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How to Be Happy Lib/E: How Developing Your Confidence, Resilience, Appreciation and Communication Can Lead to a Happier, Healthier You
A step-by-step guide to being happier and healthier from a guru of positive thinking and practical changeThis universal handbook will help you improve the quality of your life and be more supportive to others and the world around you. It will also help you progress in your career by becoming more effective and creative. Written in a practical, reassuring, and motivational way that doesn't make promises that can't be keptHelps you develop your confidence, resilience, appreciation, and communication that can lead to a happier, healthier youHappiness at work is an increasingly topical area--especially with its drag on the economy--as in the UK sickness absenteeism costs 100 billion a year
- GenresSelf HelpNonfiction
Audio CD
First published August 21, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
October 12, 2012
Are you slightly dim and suffering from feelings of inadequacy? Then this book is for you. I lost patience with it very quickly. Being grumpy, snide and slightly sarcastic, I thought maybe I should try to be a bit happier; nicer, y'know. As this review shows, this book hasn't improved me.
Liggy Webb is a professional happiness consultant. Imagine making a living doing a job that you've only just invented. Envy kicks in immediately, which is a bad sign. You're not supposed to compare yourself to others, according to the book (actually, I think she means compare "with", which is very different).
The first two chapters are full of platitudes and statements that are so obvious that you have to be a bit dim not to have worked them out already. Be nice to people. Think positively. Watch happy films. Be happy with what you have.
"How To Be Happy" isn't all about placid acceptance. Don't just take what life throws at you. Be assertive! But be assertive without raising your stress levels. And know your limitations. "Negotiate a positive win-win outcome," it urges, although how to do this isn't really explained. Manage your anger (again, how to do this isn't explained, except by the advice: go on an anger-management course). Don't drink coffee (at last, a practical suggestion and we're only on page 70. Unfortunately, I've tried it: I went without coffee for three weeks. I didn't notice any difference in anything, except that I was denying myself something I enjoy).
I started to lose confidence in the book when it talked about Johari Windows, declaring: "The second, 'closed' pane is your 'façade', which is what you know about yourself but others do not." Yes, lifestyle gurus have been using this system for over 50 years without even questioning the fact that 'façade' means exactly the opposite of that.
It's not totally rubbish even if it does have a yellow cover, which is always a sign of desperation in any self-help book. If you've never thought of any of these tips before, then it might even help you, so my suggestion that you have to be dim to appreciate it is a bit unfair. But I just felt I was being talked down to. The book urges you to have self-confidence and self-respect, yet I felt the slightly patronising tone was trying to rob me of exactly those qualities.
My advice? Don't watch happy films. Read Madame Bovary. There's nothing like a 19th French novel about a frustrated provincial housewife to make you appreciate your iPod, iPhone, iPad and fun gadgets.
Meanwhile I'll carry on being a dour curmudgeon who takes out his feelings of frustration and inadequacy by writing spiteful reviews on Goodreads. It's childish, but it makes me happy.
Liggy Webb is a professional happiness consultant. Imagine making a living doing a job that you've only just invented. Envy kicks in immediately, which is a bad sign. You're not supposed to compare yourself to others, according to the book (actually, I think she means compare "with", which is very different).
The first two chapters are full of platitudes and statements that are so obvious that you have to be a bit dim not to have worked them out already. Be nice to people. Think positively. Watch happy films. Be happy with what you have.
"How To Be Happy" isn't all about placid acceptance. Don't just take what life throws at you. Be assertive! But be assertive without raising your stress levels. And know your limitations. "Negotiate a positive win-win outcome," it urges, although how to do this isn't really explained. Manage your anger (again, how to do this isn't explained, except by the advice: go on an anger-management course). Don't drink coffee (at last, a practical suggestion and we're only on page 70. Unfortunately, I've tried it: I went without coffee for three weeks. I didn't notice any difference in anything, except that I was denying myself something I enjoy).
