..."

On the other hand, the author's discussion of the Buddhist Four Noble Truths and Noble Eightfold Path seemed to be inconsistent with everything I have ever read by practicing Buddhists of any tradition and her discussion of 'Connection' seemed to me to be a little bit trite and shallow. I think she tried to cover all the bases, but it really wasn't a home run.

I'm certain that many people with a different background and perspective from mine could gain from reading this book, but I'm cutting my losses and stopping at page 215 (of 303: there are also 43 additional pages of notes at the end!)

[R.J. Jeffreys · Rating 5 out of 5]

Take an authentic journey with Dr. Andrea Polard on the path to true happiness. I have read this insightful, inspirational and life rewarding book and have come out the better and happier for it.

R Jeffreys
Author, Poet, Featured Blogger and Radio Show Host

[Nikki Miskey · Rating 3 out of 5]

It wasn't what I was expecting, and I wasn't a big fan. But I did find the concept interesting, and it may appeal more to others.

[Stephanie Koclanis · Rating 3 out of 5]

No awe-inspiring new thoughts; but nice reminders nonetheless.

[Maria · Rating 2 out of 5]

Auf zwei Flügeln zum Glückt; verbindet den fernöstlichen Ansatz des inneren Friedens mit den neuesten Erkenntnissen der westlichen Psychologie. Daraus entsteht ein praktischer Leitfaden, der direkt auf das eigene Leben anwendbar ist. Praxisnah und auf der Grundlage ihres Erfahrungsschatzes als klinische Psychologin erläutert Dr. Polard, wie wir unser Bewusstsein auf Glück fokussieren und auf die Komplexität des Lebens flexibel reagieren können. Denn obwohl die Gesellschaft das Glück lauthals für jeden fordert, fühlen sich die meisten Menschen nicht unbedingt glücklich. Das Buch vermittelt Ihnen Fähigkeiten, mit denen Sie sich selbst für Ihr Glück entscheiden können.

Ich hatte mir mit diesem Buch einen interessanten und lehrreichen Ratgeber von Dr. Andrea Polard vorgestellt, der es mir ermöglichen würde einen persönlichen Weg zu etwas mehr Glück zu finden. Leider konnte 'Aus zwei Flügeln zum Glück' meinen Erwartungen nicht gerecht werden.
Sprachstil und Wortwahl konnten mich nicht erreichen, viele Passagen musste ich mehrmals lesen und auch dann hatte ich zeitweise Probleme die verschachtelten Sätze zu verstehen. Auch die Übersetzungen habe ich als teilweise irreführend wahrgenommen.
Positiv fand ich die kleinen Übungen, die auf jedes Kapitel aufbauen und deren Inhalt ins Praktische umsetzen sollen. Diese regen meist jedoch nur zum Nachdenken an, denn vorgeschlagene Bücher und Filme sind in meinen Augen auch immer von Person zu Person unterschiedlich interpretierbar.
Insgesamt ist das Konzept des Buches durchaus gelungen, die Umsetzung hat mich persönlich jedoch nicht ansprechen können, daher nur zwei Sterne.

[Aimee Sparrow · Rating 5 out of 5]

An uncommon look from the perspective of one who underwent the journey, on how to achieve balanced and dependable happiness that lasts. This book reads like a train of thought and flow of consciousness, and is separated into many small sections, making it easy to take a break, process, and return to it later. Covering a wide variety of topics both from the East and West perspective, this is a pleasant book to read, with charming metaphors and anecdotes to keep you amused. Written by somebody who simply wants to help lots of other people find peace in a tumultuous world within themselves, hopefully to extend this to those around them, which is a noble cause.

[Scott Phipps · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall, this was a very insightful book with a significant amount of information and ideas regarding happiness. Personally, it was very intriguing to learn about the Basic and Supreme Modes to life and happiness, and the struggles with balancing the two modes. I did find the Supreme Mode portion of the book slightly cumbersome to read and think about due to the heavily Eastern philosophy.

[Jennifer Roth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really didn't read the whole thing. I don't know about buddhism and often it seems like riddles to me. I jumped around through the book. Parts of the book were noteworthy enough to make me take photos of the pages with my phone though.

[Mollyritterbeck · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like how at the end of each chapter it gives you things to think about and ponder - how to really put some practical steps to use!