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How to Live a Good Life: Soulful Stories, Surprising Science, and Practical Wisdom
Seriously . . . another book that tells you how to live a good life? Don’t we have enough of those?
You’d think so. Yet, more people than ever are walking through life disconnected, disengaged, dissatisfied, mired in regret, declining health, and a near maniacal state of gut-wrenching autopilot busyness.
Whatever is out there isn’t getting through. We don’t know who to trust. We don’t know what’s real and what’s fantasy. We don’t know how and where to begin and we don’t want to wade through another minute of advice that gives us hope, then saps our time and leaves us empty.
How to Live a Good Life is your antidote; a practical and provocative modern-day manual for the pursuit of a life well lived. No need for blind faith or surrender of intelligence; everything you’ll discover is immediately actionable and subject to validation through your own experience.
Drawn from the intersection of science, spirituality, and the author’s years-long quest to learn at the feet of masters from nearly every tradition and walk of life, this book offers a simple yet powerful model, the “Good Life Buckets ” —spend 30 days filling your buckets and reclaiming your life.
Each day will bring a new, practical yet powerful idea, along with a specific exploration designed to rekindle deep, loving, and compassionate relationships; cultivate vitality, radiance, and graceful ease; and leave you feeling lit up by the way you contribute to the world, like you’re doing the work you were put on the planet to do.How to Live a Good Life is not just a book to be read; it’s a path to possibility, to be walked, then lived.
You’d think so. Yet, more people than ever are walking through life disconnected, disengaged, dissatisfied, mired in regret, declining health, and a near maniacal state of gut-wrenching autopilot busyness.
Whatever is out there isn’t getting through. We don’t know who to trust. We don’t know what’s real and what’s fantasy. We don’t know how and where to begin and we don’t want to wade through another minute of advice that gives us hope, then saps our time and leaves us empty.
How to Live a Good Life is your antidote; a practical and provocative modern-day manual for the pursuit of a life well lived. No need for blind faith or surrender of intelligence; everything you’ll discover is immediately actionable and subject to validation through your own experience.
Drawn from the intersection of science, spirituality, and the author’s years-long quest to learn at the feet of masters from nearly every tradition and walk of life, this book offers a simple yet powerful model, the “Good Life Buckets ” —spend 30 days filling your buckets and reclaiming your life.
Each day will bring a new, practical yet powerful idea, along with a specific exploration designed to rekindle deep, loving, and compassionate relationships; cultivate vitality, radiance, and graceful ease; and leave you feeling lit up by the way you contribute to the world, like you’re doing the work you were put on the planet to do.How to Live a Good Life is not just a book to be read; it’s a path to possibility, to be walked, then lived.
257 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 29, 2015
547 people are currently reading
3849 people want to read
About the author
Jonathan Fields
21 books193 followersJonathan Fields is a dad, husband, award-winning author, executive producer, and host of one of the top-ranked podcasts in the world, Good Life Project®. He's also the Founder of Spark Endeavors and creator of the Sparketypes®, a set of imprints and tools tapped by over 500,000 people to discover the work that makes them come alive.
Jonathan has written a number of books on human potential and speaks globally to groups and organizations. His work has been featured widely in the media, including The New York Times, FastCompany, Oprah Magazine, Entrepreneur, Forbes, Inc., Elle, Allure, The Wall Street Journal, The Guardian, and more.
Jonathan has written a number of books on human potential and speaks globally to groups and organizations. His work has been featured widely in the media, including The New York Times, FastCompany, Oprah Magazine, Entrepreneur, Forbes, Inc., Elle, Allure, The Wall Street Journal, The Guardian, and more.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 143 reviews
April 12, 2017
While listening to this book (via Audible), I realized that I now prefer literature with an edge and a critical slant. Gone are the days when I could be satisfied with purely positive pop psychology. Could be that the literature has outrun the original research in this field; in any case, it doesn't strike me as fresh an anymore. And those who write about it, Mr. Fields included, seem to speak into a privileged echo chamber where racism, sexism, and poverty simply don't exist. Nothing wrong with that, and nothing wrong with Mr. Fields' clever framework for building a "good" and balanced life, but on its own it's just not a gritty enough approach for me and the world I currently live in.
January 25, 2019
I read this book after discovering Jonathon on his podcast. I love listening to his skillful interviews, where he encourages deep and personal conversation.