I started to lose confidence in the book when it talked about Johari Windows, declaring: "The second, 'closed' pane is your 'façade', which is what you know about yourself but others do not." Yes, lifestyle gurus have been using this system for over 50 years without even questioning the fact that 'façade' means exactly the opposite of that.
It's not totally rubbish even if it does have a yellow cover, which is always a sign of desperation in any self-help book. If you've never thought of any of these tips before, then it might even help you, so my suggestion that you have to be dim to appreciate it is a bit unfair. But I just felt I was being talked down to. The book urges you to have self-confidence and self-respect, yet I felt the slightly patronising tone was trying to rob me of exactly those qualities.
My advice? Don't watch happy films. Read Madame Bovary. There's nothing like a 19th French novel about a frustrated provincial housewife to make you appreciate your iPod, iPhone, iPad and fun gadgets.
Meanwhile I'll carry on being a dour curmudgeon who takes out his feelings of frustration and inadequacy by writing spiteful reviews on Goodreads. It's childish, but it makes me happy.
August 8, 2020
Didn't work though, still sad.
April 15, 2025
Read this as it is one of my sister's favourite books. And I love it for that reason alone.
I enjoyed the impression I got of the author's utter commitment to studying what constitutes a happy life, and her pleasure in sharing this.
The delivery is easy and clear. Each chapter starts with an amusing or illuminating tale to illustrate the lesson, and ends with a list of top tips.
I read the chapters during my lunch hours, and found the book a really welcome break, full of solid precepts and welcome reminders.
I enjoyed the impression I got of the author's utter commitment to studying what constitutes a happy life, and her pleasure in sharing this.
The delivery is easy and clear. Each chapter starts with an amusing or illuminating tale to illustrate the lesson, and ends with a list of top tips.
I read the chapters during my lunch hours, and found the book a really welcome break, full of solid precepts and welcome reminders.
February 8, 2019
I really enjoyed this book and found a lot of enlightenment from reading some of the chapters.
The only problem I find is trying to remind myself to encompass many of these helpful lifestyle and emotional health tips! Perhaps I will have to refer to certain chapters again but I’m not the kind of person who goes back to a book for reference.
The book centres on kindness and positivity which gives me a temporary sense of well-being. I just need to keep it going every day.
The only problem I find is trying to remind myself to encompass many of these helpful lifestyle and emotional health tips! Perhaps I will have to refer to certain chapters again but I’m not the kind of person who goes back to a book for reference.
The book centres on kindness and positivity which gives me a temporary sense of well-being. I just need to keep it going every day.
June 26, 2023
Very basic.
May 22, 2015
What do you do after you realize you've been giving and not receiving in a so-called relationship for nearly a year, have yet to find a job that suits your talents, and still live at home and find yourself running out of time to blame it on the recession? You read a self-help book of course.
In all honesty, this book was not recommended to me by a friend. I did not come across the title on any of the conventional lists that I'm apt to check when seeking out new reading material. I found it the old-fashioned way. I looked up an approximate dewey number for the subject and browsed the holdings of my local library.
Webb does offer some good advice, and the stories she uses to illustrate her points are downright entertaining. How to Be Happy is a fast read, and I was able to fit it in during my breaks at work. So what areas does she focus on in her attempt to discuss happiness and how to attain it? Positive self-talk is a huge area of emphasis as are the building of positive relationships and the successful management of change and stress (resulting from aforementioned change or any of a slew of other life situations). Readers are also encouraged to look beyond themselves. The advice is sound, although I personally feel that it is a bit simplified. It all makes sense when you're reading, but those who are most likely to pick up this book probably need help in the application. And this particular volume is mostly theoretical, sadly.
I did take something away from it, but there are probably better books on the subject out there.
One serious problem I had is that Ms. Webb has a lot of typos. As in just about every page is riddled with them. There were times when they made reading difficult. She also lets her British slang dominate. Having lived in Europe briefly, I'm up on it a bit more than some, but I can see this being a difficult read for the uninitiated.
