Happy

Simple Steps to Get the Most Out of Life

by Ian K. Smith

Number of pages: 240

Publisher: St. Martin's Press

BBB Library: Psychology and Strengths, Personal Success

ISBN: 9780312606350



About the Author

Ian K. Smith is the medical/diet expert and host of VH1's "Celebrity Fit Club". In 2008, Smith created The 50 Million Pound Challenge, a free national weight loss initiative. He has written for a variety of publications, including Time, Newsweek, and the New York Daily News.

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Editorial Review

Achieving ultimate happiness means owning it. Too often we allow other people or situations to control our quest for happiness; a disobedient son, a losing battle against weight gain or feelings of loneliness. But the key is how well you control the impact of those disappointments have on your overall happiness. Base your happiness not on an outcome—especially one in which others have some influence —but on your contribution in achieving that outcome. For example, I'd be happy if my mother would accept me for who I am. If you are the best person you can be and try to represent who you really are, then your happiness should be based not on whether someone accepts you but on how honest you are with yourself and others.

Book Reviews

"I've never met a person who didn't desire to be happy. Who wouldn't want their lives to be more peaceful, learn to enjoy life as it is instead of what it could have been or be in a happy relationship? The answer is "Nobody," but sometimes people are so obsessed with trying to be like others that we forget to be happy with what we have now. Dr. Ian K. Smith, the best-selling author of "The Fat Smash Diet" and one of the hosts of the VH1 show "Celebrity Fit Club" gives readers reasonable advice on how to be happier in life with his new book "Happy: Simple Steps to Get the Most Out of Life." Examiner.com

"In his book, Smith points to a number of ways to measure happiness--and none of them, according to research, is about a fat paycheck, a big house, a nice car, good sex, success at work, winning the lottery or a spa vacation. Instead, Smith has scoured research on topics like positive psychology and happiness studies, and culled lessons in happy living. His own first step was to get less busy. Below, he offers his suggestions for slowing down and getting happier. His advice isn't earth-shatteringly new; maybe you've heard it before. But this time, try it." The Root

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Wisdom to Share

Blaming others for your unhappiness is a definite way to continual disappointment.

A critical component of happiness is being realistic.

The other reason it is important to be happy at work is productivity.

Our days are consumed by a continuous stream of activity, most of it mundane and uninspiring.

Taking a holiday is a great way to bring balance back into your life.

Visit someone and have a conversation in person instead of picking up the phone and sending text message.

Going back to some of the basics can simplify what has become complex and increase the meaningful interactions in your life.

We often get lost in the hustle of making it through the day that we don't take time to evaluate which things are more important than others.

We don't spend enough time on ourselves.

If you don't make yourself a priority, no one else is going to do it for you.

Too many of us prefer the comfort of what we know rather than the challenge of discovering the unknown.

Beyond its physical and health benefits, exercise can make you happy.

There is a direct relationship between one person's happiness and another's.

Surrounding yourself with happy people means an increased chance that good things will happen to you, too.

Dreams sustain us during times of difficulty.

Many of us overcome the pain of the present by imagining the promise of tomorrow.

Work no longer became a means to an end, but rather the end itself.

It's very important that we find some level of happiness at work.

It is unfortunate that most of us spend half of our day time during the work week away from our families, friends and hobbies.

When employees are having fun, they are more energized and ready to go the extra mile for one another as well as the company.

You must have a bigger perspective when it comes to assigning the level of importance to work, and that means accepting that work is only a slice in the pie of life and not the entire pie.

One way to enjoy work is to make sure you're enjoying life. When your job becomes all-consuming, tasks that would typically be exciting become mundane and uninspiring

Eating outside or taking some time to walk on the grounds or do a quick personal errand can make a big difference.

There's a beginning and an end to life, but what comes in between is what's most important.