This book did not disappoint. It is pragmatic, loaded with helpful and practical suggestions.
While some of the themes are familiar to those who have a mindfulness practice and are familiar with positive psychology, his approach is fresh and the ideas are worth reading again and again.
If you really incorporate some of these practices, the book can be transformative.
Highly recommend.
This book did not disappoint. It is pragmatic, loaded with helpful and practical suggestions.
While some of the themes are familiar to those who have a mindfulness practice and are familiar with positive psychology, his approach is fresh and the ideas are worth reading again and again.
If you really incorporate some of these practices, the book can be transformative.
Highly recommend.
February 6, 2017
So rich with ideas and todos. Especially loved forest bathing, uncovering strengths to focus on each day (my top three: appreciation of beauty & excellence, gratitude, kindness), giving a loving no (I really want Sham to read this section for himself), and give30.
Oh and this part re being a selectively social introvert is EVERYTHING: "It's not that I don't like people. I love people. Let me qualify that: I love being around the right people, the right way, at the right time, for the right time."
I checked it out via library and Hoopla so would love to do so again on day one of a new month so I can do the full 10 days of tasks for each of the three buckets.
PS "find grace in the space" through mindfulness, movement, and story.
Oh and this part re being a selectively social introvert is EVERYTHING: "It's not that I don't like people. I love people. Let me qualify that: I love being around the right people, the right way, at the right time, for the right time."
I checked it out via library and Hoopla so would love to do so again on day one of a new month so I can do the full 10 days of tasks for each of the three buckets.
PS "find grace in the space" through mindfulness, movement, and story.
March 21, 2017
I want to structure this review with three things that I loved about this book and then follow that with three constructive criticisms.
Things I Loved
1. He summarizes a lot of good research in psychology and beyond, and provides practical things to work on based on this research. He, himself, is not a scientist but he does a pretty good job of reading some of the popular work and presenting the work in ways that are readily accessible. To somebody who is struggling with bringing their life to the next level, I think there are a lot of great suggestions in here.
2. Mr. Fields has a lot of good insights. This is somebody who has really thought a lot about life, read a lot, and pushed his life in positive directions. There were many moments where I wished I had my journal down and could have written down a quote or two.
3. I listened to the audio version. Mr. Fields has a wonderful voice and it was a real joy to listen to him read this work. His voice was soothing and it conveyed a genuine excitement that was contagious. In the book, he talks about working on his communication skills and he has really mastered the art of reading his own words. This was a real joy.
Constructive Criticisms
1 & 2. These criticisms kind of blend together. First off, after listening to this book, I really don't feel like I know the author. Perhaps more importantly, the author comes across as a pollyanish robot who only sees the goodness in life. Or has led such a privileged life that hasn't involved significant suffering (something I doubt). I contrast this book with Gretchen Rubin's Happiness Project (books that I loved) and in those books, Ms. Rubin comes across as a flawed individual who struggles with the everyday stress of raising a family, connecting with her spouse, and organizing her chaotic life. She doesn't hide her struggles and provides an honest look (or what seems like an honest look) into her daily struggle to be more happy. In this book, the author doesn't really seem to struggle. Or more likely, he hides his struggles and presents a sanitized version of the good life that really just reads somewhat hollow to me. When he does talk about struggles, they seem almost trivial (e.g., the stress that he felt working for a company where he had to walk from one building to the next constantly). Come on Jonathan. Let your guard down and don't be afraid of the vulnerability that you mention. No need to dwell on the dark side of life (I appreciate his persistent optimism) but there is no need to avoid these struggles.
3. Please don't use a subtitle that includes "surprising science" and then write about auras, especially assigning significance to the color of somebody's perceived aura. He finds out, based on conversations with 3 different people, that his aura is violet and then looks it up online to find the significance of violet. The description that he finds for violet auras reads like what you would find in a horoscope or fortune teller and he claims it fits him perfectly. (I encourage Mr. Fields to research the Barnum Effect--I think you fell victim to it).
I was prepared to give this book 4 stars as I really did appreciate much of it. But when I got to the auras, that blew it for me. I think Mr. Fields has a really great book inside him in the future. This book is a good one, and I think can help stimulate some good ideas for a lot of people (it did for me). But I predict in the future that he'll write an even better book and I look forward to reading it.
Things I Loved
1. He summarizes a lot of good research in psychology and beyond, and provides practical things to work on based on this research. He, himself, is not a scientist but he does a pretty good job of reading some of the popular work and presenting the work in ways that are readily accessible. To somebody who is struggling with bringing their life to the next level, I think there are a lot of great suggestions in here.
2. Mr. Fields has a lot of good insights. This is somebody who has really thought a lot about life, read a lot, and pushed his life in positive directions. There were many moments where I wished I had my journal down and could have written down a quote or two.
3. I listened to the audio version. Mr. Fields has a wonderful voice and it was a real joy to listen to him read this work. His voice was soothing and it conveyed a genuine excitement that was contagious. In the book, he talks about working on his communication skills and he has really mastered the art of reading his own words. This was a real joy.
Constructive Criticisms
1 & 2. These criticisms kind of blend together. First off, after listening to this book, I really don't feel like I know the author. Perhaps more importantly, the author comes across as a pollyanish robot who only sees the goodness in life. Or has led such a privileged life that hasn't involved significant suffering (something I doubt). I contrast this book with Gretchen Rubin's Happiness Project (books that I loved) and in those books, Ms. Rubin comes across as a flawed individual who struggles with the everyday stress of raising a family, connecting with her spouse, and organizing her chaotic life. She doesn't hide her struggles and provides an honest look (or what seems like an honest look) into her daily struggle to be more happy. In this book, the author doesn't really seem to struggle. Or more likely, he hides his struggles and presents a sanitized version of the good life that really just reads somewhat hollow to me. When he does talk about struggles, they seem almost trivial (e.g., the stress that he felt working for a company where he had to walk from one building to the next constantly). Come on Jonathan. Let your guard down and don't be afraid of the vulnerability that you mention. No need to dwell on the dark side of life (I appreciate his persistent optimism) but there is no need to avoid these struggles.
3. Please don't use a subtitle that includes "surprising science" and then write about auras, especially assigning significance to the color of somebody's perceived aura. He finds out, based on conversations with 3 different people, that his aura is violet and then looks it up online to find the significance of violet. The description that he finds for violet auras reads like what you would find in a horoscope or fortune teller and he claims it fits him perfectly. (I encourage Mr. Fields to research the Barnum Effect--I think you fell victim to it).
I was prepared to give this book 4 stars as I really did appreciate much of it. But when I got to the auras, that blew it for me. I think Mr. Fields has a really great book inside him in the future. This book is a good one, and I think can help stimulate some good ideas for a lot of people (it did for me). But I predict in the future that he'll write an even better book and I look forward to reading it.
September 9, 2016
I actually really, REALLY enjoyed this book for a few different reasons:
1) I like how the author set up the sections into "Good Life buckets." There are many aspects of life that can change your happiness. He addresses these different aspects.
2) The author knows it's not an overnight thing. He has you do things for 30 days to help changed your outlook.
3) The book had amazing quotes. I found myself highlighting inspiration on my Kindle throughout the entire book.
4) There were so many ideas. Some were more simpler than others. Like spending more time outside, for example. This is true! I meditate on my hammock almost daily and it seriously makes a difference. Being with nature has a relaxing and calming affect on your entire being.
This isn't a book to just read through and be done with it. It's more like a "plan". I will be referring back to it often.
*Thank you to the publishers via Netgalley for the opportunity to review this book.
1) I like how the author set up the sections into "Good Life buckets." There are many aspects of life that can change your happiness. He addresses these different aspects.
2) The author knows it's not an overnight thing. He has you do things for 30 days to help changed your outlook.
3) The book had amazing quotes. I found myself highlighting inspiration on my Kindle throughout the entire book.
4) There were so many ideas. Some were more simpler than others. Like spending more time outside, for example. This is true! I meditate on my hammock almost daily and it seriously makes a difference. Being with nature has a relaxing and calming affect on your entire being.
This isn't a book to just read through and be done with it. It's more like a "plan". I will be referring back to it often.
*Thank you to the publishers via Netgalley for the opportunity to review this book.
December 20, 2016
LOVE everything about this book! I'm going to re-read this with a highlighter and a calendar and make a to-do list. Just started listening to the podcast also! Perfect way to end the year!
March 16, 2017
Meh. I started this book with high expectations. I really thought it could help me out. But... instead it felt very tedious. Overall it has 30 chapters. Each chapter is pretty short, and talks about something that you can do to live a better life. You're supposed to read/implement one chapter a day, but this pace got exhausting. The suggestions for improvement are way larger than one day! Or, if they give a suggestion for something that can be done in one day, it's a mundane thing that can't be sustained to improve your life. I would have much preferred a more holistic and connected set of recommendations, rather than these scattered suggestions. I don't know that this book will have a ton of an effect on my life, which is disappointing. I don't think I would recommend it to anyone else.
February 6, 2017
This book didn't live up to the title byline "soulful stories, surprising science, practical wisdom" I was expecting Chicken Soup for the Soul meets Malcolm Gladwell and I did not get that.
This book is mostly daily actions you can do on a schedule. Many of them seem impractical for my current life circumstance (like "awaken to the sound of your Spotify playlist you've picked out, sit up as your playlist rolls to a 15 minute guided meditation, ease into the shower, afterwards you dress and make breakfast, sitting over coffee check your email for the first time of the day). That truly sounds glorious. If only I could convince my toddlers to get on board.
Also, the self promotion of his retreats, online community, etc made me feel icky. He was selling it too strong. Happy to return this one to the library. 1-1/2 stars.
This book is mostly daily actions you can do on a schedule. Many of them seem impractical for my current life circumstance (like "awaken to the sound of your Spotify playlist you've picked out, sit up as your playlist rolls to a 15 minute guided meditation, ease into the shower, afterwards you dress and make breakfast, sitting over coffee check your email for the first time of the day). That truly sounds glorious. If only I could convince my toddlers to get on board.
Also, the self promotion of his retreats, online community, etc made me feel icky. He was selling it too strong. Happy to return this one to the library. 1-1/2 stars.
January 21, 2018
Nothing bad here, but nothing new -- think of it as a bucket holding an overflowing of self-help and improvement books.
April 13, 2017
It started off fine enough, sort of hoaky but whatever — I thought it might redeem itself and settle into a groove.
It didn't.
The high point was the single page where the author describes the three buckets, which is a nice metaphor for imagining what matters, and then everything else was downhill. I started skipping and even when I came across the chapter on introvertism which quotes one of my favorite books, Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking, the author made it sound terrible.
So really, save yourself the time and just click around the website – you get as much information that way but in a much better format.
It didn't.
The high point was the single page where the author describes the three buckets, which is a nice metaphor for imagining what matters, and then everything else was downhill. I started skipping and even when I came across the chapter on introvertism which quotes one of my favorite books, Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking, the author made it sound terrible.
So really, save yourself the time and just click around the website – you get as much information that way but in a much better format.
January 23, 2018
A lot of solid advice here -- except perhaps for the chapter on auras. You'd think that last phrase alone would make you want to step away from this book... slowly, without making any sudden movements. But I'm here to tell you that I still have faith in Mr. Fields. I suspend disbelief all the time when reading fiction so I'm willing to cut Johnathan some slack. This is a fast read; it's an uplifting read; it provides some actionable suggestions to perhaps actually improve the quality of your life. To me, that beats the hell out of "Pride and Prejudice."
February 10, 2017
Yes, I read ANOTHER book on how to live the best life possible. Can you tell that I am obsessed? Ha, I was browsing on Hoopla when I saw this and liked the sound of it, so I downloaded it.
This book was a bit different in a way that everything was set up into “buckets.” I wish I had thought of that myself. We all have empty buckets and to be happier(er) we need to keep each bucket filled. This was also refreshing in that he does not promise instant results. He wants you to each for 30 days to get maximum results.
I gleaned a few ideas from this book. I thought I had read it all before, but this book had some ideas that I never thought of. I have to admit that I am more of a desire mapper than a bucket person, so I incorporated it into my desire map for 2017. I am not sure of the results though I haven’t tried it long enough to make a judgment on any of them.
Reading this book made me realize how much I have neglected my personal life in building my writing. When I sat down, I realized that I had lost touch with a lot of friends. Everyone is always talking about a work life balance but what is that? I mean it takes hours to do some stuff, and there is always so much to do, and by the time I feel like I can finally call it a day I am exhausted. HOWEVER, I fully realize that even introverted Bitches such as me need friends so I have made more of a real effort to maintain and reconnect with people. Am I happier for it? Who knows? It has only been a couple of months since I actively started to do it so I can’t say at this point.
This is a good book but to be honest I am getting sort of overloaded with books on how to be happy and all of that. I think I will always struggle with depression somewhat and I need to accept that. I have an amazing life at the moment, and I am very happy. I can’t help but feel like I am missing something, though. I feel like when Gretchen Rubin said in The Happiness Project that there has to be more than this. She had an amazing life but yet…..I am reminded of when C.S Lewis stated that maybe that wretched longing we feel is because we are not made for this world. Maybe that's it. Maybe the feeling is not depression or anything but rather the longing that has been talked about and idolized to death that all Christians feel because they are not meant for this world. Danielle Laport even talks about it in The Desire Map. She writes to a Buddhist monk about the issue, and the monk tells her the longing is normal, but we must not be hung up on the outcome.
So reading book after book about how to improve my life and happiness probably is not gonna do a damn thing. Will I stop reading them? No, But I am not gonna read ten books in a row about the topic. I am craving real honest to God stories, so That is where I am going for 2017. More stories and fewer books on how to be rich and happy and all of that. I am ALREADY as happy as I am going to get so I am gonna live my amazing life and not worry about it.
This review was originally posted on Adventures in Never Never Land
January 6, 2024
HIGHLIGHTS:
1. RADIANCE:
- When truth meets joy, radiance ensues.
2. VITAL ENERGY:
- Busyness saps our vital energy.
3. FIND YOUR PEOPLE
- Belonging begins with safety.
- This is a place and a relationship where you feel safe enough to be the real you.
- Get real, be open and vulnerable.
- Bonding and belonging.
4. SAY NO:
- Until you cultivate the ability to say no to the things that fill your life but no your soul, you’ll never have the space to bring into it the things you desperately want to say yes to… The answer is subtraction.
- Start pulling out the pieces you no longer want and saying no to the ones everyone else wants you to put back in.
5. SMALL CHANGES:
- It’s often small changes that make the biggest, fastest difference.
6. RIPPLE:
- Simply refining epic action to include the ripple along with the wave gives a path for anyone to play big, to make a difference, one drop, one ripple at a time.
- You can apply the idea of the ripple to the way you contribute to the world, whether it’s your vocation, business, career, or just the thing you do on the side that serves as a source of meaning, joy, and connection.
7. HELL YES:
- If we don’t say no, everything suffers.
- Answer with a kind no.
- It’s the kind that creates space for the hell yes.
8. KIND “NO”:
- Kind No: short and direct.
- Begin with gratitude in your heart and on the page.
- Say no, and share a single, understandable and incontrovertible reason why.
- Pick a single reason that is most powerful and state it without apology.
- Offer an alternative solution.
- Wish them success – you really do want them to get what they need, just not from you on the terms they’re demanding.
- Thank them again.
9. DO HAPPY:
- Real happiness comes when you discover the things that will make you happy and then do them.
- Build your life around people and pursuits that make you happy.
- Once your living expenses are comfortably covered, money has little impact on increasing happiness.
- Spend money on the right things.
10. CREATE FROM YOUR LENSE:
- A good life is not a place at which you arrive, it is a lens through which you see and create your world.
1. RADIANCE:
- When truth meets joy, radiance ensues.
2. VITAL ENERGY:
- Busyness saps our vital energy.
3. FIND YOUR PEOPLE
- Belonging begins with safety.
- This is a place and a relationship where you feel safe enough to be the real you.
- Get real, be open and vulnerable.
- Bonding and belonging.
4. SAY NO:
- Until you cultivate the ability to say no to the things that fill your life but no your soul, you’ll never have the space to bring into it the things you desperately want to say yes to… The answer is subtraction.
- Start pulling out the pieces you no longer want and saying no to the ones everyone else wants you to put back in.
5. SMALL CHANGES:
- It’s often small changes that make the biggest, fastest difference.
6. RIPPLE:
- Simply refining epic action to include the ripple along with the wave gives a path for anyone to play big, to make a difference, one drop, one ripple at a time.
- You can apply the idea of the ripple to the way you contribute to the world, whether it’s your vocation, business, career, or just the thing you do on the side that serves as a source of meaning, joy, and connection.
7. HELL YES:
- If we don’t say no, everything suffers.
- Answer with a kind no.
- It’s the kind that creates space for the hell yes.
8. KIND “NO”:
- Kind No: short and direct.
- Begin with gratitude in your heart and on the page.
- Say no, and share a single, understandable and incontrovertible reason why.
- Pick a single reason that is most powerful and state it without apology.
- Offer an alternative solution.
- Wish them success – you really do want them to get what they need, just not from you on the terms they’re demanding.
- Thank them again.
9. DO HAPPY:
- Real happiness comes when you discover the things that will make you happy and then do them.
- Build your life around people and pursuits that make you happy.
- Once your living expenses are comfortably covered, money has little impact on increasing happiness.
- Spend money on the right things.
10. CREATE FROM YOUR LENSE:
- A good life is not a place at which you arrive, it is a lens through which you see and create your world.
January 29, 2018
There were some nuggets of useful information and insights in this self-help book; however, the bulk of the book seemed to be directed at folks who are quite wealthy, in good physical and mental health, with free time to travel or take workshops, and who are not subjected to racism or misogyny. Elitism. I couldn't help think, "How in the hell can this book help the single mom or dad struggling to hold down two jobs or someone with a child or spouse with chronic illness?"
January 14, 2018
This was my first audiobook and I don't think they are for me, which is a shame. I found it hard to focus on what the author was saying, which meant I didn't retain the information. I think this would have been a higher rating if I read it on my kindle as I could have highlighted things and got more out of it!
February 8, 2025
2.5
I must admit I mostly skimmed this and properly read only certain sections because I knew exactly what the suggestion to change one’s life would be. I think self-help books just aren’t for me because I can learn how to live a good life by reading literature. Nothing particularly wrong with the book, though, it’s okay and it could help someone, which it probably has.
I must admit I mostly skimmed this and properly read only certain sections because I knew exactly what the suggestion to change one’s life would be. I think self-help books just aren’t for me because I can learn how to live a good life by reading literature. Nothing particularly wrong with the book, though, it’s okay and it could help someone, which it probably has.
December 20, 2016
So many nuggets in this book. One to re-visit again and again.
March 20, 2018
This could have been just another rehash. Instead it is both practical and inspiring, supported and insightful, simple and challenging. Well done. I’ll be using the associated website resources.
February 16, 2023
I simply like how Fields looks at things. It's good perspective and recommendations for living to your fullest.
August 19, 2025
DNF on Pg 48
March 9, 2017
Received this book as a gift. A gift that will last forever. Loved it!
January 28, 2024
Good ideas. I didn’t fully do the suggested activities, but good food for thought.
March 11, 2017
The main concept of the book initially struck me as too simplistic, but it really grew on me. I have seen lots of different ways of categorizing the necessary parts of a life, and this may be the most useful. It is so easy to remember Vitality, Connection, and Contribution. I found some of the daily explorations really useful and easy to implement, while others just didn't seem that relevant.
October 25, 2019
“Life’s greatest moments live in the space between desire and attainment.”
“There is no magic to awesome outcomes.
“Most people will find you interesting if you are deeply interested in them.
“There is no magic to awesome outcomes.
“Most people will find you interesting if you are deeply interested in them.
April 11, 2019
Have you ever gone through life at what feels like highway speeds? Do you feel as though your life has no promise or value? Do you find yourself in situations where you feel a lack of control? How to Live a Good Life is a self-help book on finding your center. It is written by a man named Johnathan Fields.
The book proper uses three main arc chapters in the form of buckets. These ideas are trademarked, but I think it is only if you call them that. It is no big deal though.
There are three buckets. Vitality for your personal well-being, Connection for interpersonal relationships, and Contribution for how you affect the world. The ideas require a great deal of self-exploration. It presents believable scenarios that could resonate with you. Waking up to an alarm is something that many people must go through. However, what follows is a sad life of wakefulness. Why would you want to live a life where you are beholden to everyone and have nothing to yourself?
The book uses a collection of anecdotes, science, and folksy wisdom to enlighten and entertain. The book was printed in 2016, but it doesn’t have information that can be dated, instead offering timeless wisdom and practical advice. The ultimate goal of the book is to engender joy and satisfaction with your life. I think it does a pretty good job of all of that.
The book proper uses three main arc chapters in the form of buckets. These ideas are trademarked, but I think it is only if you call them that. It is no big deal though.
There are three buckets. Vitality for your personal well-being, Connection for interpersonal relationships, and Contribution for how you affect the world. The ideas require a great deal of self-exploration. It presents believable scenarios that could resonate with you. Waking up to an alarm is something that many people must go through. However, what follows is a sad life of wakefulness. Why would you want to live a life where you are beholden to everyone and have nothing to yourself?
The book uses a collection of anecdotes, science, and folksy wisdom to enlighten and entertain. The book was printed in 2016, but it doesn’t have information that can be dated, instead offering timeless wisdom and practical advice. The ultimate goal of the book is to engender joy and satisfaction with your life. I think it does a pretty good job of all of that.
May 17, 2021
❝ Când potrivești ceea ce faci cu ceea ce ești, devii ceea ce trebuie să fii.
❝ Odată ce un lucru e înăuntrul tău, e al tău.
❝ Dacă vrei să mergi repede, mergi singur. Dacă vrei să mergi departe, mergi împreună cu alții.
❝ Secretul succesului durabil, în materie de orice, nu este magia, ci perseverența. Și noi nu ne ținem de nimic pe termen lung.
Am luat această lectură ca pe o pauză de la ficțiune și mi-a prins tare bine!
Cum să trăiești o viață bună de Jonathan Fields nu este o carte super wow dar nu este nici rea. După părerea mea, nu există cărți de dezvoltare personală rele. O astfel de lectură, are ceva care se găsește ca fiind benefic pentru cineva. Dacă tu nu te conectezi neapărat cu o anumită carte de genul, asta nu însemna ca altcineva nu o va face!
𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐃𝐈𝐂𝐓: O carte drăguță care ne spune cum să ne menținem mental și fizic în formă ca mai apoi să ne putem conecta și să fim prezenți 100% în relațiile cu familia și cu cei din jur. Totul pleacă de la sănătatea minții și a corpului!
𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐀: 3,5/5
❝ Odată ce un lucru e înăuntrul tău, e al tău.
❝ Dacă vrei să mergi repede, mergi singur. Dacă vrei să mergi departe, mergi împreună cu alții.
❝ Secretul succesului durabil, în materie de orice, nu este magia, ci perseverența. Și noi nu ne ținem de nimic pe termen lung.
Am luat această lectură ca pe o pauză de la ficțiune și mi-a prins tare bine!
Cum să trăiești o viață bună de Jonathan Fields nu este o carte super wow dar nu este nici rea. După părerea mea, nu există cărți de dezvoltare personală rele. O astfel de lectură, are ceva care se găsește ca fiind benefic pentru cineva. Dacă tu nu te conectezi neapărat cu o anumită carte de genul, asta nu însemna ca altcineva nu o va face!
𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐃𝐈𝐂𝐓: O carte drăguță care ne spune cum să ne menținem mental și fizic în formă ca mai apoi să ne putem conecta și să fim prezenți 100% în relațiile cu familia și cu cei din jur. Totul pleacă de la sănătatea minții și a corpului!
𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐀: 3,5/5
November 29, 2016
I really like the author's podcast and so, of course, I had to read his new book. It's really good at combining everything we know from positive psychology and all of the recent literature. My problem was that I've read all of that stuff already. Which is pretty cool, really. I can't complain. So this book isn't for me - the psychology professor who has read self-help books since childhood. This book is for people who are just getting into exploring self-help based on science. A lot of his examples are from the perspective of a father in NYC - which totally makes sense, that's who he is! But I usually connect more with female authors, especially those who have done the research themselves, rather than gathering it all from others. I really do like his ideas about the "buckets" and I'll be thinking about that more. The term "energy vampires" was another takeaway from this book for me. Again, highly recommend to others - would probably be a great one to listen to as well.
November 11, 2016
This was just the book I needed! I was looking for something that would help me focus on finding joy in my life now instead of waiting for future things to happen before I could be happy. I love that there are practical steps to take in order to fill myself up. I've already started the 30-day challenge!
December 31, 2016
I really enjoyed this book. It was full of concrete tips on creating a "good life". I was happy Gretchen Rubin recommended this book. I'm a huge fan of hers, and have added Jonathan Fields podcasts to my playlist too!
My full review can be found on my blog here: http://www.tomesandtequila.com/2016/1...
My full review can be found on my blog here: http://www.tomesandtequila.com/2016/1...
February 6, 2017
This is a really well-written book broken into easy pieces of things you can do every day to fill your buckets and get into the practice of living life and not being run over by it.
It's a helpful book without being preachy. As someone who reads a lot, but doesn't keep a lot of books that I've read, this one has made the cut of one that will stay in my house and be shared with others.
It's a helpful book without being preachy. As someone who reads a lot, but doesn't keep a lot of books that I've read, this one has made the cut of one that will stay in my house and be shared with others.
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