The anecdotes are pretty much the only reason this one gets a 3 instead of a 2. Well-placed, entertaining, and good choices for illustrating Webb's concepts.
In all honesty, this book was not recommended to me by a friend. I did not come across the title on any of the conventional lists that I'm apt to check when seeking out new reading material. I found it the old-fashioned way. I looked up an approximate dewey number for the subject and browsed the holdings of my local library.
Webb does offer some good advice, and the stories she uses to illustrate her points are downright entertaining. How to Be Happy is a fast read, and I was able to fit it in during my breaks at work. So what areas does she focus on in her attempt to discuss happiness and how to attain it? Positive self-talk is a huge area of emphasis as are the building of positive relationships and the successful management of change and stress (resulting from aforementioned change or any of a slew of other life situations). Readers are also encouraged to look beyond themselves. The advice is sound, although I personally feel that it is a bit simplified. It all makes sense when you're reading, but those who are most likely to pick up this book probably need help in the application. And this particular volume is mostly theoretical, sadly.
I did take something away from it, but there are probably better books on the subject out there.
One serious problem I had is that Ms. Webb has a lot of typos. As in just about every page is riddled with them. There were times when they made reading difficult. She also lets her British slang dominate. Having lived in Europe briefly, I'm up on it a bit more than some, but I can see this being a difficult read for the uninitiated.
The anecdotes are pretty much the only reason this one gets a 3 instead of a 2. Well-placed, entertaining, and good choices for illustrating Webb's concepts.
May 31, 2016
This is a nice and well intentioned book on happiness. If you want a relatively easy read, that will not challenge you much beyond common sense, but which provides some useful tips then buy it.
The contents are variable in quality - some chapters are deeper than others, some are fluff. For example chapter 7 on lifelong learning seemed to be filler to me, whilst chapter 10 on appreciating life has some interesting contents. The book combines useful tips with banalities.
For me this book is more a compendium of bits and pieces that contribute to making the good life rather than a real structured approach to being happy. At times there are hints that Webb has deeper knowledge and more interesting experiences than this book provides. If you are after that deeper insight, then this book is probably not the one for you, but I suspect Webb could write it if she chose to.
The contents are variable in quality - some chapters are deeper than others, some are fluff. For example chapter 7 on lifelong learning seemed to be filler to me, whilst chapter 10 on appreciating life has some interesting contents. The book combines useful tips with banalities.
For me this book is more a compendium of bits and pieces that contribute to making the good life rather than a real structured approach to being happy. At times there are hints that Webb has deeper knowledge and more interesting experiences than this book provides. If you are after that deeper insight, then this book is probably not the one for you, but I suspect Webb could write it if she chose to.
May 9, 2013
Put down the book, turn off the internet, go outside and take in a deep lungful of reality.
I lost patience a long time ago in self-help books of such unequivocally ridiculous cheerfulness. I have no problems with literature that you can use as a reference through difficult stages of your life, but this work (I hesitate to call it tome) is overly-cheerful, riddled with cliche and, to be honest, a solid spoon of common sense would suffice.
Jack Dee I'm not, but my thinly-reigned vitriol and sarcasm was fully unleashed at what I saw leafing from page to page. Save yourself some money, if you're this unhappy you're not going to find enlightenment from a book; see a proper counsellor and work through your issues with a human being.
I lost patience a long time ago in self-help books of such unequivocally ridiculous cheerfulness. I have no problems with literature that you can use as a reference through difficult stages of your life, but this work (I hesitate to call it tome) is overly-cheerful, riddled with cliche and, to be honest, a solid spoon of common sense would suffice.
Jack Dee I'm not, but my thinly-reigned vitriol and sarcasm was fully unleashed at what I saw leafing from page to page. Save yourself some money, if you're this unhappy you're not going to find enlightenment from a book; see a proper counsellor and work through your issues with a human being.
April 24, 2013
Was hoping this would enlighten me! Just tells the usuals we already know. Found it not to be helpful if really looking for help, more quite brash in parts.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews