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 Customer Reviews
brilliant, 03 Sep 2008
I got the book yesterdy and read it late into the night. I would never have believed that I would find a book on this subject un-putdownable! I can see so much of my mother in Dorothy's case, and I've been doing all the wrong things. This book will be my guide from now on. And what a wondeful personPenny is!
Invaluable Insight and Advice, 01 Sep 2008
I only wish I'd read this book before my friend who had dementia died earlier this year. I couldn't put it down. It is written in easily understandable terms and gives encouragement and positiveness in what is often a dark time. If you never buy another book buy this one now. It really will make a difference. I wish that every care/ nursing home would ensure that their staff would read it.
Fantastic a must have for staff and carers alike., 18 Aug 2008
[ASIN:0091901804 Contented Dementia: 24-hour Wraparound Care for Lifelong Well-being]]
I heard oliver James interviewed on You and Yours last Thursday and came straight back to the office and ordered this book from Amazon. It arrived the next day and by the end of the weekend I had read it and sent one to my father!
I work with older adults with dementia and my mother has vascular dementia. I went over to Burford several years ago to hear about SPECAL from Penny Garner, the combination of her work and Oliver Jame's clear and accessible interpretation of her ideas is a magical combination.
This is the best 'bible' for carers that I have come across a 'must have'for carers and staff alike.
A fantastic contribution to Dementia care well done to you both!
A refreshing change, 15 Aug 2008
A fantastic book with so many tips. My mum has dementia and we realise we have been doing all the wrong things. This book has given us a really positive approach to the disease. If you only read one book on dementia make sure it is this one. So much negative press about dementia but this book really opens a door to a more positive approach.
Constructive helpful advice for those assocaited with dementia, 14 Aug 2008
How do we cope... how do we respond... how do we help those we love who experience dementia? This book gives sensitive guidance on how to help those with degrees of dementia by our words and actions, to make their lives more contented. For us it's early days, for us this is the first real vehicle for constructive help.
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Customer Reviews
brilliant, 03 Sep 2008
I got the book yesterdy and read it late into the night. I would never have believed that I would find a book on this subject un-putdownable! I can see so much of my mother in Dorothy's case, and I've been doing all the wrong things. This book will be my guide from now on. And what a wondeful personPenny is!
Invaluable Insight and Advice, 01 Sep 2008
I only wish I'd read this book before my friend who had dementia died earlier this year. I couldn't put it down. It is written in easily understandable terms and gives encouragement and positiveness in what is often a dark time. If you never buy another book buy this one now. It really will make a difference. I wish that every care/ nursing home would ensure that their staff would read it.
Fantastic a must have for staff and carers alike., 18 Aug 2008
[ASIN:0091901804 Contented Dementia: 24-hour Wraparound Care for Lifelong Well-being]]
I heard oliver James interviewed on You and Yours last Thursday and came straight back to the office and ordered this book from Amazon. It arrived the next day and by the end of the weekend I had read it and sent one to my father!
I work with older adults with dementia and my mother has vascular dementia. I went over to Burford several years ago to hear about SPECAL from Penny Garner, the combination of her work and Oliver Jame's clear and accessible interpretation of her ideas is a magical combination.
This is the best 'bible' for carers that I have come across a 'must have'for carers and staff alike.
A fantastic contribution to Dementia care well done to you both!
A refreshing change, 15 Aug 2008
A fantastic book with so many tips. My mum has dementia and we realise we have been doing all the wrong things. This book has given us a really positive approach to the disease. If you only read one book on dementia make sure it is this one. So much negative press about dementia but this book really opens a door to a more positive approach.
Constructive helpful advice for those assocaited with dementia, 14 Aug 2008
How do we cope... how do we respond... how do we help those we love who experience dementia? This book gives sensitive guidance on how to help those with degrees of dementia by our words and actions, to make their lives more contented. For us it's early days, for us this is the first real vehicle for constructive help.
We can't get enough , 18 Feb 2008
This book is excellent. Parents, who want lasting discipline, in the true sense of the word [teaching], look no further. As other reviewers have said, there is no quick fix. If that's what you are after, God help your kids!
As an author, I also found the techniques and suggestions easy to pick up and assimilate.
It is relevant for school, home and life in general.
We can't get enough of this kind of material.
Useful book and relevant but no masterpiece!, 20 Dec 2007
I am a mother of three boys aged 2, 4 and 5. Getting them to cooperate is sometimes such a challenge. And it is difficult to focus attention to three at a time so I often have the feeling that one will cry, no matter what I do or don't do. I bought this book because I was looking for ways to improve my communication with my elder boys (aged 4 and 5) who sometimes can seem so unreasonable and so defiant to me and their father. The book has helped me reacting differently and communicating comfort better to my children but I found it a touch too simplistic. I need not do my homework and see drawings to understand what this is all about. Examples are useful but I need not read ten very similar examples to get the message. It seemed to me that it was bit of a school text rather than a book aimed at grown up parents. Moreover, most examples focused on elder children (e.g. aged 8, 10 or older) contrary to what I expected, i.e. advice for communicating with toddlers and pre schoolers. In conclusion, I do recommend the book as a useful guide to improving communication with your children but it is certainly not the best book I have ever read on parenting.
My new bible, 29 Oct 2007
Really useful book.
I read it over and over again.
Excellent tips for keeping kids motivated and behaving well.
I have recommended this book to all my friends.
An essential book for any parent, 14 Jul 2007
This book really does what it says on the cover. The advice is relevant for all parents who want non-confrontational ways of disciplining their children. There are many examples given and old/new ways of dealing with situations. I found myself re-reading chapters as incidents arose within my home. Although changes won't occur overnight there should be improvements in a few days. As a teacher, I also found some of the techniques and suggestions relevant for school, I certainly intend to use them in future.
Changed my life literally overnight, 24 Apr 2007
A friend mentioned this book years before I had children of my own. When our first son was born my husband bought it, and then we forgot about it for a few years. Now my sons are 2 3/4 and 1 1/2, and I was having a really hard time.. the usual tantrums, food issues, fighting between the two... my older one was being sent to the naughty corner several times a day sometimes, I was shouting all day, and I felt absolutely miserable. Thought I was the worst mother in the world. Then I remembered the book, and aaaaah... never thought it possible that one book could hold "the truth". And it's such simple things you need to change, it's amazing. My son hasn't been to the naughty corner since I started reading the first chapter, we are a very happy, relaxed and calm family now, and my husband is still completely amazed that every evening I tell him "We had a good day" rather than finding me in tears. If you ever felt overwhelmed and powerless as a parent, and if you ever thought you were doing everything wrong ... READ THIS BOOK.
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Customer Reviews
brilliant, 03 Sep 2008
I got the book yesterdy and read it late into the night. I would never have believed that I would find a book on this subject un-putdownable! I can see so much of my mother in Dorothy's case, and I've been doing all the wrong things. This book will be my guide from now on. And what a wondeful personPenny is!
Invaluable Insight and Advice, 01 Sep 2008
I only wish I'd read this book before my friend who had dementia died earlier this year. I couldn't put it down. It is written in easily understandable terms and gives encouragement and positiveness in what is often a dark time. If you never buy another book buy this one now. It really will make a difference. I wish that every care/ nursing home would ensure that their staff would read it.
Fantastic a must have for staff and carers alike., 18 Aug 2008
[ASIN:0091901804 Contented Dementia: 24-hour Wraparound Care for Lifelong Well-being]]
I heard oliver James interviewed on You and Yours last Thursday and came straight back to the office and ordered this book from Amazon. It arrived the next day and by the end of the weekend I had read it and sent one to my father!
I work with older adults with dementia and my mother has vascular dementia. I went over to Burford several years ago to hear about SPECAL from Penny Garner, the combination of her work and Oliver Jame's clear and accessible interpretation of her ideas is a magical combination.
This is the best 'bible' for carers that I have come across a 'must have'for carers and staff alike.
A fantastic contribution to Dementia care well done to you both!
A refreshing change, 15 Aug 2008
A fantastic book with so many tips. My mum has dementia and we realise we have been doing all the wrong things. This book has given us a really positive approach to the disease. If you only read one book on dementia make sure it is this one. So much negative press about dementia but this book really opens a door to a more positive approach.
Constructive helpful advice for those assocaited with dementia, 14 Aug 2008
How do we cope... how do we respond... how do we help those we love who experience dementia? This book gives sensitive guidance on how to help those with degrees of dementia by our words and actions, to make their lives more contented. For us it's early days, for us this is the first real vehicle for constructive help.
We can't get enough , 18 Feb 2008
This book is excellent. Parents, who want lasting discipline, in the true sense of the word [teaching], look no further. As other reviewers have said, there is no quick fix. If that's what you are after, God help your kids!
As an author, I also found the techniques and suggestions easy to pick up and assimilate.
It is relevant for school, home and life in general.
We can't get enough of this kind of material.
Useful book and relevant but no masterpiece!, 20 Dec 2007
I am a mother of three boys aged 2, 4 and 5. Getting them to cooperate is sometimes such a challenge. And it is difficult to focus attention to three at a time so I often have the feeling that one will cry, no matter what I do or don't do. I bought this book because I was looking for ways to improve my communication with my elder boys (aged 4 and 5) who sometimes can seem so unreasonable and so defiant to me and their father. The book has helped me reacting differently and communicating comfort better to my children but I found it a touch too simplistic. I need not do my homework and see drawings to understand what this is all about. Examples are useful but I need not read ten very similar examples to get the message. It seemed to me that it was bit of a school text rather than a book aimed at grown up parents. Moreover, most examples focused on elder children (e.g. aged 8, 10 or older) contrary to what I expected, i.e. advice for communicating with toddlers and pre schoolers. In conclusion, I do recommend the book as a useful guide to improving communication with your children but it is certainly not the best book I have ever read on parenting.
My new bible, 29 Oct 2007
Really useful book.
I read it over and over again.
Excellent tips for keeping kids motivated and behaving well.
I have recommended this book to all my friends.
An essential book for any parent, 14 Jul 2007
This book really does what it says on the cover. The advice is relevant for all parents who want non-confrontational ways of disciplining their children. There are many examples given and old/new ways of dealing with situations. I found myself re-reading chapters as incidents arose within my home. Although changes won't occur overnight there should be improvements in a few days. As a teacher, I also found some of the techniques and suggestions relevant for school, I certainly intend to use them in future.
Changed my life literally overnight, 24 Apr 2007
A friend mentioned this book years before I had children of my own. When our first son was born my husband bought it, and then we forgot about it for a few years. Now my sons are 2 3/4 and 1 1/2, and I was having a really hard time.. the usual tantrums, food issues, fighting between the two... my older one was being sent to the naughty corner several times a day sometimes, I was shouting all day, and I felt absolutely miserable. Thought I was the worst mother in the world. Then I remembered the book, and aaaaah... never thought it possible that one book could hold "the truth". And it's such simple things you need to change, it's amazing. My son hasn't been to the naughty corner since I started reading the first chapter, we are a very happy, relaxed and calm family now, and my husband is still completely amazed that every evening I tell him "We had a good day" rather than finding me in tears. If you ever felt overwhelmed and powerless as a parent, and if you ever thought you were doing everything wrong ... READ THIS BOOK.
recommended, 31 Jul 2008
I was deeply cynical of this book at first because it sounds a bit dipsy and the actions involved make you feel more than a bit silly, esspecially sitting down to be hypnotised. But the CD is quite interesting because it does change the way you think - even though it may not make you truly confident in the conventional sense. I think what the CD does is give you access to a different persona which you can fit into...you imagine someone you know who is very confident (choose carefully because this works, bizarely) until ones true authentic self (ego) emerges and develops. After a month or so I found myself somewhat more confident esspecially in job interviews for example. And these days I feel about 100 times more confident than I was two years ago - and I do feel happy to express who I am. Can my confidence be attributed to the book? Maybe not, but then perhaps the book is the catalyst - that first push to get the ball rolling. I recommend this book because if you are truly low in confidence what have you to lose - nothing. You just need a push in the right direction. This book is that push.
McKenna standard, 26 Jul 2008
I never had a general "confidence" problems; but I had bought the McKenna book about staying thin (which was slowly but surely becoming a problem) and had enjoyed his writing style and his practical approach very much, so I bought this one too. I must say that even if the expectations were high it did not disappoint me.
It can be a useful guide, or explanation of how confidence "works", also for those people who do not have particular problems in this area; you can also use the book to revise your degree of self confidence in various areas, see for yourself that confidence really "works" as McKenna says and start working on the areas where improvement is possible.
Money well spent.
Truely amazing, 03 May 2008
This book really does work. I've read some of the negative words and all I can say is reading the book alone will not make you confident. Using the techniques and the CD provided with the book makes you confident. The second half of the book is a motivational section which really makes you want to go out and sort out your life, in every area. Buy this book.
excellent , 01 May 2008
I have been following this programme for a few months and it has subtly changed my outlook for the better.
this wont be an immediate fix, but rather the beginning of a journey.
This book is not just for under-confident people, 12 Apr 2008
Buying this book could be the best few quid you've ever spent. I purchased this out of curiosity really, not thinking I had any lack of confidence. But I now realise there's a lot more to confidence than just dealing with other people easily. Anyway, McKenna does not teach you lots of tricks to project a super-confident image to the world, like all those tedious pick-up artist guides to manipulating others. Instead, the book is a guide to feeling completely comfortable in your own skin and losing any negative habits that get in the way of being the best and most effective person you can be.
I've been really surprised by the effect carrying out the book's exercises and listening to the CD have had. I've no way of knowing whether this will work for everyone, but my experience has been I now feel calmer and more productive. This book has certainly helped me to become more confident to just get on with things in my life. I guess the will to do that was there already, but I would say anyone toying with the idea of making this purchase should give it a go - if it works for you as it has for me, you'll be laughing.
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Product Description
According to Steven R. Covey, to live with security and wisdom, and to have the power to take advantages of the opportunities that change creates, we need fairness, integrity, honesty and human dignity. Quite a tall order when you consider that most of us live our lives in a permanent state of flux, questioning our ideals and values and fighting a daily battle with the lack of self-confidence that stops us from taking risks of any kind. But, in The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, Covey manages to make it sound as if changing the way we look at ourselves and the world around us so that we can become more successful both personally and professionally an absolute doddle. He defines the "habits" as "the intersection of knowledge, skill and desire" and states that the "Seven Habits" of the title are not mutually exclusive, but rather when developed together help to form a well-rounded, sensitive, confident and effective human being. As with many self-help books, much of what you read here is based on basic common sense and can at times be irritatingly obvious. However, what Covey manages to do so successfully is to break down the barriers which prevent all of us from taking a long hard look at ourselves, and then gradually introduces new rules which allow us to move first from dependence to independence and then towards the ultimate goal of interdependence. But of course, the only real way to test the value of The Habits--be proactive, begin with the end in mind, put first things first, think "win/win", seek first to understand and then to be understood, synergise, sharpen the saw-- is to work on them. This book is as good as any place to start on the road to self-awareness and self-improvement in the workplace and in the home without becoming too irritatingly smug and self-satisfied. --Susan Harrison
Customer Reviews
brilliant, 03 Sep 2008
I got the book yesterdy and read it late into the night. I would never have believed that I would find a book on this subject un-putdownable! I can see so much of my mother in Dorothy's case, and I've been doing all the wrong things. This book will be my guide from now on. And what a wondeful personPenny is!
Invaluable Insight and Advice, 01 Sep 2008
I only wish I'd read this book before my friend who had dementia died earlier this year. I couldn't put it down. It is written in easily understandable terms and gives encouragement and positiveness in what is often a dark time. If you never buy another book buy this one now. It really will make a difference. I wish that every care/ nursing home would ensure that their staff would read it.
Fantastic a must have for staff and carers alike., 18 Aug 2008
[ASIN:0091901804 Contented Dementia: 24-hour Wraparound Care for Lifelong Well-being]]
I heard oliver James interviewed on You and Yours last Thursday and came straight back to the office and ordered this book from Amazon. It arrived the next day and by the end of the weekend I had read it and sent one to my father!
I work with older adults with dementia and my mother has vascular dementia. I went over to Burford several years ago to hear about SPECAL from Penny Garner, the combination of her work and Oliver Jame's clear and accessible interpretation of her ideas is a magical combination.
This is the best 'bible' for carers that I have come across a 'must have'for carers and staff alike.
A fantastic contribution to Dementia care well done to you both!
A refreshing change, 15 Aug 2008
A fantastic book with so many tips. My mum has dementia and we realise we have been doing all the wrong things. This book has given us a really positive approach to the disease. If you only read one book on dementia make sure it is this one. So much negative press about dementia but this book really opens a door to a more positive approach.
Constructive helpful advice for those assocaited with dementia, 14 Aug 2008
How do we cope... how do we respond... how do we help those we love who experience dementia? This book gives sensitive guidance on how to help those with degrees of dementia by our words and actions, to make their lives more contented. For us it's early days, for us this is the first real vehicle for constructive help.
We can't get enough , 18 Feb 2008
This book is excellent. Parents, who want lasting discipline, in the true sense of the word [teaching], look no further. As other reviewers have said, there is no quick fix. If that's what you are after, God help your kids!
As an author, I also found the techniques and suggestions easy to pick up and assimilate.
It is relevant for school, home and life in general.
We can't get enough of this kind of material.
Useful book and relevant but no masterpiece!, 20 Dec 2007
I am a mother of three boys aged 2, 4 and 5. Getting them to cooperate is sometimes such a challenge. And it is difficult to focus attention to three at a time so I often have the feeling that one will cry, no matter what I do or don't do. I bought this book because I was looking for ways to improve my communication with my elder boys (aged 4 and 5) who sometimes can seem so unreasonable and so defiant to me and their father. The book has helped me reacting differently and communicating comfort better to my children but I found it a touch too simplistic. I need not do my homework and see drawings to understand what this is all about. Examples are useful but I need not read ten very similar examples to get the message. It seemed to me that it was bit of a school text rather than a book aimed at grown up parents. Moreover, most examples focused on elder children (e.g. aged 8, 10 or older) contrary to what I expected, i.e. advice for communicating with toddlers and pre schoolers. In conclusion, I do recommend the book as a useful guide to improving communication with your children but it is certainly not the best book I have ever read on parenting.
My new bible, 29 Oct 2007
Really useful book.
I read it over and over again.
Excellent tips for keeping kids motivated and behaving well.
I have recommended this book to all my friends.
An essential book for any parent, 14 Jul 2007
This book really does what it says on the cover. The advice is relevant for all parents who want non-confrontational ways of disciplining their children. There are many examples given and old/new ways of dealing with situations. I found myself re-reading chapters as incidents arose within my home. Although changes won't occur overnight there should be improvements in a few days. As a teacher, I also found some of the techniques and suggestions relevant for school, I certainly intend to use them in future.
Changed my life literally overnight, 24 Apr 2007
A friend mentioned this book years before I had children of my own. When our first son was born my husband bought it, and then we forgot about it for a few years. Now my sons are 2 3/4 and 1 1/2, and I was having a really hard time.. the usual tantrums, food issues, fighting between the two... my older one was being sent to the naughty corner several times a day sometimes, I was shouting all day, and I felt absolutely miserable. Thought I was the worst mother in the world. Then I remembered the book, and aaaaah... never thought it possible that one book could hold "the truth". And it's such simple things you need to change, it's amazing. My son hasn't been to the naughty corner since I started reading the first chapter, we are a very happy, relaxed and calm family now, and my husband is still completely amazed that every evening I tell him "We had a good day" rather than finding me in tears. If you ever felt overwhelmed and powerless as a parent, and if you ever thought you were doing everything wrong ... READ THIS BOOK.
recommended, 31 Jul 2008
I was deeply cynical of this book at first because it sounds a bit dipsy and the actions involved make you feel more than a bit silly, esspecially sitting down to be hypnotised. But the CD is quite interesting because it does change the way you think - even though it may not make you truly confident in the conventional sense. I think what the CD does is give you access to a different persona which you can fit into...you imagine someone you know who is very confident (choose carefully because this works, bizarely) until ones true authentic self (ego) emerges and develops. After a month or so I found myself somewhat more confident esspecially in job interviews for example. And these days I feel about 100 times more confident than I was two years ago - and I do feel happy to express who I am. Can my confidence be attributed to the book? Maybe not, but then perhaps the book is the catalyst - that first push to get the ball rolling. I recommend this book because if you are truly low in confidence what have you to lose - nothing. You just need a push in the right direction. This book is that push.
McKenna standard, 26 Jul 2008
I never had a general "confidence" problems; but I had bought the McKenna book about staying thin (which was slowly but surely becoming a problem) and had enjoyed his writing style and his practical approach very much, so I bought this one too. I must say that even if the expectations were high it did not disappoint me.
It can be a useful guide, or explanation of how confidence "works", also for those people who do not have particular problems in this area; you can also use the book to revise your degree of self confidence in various areas, see for yourself that confidence really "works" as McKenna says and start working on the areas where improvement is possible.
Money well spent.
Truely amazing, 03 May 2008
This book really does work. I've read some of the negative words and all I can say is reading the book alone will not make you confident. Using the techniques and the CD provided with the book makes you confident. The second half of the book is a motivational section which really makes you want to go out and sort out your life, in every area. Buy this book.
excellent , 01 May 2008
I have been following this programme for a few months and it has subtly changed my outlook for the better.
this wont be an immediate fix, but rather the beginning of a journey.
This book is not just for under-confident people, 12 Apr 2008
Buying this book could be the best few quid you've ever spent. I purchased this out of curiosity really, not thinking I had any lack of confidence. But I now realise there's a lot more to confidence than just dealing with other people easily. Anyway, McKenna does not teach you lots of tricks to project a super-confident image to the world, like all those tedious pick-up artist guides to manipulating others. Instead, the book is a guide to feeling completely comfortable in your own skin and losing any negative habits that get in the way of being the best and most effective person you can be.
I've been really surprised by the effect carrying out the book's exercises and listening to the CD have had. I've no way of knowing whether this will work for everyone, but my experience has been I now feel calmer and more productive. This book has certainly helped me to become more confident to just get on with things in my life. I guess the will to do that was there already, but I would say anyone toying with the idea of making this purchase should give it a go - if it works for you as it has for me, you'll be laughing.
Nonsense of the highest order, 25 Aug 2008
While working for a previous company, I was sent on this course (which included reading the book). I'm sure the company meant well, but my experience of the "7 Habits of Highly Effective People", was essentially teaching people how to suck eggs.
Stephen R. Covey has made a personal fortune out of selling what most critical thinkers realise for themselves at an early age. His writings are bland and uninteresting, telling us what we already know in a language barely recognisable as English. "Synergize", "leverage", "win-win"; I'm sure you've heard them before. They are all here. Do they mean anything? In my humble opinion - not in the slightest.
Steer clear.
Stil the most influential self improvement book I've read, 16 Jul 2008
This is the one book I unfailingly recommend to others who want to be more successful in work or life in general.
I've read it several times and still find its ideas central to how I go about things in life. Hence buying it for a friend just now!
Covey makes a compelling (and welcome) case for the substance of real character over the cult of projected and perceived personality as the 'secret' to sustainable success in life.
The Key, 30 Jun 2008
Trying not to use the phrase "paradigm shift" is almost impossible when talking about this book. If you've not heard of this, then you need to get out more.
Seven Habits is a wonderful book that will change your life if you let it. Now, the key is in the title: Habits. Not whims, but habits. You have to keep at what the book talks about and while the book is geared toward those who want success, it is not geared toward happiness. Think they're the same? No. Read the book and you'll see why.
Still, this comes highly recommended from a lot of sources. Covey basically gives you a recipe for success. Having read some of the negative reviews I can only assume those people don't want success or aren't capable of concentrating their attention on the goals at hand long enough. I would also recommend "Life Strategies" by McGraw as another excellent source of inspiration.
Covey's Four Quadrant!, 10 Jan 2008
This is must-read and a book that you will want to keep on your bookshelf and re-read time and time again. Its crammed full of interesting stories, reflection and guidance on life. Seven habits of highly effective people teaches so much and provides a brilliant lesson on how to achieve what you want out of life and how to get the most out of life. I found it life-changing and it had a big impact on me. I particularly liked advice on time management and how to plan your time daily. He provides some excellent templates to copy.One example - Covey talks of a four quadrant to-do list. He talks of how we spend so much of our time doing things because they are due tomorrow but not important. thus the important stuff gets left behind. He advises to plot your to-do list in a four quadrant table - (1) important and due soon, (2) important and due later (3) unimportant and due soon (4) unimportant and due later.
Plot everything you have to do in this order and ensure that you carry out tasks in numerical order. This means you'll always do what is important to you first!
Covey's advice can apply to everyone.
Read this book, it will change your life forever!
One of the best christmas gifts to any teenager, 16 Dec 2007
It might very well save them a lot of pain, by acting as a lighthouse
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Customer Reviews
brilliant, 03 Sep 2008
I got the book yesterdy and read it late into the night. I would never have believed that I would find a book on this subject un-putdownable! I can see so much of my mother in Dorothy's case, and I've been doing all the wrong things. This book will be my guide from now on. And what a wondeful personPenny is!
Invaluable Insight and Advice, 01 Sep 2008
I only wish I'd read this book before my friend who had dementia died earlier this year. I couldn't put it down. It is written in easily understandable terms and gives encouragement and positiveness in what is often a dark time. If you never buy another book buy this one now. It really will make a difference. I wish that every care/ nursing home would ensure that their staff would read it.
Fantastic a must have for staff and carers alike., 18 Aug 2008
[ASIN:0091901804 Contented Dementia: 24-hour Wraparound Care for Lifelong Well-being]]
I heard oliver James interviewed on You and Yours last Thursday and came straight back to the office and ordered this book from Amazon. It arrived the next day and by the end of the weekend I had read it and sent one to my father!
I work with older adults with dementia and my mother has vascular dementia. I went over to Burford several years ago to hear about SPECAL from Penny Garner, the combination of her work and Oliver Jame's clear and accessible interpretation of her ideas is a magical combination.
This is the best 'bible' for carers that I have come across a 'must have'for carers and staff alike.
A fantastic contribution to Dementia care well done to you both!
A refreshing change, 15 Aug 2008
A fantastic book with so many tips. My mum has dementia and we realise we have been doing all the wrong things. This book has given us a really positive approach to the disease. If you only read one book on dementia make sure it is this one. So much negative press about dementia but this book really opens a door to a more positive approach.
Constructive helpful advice for those assocaited with dementia, 14 Aug 2008
How do we cope... how do we respond... how do we help those we love who experience dementia? This book gives sensitive guidance on how to help those with degrees of dementia by our words and actions, to make their lives more contented. For us it's early days, for us this is the first real vehicle for constructive help.
We can't get enough , 18 Feb 2008
This book is excellent. Parents, who want lasting discipline, in the true sense of the word [teaching], look no further. As other reviewers have said, there is no quick fix. If that's what you are after, God help your kids!
As an author, I also found the techniques and suggestions easy to pick up and assimilate.
It is relevant for school, home and life in general.
We can't get enough of this kind of material.
Useful book and relevant but no masterpiece!, 20 Dec 2007
I am a mother of three boys aged 2, 4 and 5. Getting them to cooperate is sometimes such a challenge. And it is difficult to focus attention to three at a time so I often have the feeling that one will cry, no matter what I do or don't do. I bought this book because I was looking for ways to improve my communication with my elder boys (aged 4 and 5) who sometimes can seem so unreasonable and so defiant to me and their father. The book has helped me reacting differently and communicating comfort better to my children but I found it a touch too simplistic. I need not do my homework and see drawings to understand what this is all about. Examples are useful but I need not read ten very similar examples to get the message. It seemed to me that it was bit of a school text rather than a book aimed at grown up parents. Moreover, most examples focused on elder children (e.g. aged 8, 10 or older) contrary to what I expected, i.e. advice for communicating with toddlers and pre schoolers. In conclusion, I do recommend the book as a useful guide to improving communication with your children but it is certainly not the best book I have ever read on parenting.
My new bible, 29 Oct 2007
Really useful book.
I read it over and over again.
Excellent tips for keeping kids motivated and behaving well.
I have recommended this book to all my friends.
An essential book for any parent, 14 Jul 2007
This book really does what it says on the cover. The advice is relevant for all parents who want non-confrontational ways of disciplining their children. There are many examples given and old/new ways of dealing with situations. I found myself re-reading chapters as incidents arose within my home. Although changes won't occur overnight there should be improvements in a few days. As a teacher, I also found some of the techniques and suggestions relevant for school, I certainly intend to use them in future.
Changed my life literally overnight, 24 Apr 2007
A friend mentioned this book years before I had children of my own. When our first son was born my husband bought it, and then we forgot about it for a few years. Now my sons are 2 3/4 and 1 1/2, and I was having a really hard time.. the usual tantrums, food issues, fighting between the two... my older one was being sent to the naughty corner several times a day sometimes, I was shouting all day, and I felt absolutely miserable. Thought I was the worst mother in the world. Then I remembered the book, and aaaaah... never thought it possible that one book could hold "the truth". And it's such simple things you need to change, it's amazing. My son hasn't been to the naughty corner since I started reading the first chapter, we are a very happy, relaxed and calm family now, and my husband is still completely amazed that every evening I tell him "We had a good day" rather than finding me in tears. If you ever felt overwhelmed and powerless as a parent, and if you ever thought you were doing everything wrong ... READ THIS BOOK.
recommended, 31 Jul 2008
I was deeply cynical of this book at first because it sounds a bit dipsy and the actions involved make you feel more than a bit silly, esspecially sitting down to be hypnotised. But the CD is quite interesting because it does change the way you think - even though it may not make you truly confident in the conventional sense. I think what the CD does is give you access to a different persona which you can fit into...you imagine someone you know who is very confident (choose carefully because this works, bizarely) until ones true authentic self (ego) emerges and develops. After a month or so I found myself somewhat more confident esspecially in job interviews for example. And these days I feel about 100 times more confident than I was two years ago - and I do feel happy to express who I am. Can my confidence be attributed to the book? Maybe not, but then perhaps the book is the catalyst - that first push to get the ball rolling. I recommend this book because if you are truly low in confidence what have you to lose - nothing. You just need a push in the right direction. This book is that push.
McKenna standard, 26 Jul 2008
I never had a general "confidence" problems; but I had bought the McKenna book about staying thin (which was slowly but surely becoming a problem) and had enjoyed his writing style and his practical approach very much, so I bought this one too. I must say that even if the expectations were high it did not disappoint me.
It can be a useful guide, or explanation of how confidence "works", also for those people who do not have particular problems in this area; you can also use the book to revise your degree of self confidence in various areas, see for yourself that confidence really "works" as McKenna says and start working on the areas where improvement is possible.
Money well spent.
Truely amazing, 03 May 2008
This book really does work. I've read some of the negative words and all I can say is reading the book alone will not make you confident. Using the techniques and the CD provided with the book makes you confident. The second half of the book is a motivational section which really makes you want to go out and sort out your life, in every area. Buy this book.
excellent , 01 May 2008
I have been following this programme for a few months and it has subtly changed my outlook for the better.
this wont be an immediate fix, but rather the beginning of a journey.
This book is not just for under-confident people, 12 Apr 2008
Buying this book could be the best few quid you've ever spent. I purchased this out of curiosity really, not thinking I had any lack of confidence. But I now realise there's a lot more to confidence than just dealing with other people easily. Anyway, McKenna does not teach you lots of tricks to project a super-confident image to the world, like all those tedious pick-up artist guides to manipulating others. Instead, the book is a guide to feeling completely comfortable in your own skin and losing any negative habits that get in the way of being the best and most effective person you can be.
I've been really surprised by the effect carrying out the book's exercises and listening to the CD have had. I've no way of knowing whether this will work for everyone, but my experience has been I now feel calmer and more productive. This book has certainly helped me to become more confident to just get on with things in my life. I guess the will to do that was there already, but I would say anyone toying with the idea of making this purchase should give it a go - if it works for you as it has for me, you'll be laughing.
Nonsense of the highest order, 25 Aug 2008
While working for a previous company, I was sent on this course (which included reading the book). I'm sure the company meant well, but my experience of the "7 Habits of Highly Effective People", was essentially teaching people how to suck eggs.
Stephen R. Covey has made a personal fortune out of selling what most critical thinkers realise for themselves at an early age. His writings are bland and uninteresting, telling us what we already know in a language barely recognisable as English. "Synergize", "leverage", "win-win"; I'm sure you've heard them before. They are all here. Do they mean anything? In my humble opinion - not in the slightest.
Steer clear.
Stil the most influential self improvement book I've read, 16 Jul 2008
This is the one book I unfailingly recommend to others who want to be more successful in work or life in general.
I've read it several times and still find its ideas central to how I go about things in life. Hence buying it for a friend just now!
Covey makes a compelling (and welcome) case for the substance of real character over the cult of projected and perceived personality as the 'secret' to sustainable success in life.
The Key, 30 Jun 2008
Trying not to use the phrase "paradigm shift" is almost impossible when talking about this book. If you've not heard of this, then you need to get out more.
Seven Habits is a wonderful book that will change your life if you let it. Now, the key is in the title: Habits. Not whims, but habits. You have to keep at what the book talks about and while the book is geared toward those who want success, it is not geared toward happiness. Think they're the same? No. Read the book and you'll see why.
Still, this comes highly recommended from a lot of sources. Covey basically gives you a recipe for success. Having read some of the negative reviews I can only assume those people don't want success or aren't capable of concentrating their attention on the goals at hand long enough. I would also recommend "Life Strategies" by McGraw as another excellent source of inspiration.
Covey's Four Quadrant!, 10 Jan 2008
This is must-read and a book that you will want to keep on your bookshelf and re-read time and time again. Its crammed full of interesting stories, reflection and guidance on life. Seven habits of highly effective people teaches so much and provides a brilliant lesson on how to achieve what you want out of life and how to get the most out of life. I found it life-changing and it had a big impact on me. I particularly liked advice on time management and how to plan your time daily. He provides some excellent templates to copy.One example - Covey talks of a four quadrant to-do list. He talks of how we spend so much of our time doing things because they are due tomorrow but not important. thus the important stuff gets left behind. He advises to plot your to-do list in a four quadrant table - (1) important and due soon, (2) important and due later (3) unimportant and due soon (4) unimportant and due later.
Plot everything you have to do in this order and ensure that you carry out tasks in numerical order. This means you'll always do what is important to you first!
Covey's advice can apply to everyone.
Read this book, it will change your life forever!
One of the best christmas gifts to any teenager, 16 Dec 2007
It might very well save them a lot of pain, by acting as a lighthouse
It does really work!, 31 Aug 2008
I bought this book after I read all the really positive remarks by the other reviewers. If it had such a high star rating after so many reviews there must be something good about it. I had about 2.5 stone of post baby weight to lose which I haven't been able to shift since I had my little girl nearly 3 years ago. I was also eating due to being at home full time and being tired/bored. It seemed a catch 22 - I had resigned myself to being a fat frumpy mum which then led me to comfort eating.
However after reading Paul McKenna's book (which I did straight through in 2 hours) I knew I had found something that would help. Although common sense he puts it all in such a positive and supportive way it gives you the willpower to do it. I don't know how the CD works but it does. I listen to it fairly reguarly and find it very relaxing anyway, but my cravings for food and eating when I'm not hungry have totally vanished. I only want to eat when I feel hungry and I can feel when I am full now and stop. I seem to be eating half of what I use to but do not feel hungry or deny myself anything I want. In three weeks I have lost a stone and apart from the weight lose I feel so much more positive about my self image and feel more confident. After trying other diets which were a prison sentence this is fab. It completely changes your eating habits so that you can continue to eat sensibly and happily forever.
Thank you Paul Mckenna for making losing weight easy and enjoyable. Its made me much happier!!
Second time round for me, 19 Aug 2008
I bought this book a couple of months ago and was really excited by it. However, it didn't work. Looking back, I think that was due to the following:
1) I'm not exactly a heffer, and I wasn't sure it would work for someone who many people describe as thin already, (but I knew I was carrying an extra 6 - 9 pounds and still had trouble finding clothes that felt and looked good)
2) I read the book when I was away with my hubby for the weekend, and we got drunk a lot and ate out a lot, and frankly, it's hard to figure out whether you're hungry or not when you're got a hang-over
3) I was training for a triathlon, and I think I kept thinking that a few days of hard training and being careful with my food would sort it all out anyway, so I kind of wasn't committed
4) When the book spoke about emotional eating, and problems with lack of will-power, I just did not associate that with myself. I mean, I can make myself do a triathlon for goodness sake - I've got will-power. And I'm really happy, so why would I be doing emotional eating?
What finally did it for me was completing the triathlon and realizing that I was still half a stone heavier than I should be, but more importantly, just feeling miserably enslaved to food and exercise and finally realizing that the problem was partly down to me treating food like a reward. I had this massive reward thing going on. If I cycled hard for 2 hours, then I could have a bar of chocolate. Except I'd always go too far and just eat and eat and eat after a big workout, and in reality, I was getting heavier (even though a lot of the weight was muscle)
I was really unhappy about it - I felt like I was going to be trapped and feeling out of control about food for the rest of my life. I'm one of those people who would say "But I'm never full!", and I never felt like I was full. I would occasionally feel like I couldn't eat any more, but I still didn't have any real understanding of what it feels like to be full.
So anyway, after the triathlon, I kind of had this realization moment that actually, the problem must be in my head. I eat healthily, I'm really fit, I do loads of exercise, I've got loads of will power. I thought I'd give the book another go, because frankly, I quite literally couldn't think of anything else to try.
And do you know what? It has blinking well worked, and I have never felt happier about food in my whole life (well since I was about 17 and started worrying about my weight!) I've been doing it for 3-4 weeks now, and after 3 weeks I weighed myself, and yes, I've finally started to shift those last pounds (but I knew that anyway, because I could see my body shape changing). The feeling of control is just so amazing. I still can't accept after years and years of deprivation and struggle that I might actually get to be one of those women that I used to look at enviously in the street - the ones who can wear the clothes that are in fashion because they don't have to worry about their thunder thighs. But I'm not counting the days - I'm not waiting for it to be over. I want to carry on eating like this. It's easy. It's fun. It's liberating. It's just so great to cook what I want, and eat what I want, and not to be feeling jealous and inadequate.
But you know - the water thing is a very big point. I have realized that I must always have been massively dehydrated and mistaking thirst for hunger, because I am drinking constantly now. But instead of it being a chore like it used to be - I mean, how unappetizing is a glass of water when you think you're hungry? - now I look forward to it, because I know it will make me feel better. I think the secret is not to get too thirsty, because if you do, it becomes very hard to work out whether you're hungry or not, but if you keep yourself really hydrated, not only does it make you feel healthier, it's really easy not to eat until you're properly hungry.
It feels like my little powerful secret that I'm carrying around with me - the secret of all those "lucky" thin people. I look at some lovely treat and think - I'll eat you when I'm hungry. And when I am, I do. Happy Days. I'll report back in a month or so.
I can make you thin Paul McKenna, 12 Aug 2008
Excellent book I have been using this for over 2 months now and have lost over one and half stone. You can eat what you want and still lose weight as long as you are hungry. It just seem to click with me and it has changed my eating pattern for good.
Pure pleasure for all, 15 Jul 2008
Most of the book is really common sense NLP and other cognitive techniques. The best thing about it is, that it is really simple and truly liberating if you often find yourself exasperated with all the advice thrown at you from all corners. And have a bad memory. The first rule of four is to eat Everything you like, at all times, anywhere IF YOU ARE HUNGRY. And only if.And ENJOY EVERY BITE. So the real focus is learning to sense your inner signals. Learning to slow down, and really taste. Do you just want to change your mood? Then don't eat. Do something else..And adress your underlying motivations. Typically "I'm a failure etc., I won't stick to this" and other cruel selfdiminishing inner dialogues".
I know more than enough about nutrition, and would like to add my own mantra "Is this really nurishing?""Is it really delicious?" (or just lo-cal-carb-bardboard-trash)
As my tastebuds are whimsical the best place to live with this attitude would be in an enormous global delicatessen, but as I don't I just use my mental tastbuds when I buy stuff.
Paul does not mention vitamins etc. I would really advice you to get a test on your levels. My B and D-vitamins was extremely low at my doctors in april 08. and I had 2 bouts of pneumonia. Now I'm happier and much more strong. This advice is targeted at all you with low self esteem, low mood and a tendency to emotional overeating. ENJOY.
Worth suspending disbelief, 09 Jul 2008
This book is aimed mostly at fat women who feel disgusted with their bodies, and have serious problems with self-esteem. I am a 64-yr-old man who was never overweight until I gave up smoking, and to be honest I could care less about my appearance. I'm as active and fit as one can be when they're 3 stone overweight. However, there's no doubt that the extra weight affects my energy.
I never would have bothered with Paul McKenna's book had he not been interviewed by James Delingpole, a reasonably hard-headed journalist who reckoned that he's the real deal. Much to my surprise, I've lost 7 pounds in a fortnight--and I haven't even listened to the CD yet. Mostly, it's about chewing your food thoroughly, and learning to avoid 'comfort eating'. It really is effortless. I've dieted before, and to be honest I'd rather be fat than tolerate the endless cravings. Underneath all the blather about NLP (neuro-linguistc programming), there's a lot of solid sense in McKenna's book. There's a lot to be said for good snake-oil salesmen.
Update, 10 Aug 08--Still haven't listened to the CD, but it's still working. Six weeks on, I've lost a total of a stone. This is despite the occasional relapse; I'm often so busy that I haven't got time to eat, and when I do, I'm so hungry that I bolt the first few bites without thinking. But I soon slow down. Amazingly enough, my diet is very high in fat and salt, yet my blood pressure (previously high) is normal.
In retrospect, I am amazed that I had been eating so much when I wasn't really hungry. In my case, it's mostly due to my youth, when I had an extraordinarily high metabolism and often did heavy manual labour, and I was really hungry a lot of the time. I learned to gobble everything in sight, and it became a reflex action.
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Customer Reviews
brilliant, 03 Sep 2008
I got the book yesterdy and read it late into the night. I would never have believed that I would find a book on this subject un-putdownable! I can see so much of my mother in Dorothy's case, and I've been doing all the wrong things. This book will be my guide from now on. And what a wondeful personPenny is!
Invaluable Insight and Advice, 01 Sep 2008
I only wish I'd read this book before my friend who had dementia died earlier this year. I couldn't put it down. It is written in easily understandable terms and gives encouragement and positiveness in what is often a dark time. If you never buy another book buy this one now. It really will make a difference. I wish that every care/ nursing home would ensure that their staff would read it.
Fantastic a must have for staff and carers alike., 18 Aug 2008
[ASIN:0091901804 Contented Dementia: 24-hour Wraparound Care for Lifelong Well-being]]
I heard oliver James interviewed on You and Yours last Thursday and came straight back to the office and ordered this book from Amazon. It arrived the next day and by the end of the weekend I had read it and sent one to my father!
I work with older adults with dementia and my mother has vascular dementia. I went over to Burford several years ago to hear about SPECAL from Penny Garner, the combination of her work and Oliver Jame's clear and accessible interpretation of her ideas is a magical combination.
This is the best 'bible' for carers that I have come across a 'must have'for carers and staff alike.
A fantastic contribution to Dementia care well done to you both!
A refreshing change, 15 Aug 2008
A fantastic book with so many tips. My mum has dementia and we realise we have been doing all the wrong things. This book has given us a really positive approach to the disease. If you only read one book on dementia make sure it is this one. So much negative press about dementia but this book really opens a door to a more positive approach.
Constructive helpful advice for those assocaited with dementia, 14 Aug 2008
How do we cope... how do we respond... how do we help those we love who experience dementia? This book gives sensitive guidance on how to help those with degrees of dementia by our words and actions, to make their lives more contented. For us it's early days, for us this is the first real vehicle for constructive help.
We can't get enough , 18 Feb 2008
This book is excellent. Parents, who want lasting discipline, in the true sense of the word [teaching], look no further. As other reviewers have said, there is no quick fix. If that's what you are after, God help your kids!
As an author, I also found the techniques and suggestions easy to pick up and assimilate.
It is relevant for school, home and life in general.
We can't get enough of this kind of material.
Useful book and relevant but no masterpiece!, 20 Dec 2007
I am a mother of three boys aged 2, 4 and 5. Getting them to cooperate is sometimes such a challenge. And it is difficult to focus attention to three at a time so I often have the feeling that one will cry, no matter what I do or don't do. I bought this book because I was looking for ways to improve my communication with my elder boys (aged 4 and 5) who sometimes can seem so unreasonable and so defiant to me and their father. The book has helped me reacting differently and communicating comfort better to my children but I found it a touch too simplistic. I need not do my homework and see drawings to understand what this is all about. Examples are useful but I need not read ten very similar examples to get the message. It seemed to me that it was bit of a school text rather than a book aimed at grown up parents. Moreover, most examples focused on elder children (e.g. aged 8, 10 or older) contrary to what I expected, i.e. advice for communicating with toddlers and pre schoolers. In conclusion, I do recommend the book as a useful guide to improving communication with your children but it is certainly not the best book I have ever read on parenting.
My new bible, 29 Oct 2007
Really useful book.
I read it over and over again.
Excellent tips for keeping kids motivated and behaving well.
I have recommended this book to all my friends.
An essential book for any parent, 14 Jul 2007
This book really does what it says on the cover. The advice is relevant for all parents who want non-confrontational ways of disciplining their children. There are many examples given and old/new ways of dealing with situations. I found myself re-reading chapters as incidents arose within my home. Although changes won't occur overnight there should be improvements in a few days. As a teacher, I also found some of the techniques and suggestions relevant for school, I certainly intend to use them in future.
Changed my life literally overnight, 24 Apr 2007
A friend mentioned this book years before I had children of my own. When our first son was born my husband bought it, and then we forgot about it for a few years. Now my sons are 2 3/4 and 1 1/2, and I was having a really hard time.. the usual tantrums, food issues, fighting between the two... my older one was being sent to the naughty corner several times a day sometimes, I was shouting all day, and I felt absolutely miserable. Thought I was the worst mother in the world. Then I remembered the book, and aaaaah... never thought it possible that one book could hold "the truth". And it's such simple things you need to change, it's amazing. My son hasn't been to the naughty corner since I started reading the first chapter, we are a very happy, relaxed and calm family now, and my husband is still completely amazed that every evening I tell him "We had a good day" rather than finding me in tears. If you ever felt overwhelmed and powerless as a parent, and if you ever thought you were doing everything wrong ... READ THIS BOOK.
recommended, 31 Jul 2008
I was deeply cynical of this book at first because it sounds a bit dipsy and the actions involved make you feel more than a bit silly, esspecially sitting down to be hypnotised. But the CD is quite interesting because it does change the way you think - even though it may not make you truly confident in the conventional sense. I think what the CD does is give you access to a different persona which you can fit into...you imagine someone you know who is very confident (choose carefully because this works, bizarely) until ones true authentic self (ego) emerges and develops. After a month or so I found myself somewhat more confident esspecially in job interviews for example. And these days I feel about 100 times more confident than I was two years ago - and I do feel happy to express who I am. Can my confidence be attributed to the book? Maybe not, but then perhaps the book is the catalyst - that first push to get the ball rolling. I recommend this book because if you are truly low in confidence what have you to lose - nothing. You just need a push in the right direction. This book is that push.
McKenna standard, 26 Jul 2008
I never had a general "confidence" problems; but I had bought the McKenna book about staying thin (which was slowly but surely becoming a problem) and had enjoyed his writing style and his practical approach very much, so I bought this one too. I must say that even if the expectations were high it did not disappoint me.
It can be a useful guide, or explanation of how confidence "works", also for those people who do not have particular problems in this area; you can also use the book to revise your degree of self confidence in various areas, see for yourself that confidence really "works" as McKenna says and start working on the areas where improvement is possible.
Money well spent.
Truely amazing, 03 May 2008
This book really does work. I've read some of the negative words and all I can say is reading the book alone will not make you confident. Using the techniques and the CD provided with the book makes you confident. The second half of the book is a motivational section which really makes you want to go out and sort out your life, in every area. Buy this book.
excellent , 01 May 2008
I have been following this programme for a few months and it has subtly changed my outlook for the better.
this wont be an immediate fix, but rather the beginning of a journey.
This book is not just for under-confident people, 12 Apr 2008
Buying this book could be the best few quid you've ever spent. I purchased this out of curiosity really, not thinking I had any lack of confidence. But I now realise there's a lot more to confidence than just dealing with other people easily. Anyway, McKenna does not teach you lots of tricks to project a super-confident image to the world, like all those tedious pick-up artist guides to manipulating others. Instead, the book is a guide to feeling completely comfortable in your own skin and losing any negative habits that get in the way of being the best and most effective person you can be.
I've been really surprised by the effect carrying out the book's exercises and listening to the CD have had. I've no way of knowing whether this will work for everyone, but my experience has been I now feel calmer and more productive. This book has certainly helped me to become more confident to just get on with things in my life. I guess the will to do that was there already, but I would say anyone toying with the idea of making this purchase should give it a go - if it works for you as it has for me, you'll be laughing.
Nonsense of the highest order, 25 Aug 2008
While working for a previous company, I was sent on this course (which included reading the book). I'm sure the company meant well, but my experience of the "7 Habits of Highly Effective People", was essentially teaching people how to suck eggs.
Stephen R. Covey has made a personal fortune out of selling what most critical thinkers realise for themselves at an early age. His writings are bland and uninteresting, telling us what we already know in a language barely recognisable as English. "Synergize", "leverage", "win-win"; I'm sure you've heard them before. They are all here. Do they mean anything? In my humble opinion - not in the slightest.
Steer clear.
Stil the most influential self improvement book I've read, 16 Jul 2008
This is the one book I unfailingly recommend to others who want to be more successful in work or life in general.
I've read it several times and still find its ideas central to how I go about things in life. Hence buying it for a friend just now!
Covey makes a compelling (and welcome) case for the substance of real character over the cult of projected and perceived personality as the 'secret' to sustainable success in life.
The Key, 30 Jun 2008
Trying not to use the phrase "paradigm shift" is almost impossible when talking about this book. If you've not heard of this, then you need to get out more.
Seven Habits is a wonderful book that will change your life if you let it. Now, the key is in the title: Habits. Not whims, but habits. You have to keep at what the book talks about and while the book is geared toward those who want success, it is not geared toward happiness. Think they're the same? No. Read the book and you'll see why.
Still, this comes highly recommended from a lot of sources. Covey basically gives you a recipe for success. Having read some of the negative reviews I can only assume those people don't want success or aren't capable of concentrating their attention on the goals at hand long enough. I would also recommend "Life Strategies" by McGraw as another excellent source of inspiration.
Covey's Four Quadrant!, 10 Jan 2008
This is must-read and a book that you will want to keep on your bookshelf and re-read time and time again. Its crammed full of interesting stories, reflection and guidance on life. Seven habits of highly effective people teaches so much and provides a brilliant lesson on how to achieve what you want out of life and how to get the most out of life. I found it life-changing and it had a big impact on me. I particularly liked advice on time management and how to plan your time daily. He provides some excellent templates to copy.One example - Covey talks of a four quadrant to-do list. He talks of how we spend so much of our time doing things because they are due tomorrow but not important. thus the important stuff gets left behind. He advises to plot your to-do list in a four quadrant table - (1) important and due soon, (2) important and due later (3) unimportant and due soon (4) unimportant and due later.
Plot everything you have to do in this order and ensure that you carry out tasks in numerical order. This means you'll always do what is important to you first!
Covey's advice can apply to everyone.
Read this book, it will change your life forever!
One of the best christmas gifts to any teenager, 16 Dec 2007
It might very well save them a lot of pain, by acting as a lighthouse
It does really work!, 31 Aug 2008
I bought this book after I read all the really positive remarks by the other reviewers. If it had such a high star rating after so many reviews there must be something good about it. I had about 2.5 stone of post baby weight to lose which I haven't been able to shift since I had my little girl nearly 3 years ago. I was also eating due to being at home full time and being tired/bored. It seemed a catch 22 - I had resigned myself to being a fat frumpy mum which then led me to comfort eating.
However after reading Paul McKenna's book (which I did straight through in 2 hours) I knew I had found something that would help. Although common sense he puts it all in such a positive and supportive way it gives you the willpower to do it. I don't know how the CD works but it does. I listen to it fairly reguarly and find it very relaxing anyway, but my cravings for food and eating when I'm not hungry have totally vanished. I only want to eat when I feel hungry and I can feel when I am full now and stop. I seem to be eating half of what I use to but do not feel hungry or deny myself anything I want. In three weeks I have lost a stone and apart from the weight lose I feel so much more positive about my self image and feel more confident. After trying other diets which were a prison sentence this is fab. It completely changes your eating habits so that you can continue to eat sensibly and happily forever.
Thank you Paul Mckenna for making losing weight easy and enjoyable. Its made me much happier!!
Second time round for me, 19 Aug 2008
I bought this book a couple of months ago and was really excited by it. However, it didn't work. Looking back, I think that was due to the following:
1) I'm not exactly a heffer, and I wasn't sure it would work for someone who many people describe as thin already, (but I knew I was carrying an extra 6 - 9 pounds and still had trouble finding clothes that felt and looked good)
2) I read the book when I was away with my hubby for the weekend, and we got drunk a lot and ate out a lot, and frankly, it's hard to figure out whether you're hungry or not when you're got a hang-over
3) I was training for a triathlon, and I think I kept thinking that a few days of hard training and being careful with my food would sort it all out anyway, so I kind of wasn't committed
4) When the book spoke about emotional eating, and problems with lack of will-power, I just did not associate that with myself. I mean, I can make myself do a triathlon for goodness sake - I've got will-power. And I'm really happy, so why would I be doing emotional eating?
What finally did it for me was completing the triathlon and realizing that I was still half a stone heavier than I should be, but more importantly, just feeling miserably enslaved to food and exercise and finally realizing that the problem was partly down to me treating food like a reward. I had this massive reward thing going on. If I cycled hard for 2 hours, then I could have a bar of chocolate. Except I'd always go too far and just eat and eat and eat after a big workout, and in reality, I was getting heavier (even though a lot of the weight was muscle)
I was really unhappy about it - I felt like I was going to be trapped and feeling out of control about food for the rest of my life. I'm one of those people who would say "But I'm never full!", and I never felt like I was full. I would occasionally feel like I couldn't eat any more, but I still didn't have any real understanding of what it feels like to be full.
So anyway, after the triathlon, I kind of had this realization moment that actually, the problem must be in my head. I eat healthily, I'm really fit, I do loads of exercise, I've got loads of will power. I thought I'd give the book another go, because frankly, I quite literally couldn't think of anything else to try.
And do you know what? It has blinking well worked, and I have never felt happier about food in my whole life (well since I was about 17 and started worrying about my weight!) I've been doing it for 3-4 weeks now, and after 3 weeks I weighed myself, and yes, I've finally started to shift those last pounds (but I knew that anyway, because I could see my body shape changing). The feeling of control is just so amazing. I still can't accept after years and years of deprivation and struggle that I might actually get to be one of those women that I used to look at enviously in the street - the ones who can wear the clothes that are in fashion because they don't have to worry about their thunder thighs. But I'm not counting the days - I'm not waiting for it to be over. I want to carry on eating like this. It's easy. It's fun. It's liberating. It's just so great to cook what I want, and eat what I want, and not to be feeling jealous and inadequate.
But you know - the water thing is a very big point. I have realized that I must always have been massively dehydrated and mistaking thirst for hunger, because I am drinking constantly now. But instead of it being a chore like it used to be - I mean, how unappetizing is a glass of water when you think you're hungry? - now I look forward to it, because I know it will make me feel better. I think the secret is not to get too thirsty, because if you do, it becomes very hard to work out whether you're hungry or not, but if you keep yourself really hydrated, not only does it make you feel healthier, it's really easy not to eat until you're properly hungry.
It feels like my little powerful secret that I'm carrying around with me - the secret of all those "lucky" thin people. I look at some lovely treat and think - I'll eat you when I'm hungry. And when I am, I do. Happy Days. I'll report back in a month or so.
I can make you thin Paul McKenna, 12 Aug 2008
Excellent book I have been using this for over 2 months now and have lost over one and half stone. You can eat what you want and still lose weight as long as you are hungry. It just seem to click with me and it has changed my eating pattern for good.
Pure pleasure for all, 15 Jul 2008
Most of the book is really common sense NLP and other cognitive techniques. The best thing about it is, that it is really simple and truly liberating if you often find yourself exasperated with all the advice thrown at you from all corners. And have a bad memory. The first rule of four is to eat Everything you like, at all times, anywhere IF YOU ARE HUNGRY. And only if.And ENJOY EVERY BITE. So the real focus is learning to sense your inner signals. Learning to slow down, and really taste. Do you just want to change your mood? Then don't eat. Do something else..And adress your underlying motivations. Typically "I'm a failure etc., I won't stick to this" and other cruel selfdiminishing inner dialogues".
I know more than enough about nutrition, and would like to add my own mantra "Is this really nurishing?""Is it really delicious?" (or just lo-cal-carb-bardboard-trash)
As my tastebuds are whimsical the best place to live with this attitude would be in an enormous global delicatessen, but as I don't I just use my mental tastbuds when I buy stuff.
Paul does not mention vitamins etc. I would really advice you to get a test on your levels. My B and D-vitamins was extremely low at my doctors in april 08. and I had 2 bouts of pneumonia. Now I'm happier and much more strong. This advice is targeted at all you with low self esteem, low mood and a tendency to emotional overeating. ENJOY.
Worth suspending disbelief, 09 Jul 2008
This book is aimed mostly at fat women who feel disgusted with their bodies, and have serious problems with self-esteem. I am a 64-yr-old man who was never overweight until I gave up smoking, and to be honest I could care less about my appearance. I'm as active and fit as one can be when they're 3 stone overweight. However, there's no doubt that the extra weight affects my energy.
I never would have bothered with Paul McKenna's book had he not been interviewed by James Delingpole, a reasonably hard-headed journalist who reckoned that he's the real deal. Much to my surprise, I've lost 7 pounds in a fortnight--and I haven't even listened to the CD yet. Mostly, it's about chewing your food thoroughly, and learning to avoid 'comfort eating'. It really is effortless. I've dieted before, and to be honest I'd rather be fat than tolerate the endless cravings. Underneath all the blather about NLP (neuro-linguistc programming), there's a lot of solid sense in McKenna's book. There's a lot to be said for good snake-oil salesmen.
Update, 10 Aug 08--Still haven't listened to the CD, but it's still working. Six weeks on, I've lost a total of a stone. This is despite the occasional relapse; I'm often so busy that I haven't got time to eat, and when I do, I'm so hungry that I bolt the first few bites without thinking. But I soon slow down. Amazingly enough, my diet is very high in fat and salt, yet my blood pressure (previously high) is normal.
In retrospect, I am amazed that I had been eating so much when I wasn't really hungry. In my case, it's mostly due to my youth, when I had an extraordinarily high metabolism and often did heavy manual labour, and I was really hungry a lot of the time. I learned to gobble everything in sight, and it became a reflex action.
A Timeless Classic with Principles that still apply today!, 23 Aug 2008
Although originally written several decades ago, Carnegie's masterpiece about human relationships is still timeless classic with principles that still apply today. Carnegie crafts a classic on how to create strong and lasting relationships with others through listening, understanding, and emphasizing. He argues convincingly that the way to win friends and influence people is to make others feel important. Simple, but extremely powerful concepts!
The Re-Discovery of Common Sense: A Guide To: The Lost Art of Critical Thinking
Mixed Feelings, 31 Jul 2008
This is a good book, no doubt about it. It was written a long time ago, but much of the advice contained within its pages is timeless and pertinent no matter what era we live in.
There is some advice in this book, though, that is a little dated. I feel just some of the tips for dealing with people would not work out the same way in today's world with current attitudes.
How To Win Friends And Influence People is definitely worth reading, but I think the reader really needs to analyze all the advice and adjust and tweak things a little to be useful in today's society.
Overall an excellent book.
How To Keep Your Man: And Keep Him For Good
Real Life Dramas - Volume One: 1
Darren G. Burton
One of the best books I read, 20 Jun 2008
I heard of this book few years ago and did mistake by not purchasing then.
This book is easy to understand and follow. Not preaching or teaching; just simple examples to get point across.
How reading a single book can change your life!, 04 Jun 2008
It's true, when I was 16 years old I (like many others I have now found out since then) read my first book about business. I was drawn to it in a small, old fashioned book shop that's no longer in business. At the time I didn't really know any entrepreneurs or people that ran their own business and I had no mentor to point me in the right direction. The book simply "spoke" to me and I grabbed it and bought it.
Weird stuff. Especially as at the time I was a quiet, shy sort of a guy but in my heart I had a burning ambition - I just didn't realise it yet!
The books name was "How to Win Friends and Influence People" - You must have heard of it I am sure but I hadn't at the time and I would say that `personal development' was not the juggernaut it is today.
It changed my life (for the better) - it gave me confidence in general and more importantly it lit a small flame to start my own business that grew and grew until I did just that two years later at 18 years old.
So what you may say, plenty of people have done that! Well it was quite a shift for me, my father only ever worked for 2 companies his whole life and I was expected to go into a life long job myself in biotechnology or something similar - certainly not to waste my `brains' on cleaning offices and cars!!
The book made me change me outlook on life completely - it made me `think' that I could do anything I put my mind to doing and it also gave the courage to get over my shyness at key moments in my life.
It was the start of life long reading habit (before that I couldn't be bothered with reading and we had very few books in my house as a kid) - even to this day 20+ years later I still go and get a few books on a topic if I want to learn something new.
Also, I have adopted the strength to face all my fears `head-on' since then - when i felt anxious about public speaking I got a few books and tapes and learnt until I was pretty good at it, the same for selling, marketing, finance, hr, technology, programming, manufacturing, teaching, training and on and on.
I became curious about other people and looked for the `good' in them and I feared nothing and no-one. I strived for my goals and I achieved them all.
I am trying to illustrate the power of the written word along with a great (if a little dated) book. Also, I want to reiterate the power of personal development as a whole. Today many run down the idea of personal development and it's many offspring.
Personal development is just like this book - you should read and learn and then apply the principles that you believe in to your life.
You must take action on the one's you believe in and you must apply your own moral standards and integrity to anything you learn from others.
For my part I have read this book many times and bought a few copies as well as the tapes, now CDs, it's time for a refresher for me and i urge you to listen to them if you haven't already.
So obvious :-), 01 May 2008
After having read this book my only thought was "of course" ... Why didn't I think of this before.
The book is actually common sense - but we might all need a reminder.
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Customer Reviews
brilliant, 03 Sep 2008
I got the book yesterdy and read it late into the night. I would never have believed that I would find a book on this subject un-putdownable! I can see so much of my mother in Dorothy's case, and I've been doing all the wrong things. This book will be my guide from now on. And what a wondeful personPenny is!
Invaluable Insight and Advice, 01 Sep 2008
I only wish I'd read this book before my friend who had dementia died earlier this year. I couldn't put it down. It is written in easily understandable terms and gives encouragement and positiveness in what is often a dark time. If you never buy another book buy this one now. It really will make a difference. I wish that every care/ nursing home would ensure that their staff would read it.
Fantastic a must have for staff and carers alike., 18 Aug 2008
[ASIN:0091901804 Contented Dementia: 24-hour Wraparound Care for Lifelong Well-being]]
I heard oliver James interviewed on You and Yours last Thursday and came straight back to the office and ordered this book from Amazon. It arrived the next day and by the end of the weekend I had read it and sent one to my father!
I work with older adults with dementia and my mother has vascular dementia. I went over to Burford several years ago to hear about SPECAL from Penny Garner, the combination of her work and Oliver Jame's clear and accessible interpretation of her ideas is a magical combination.
This is the best 'bible' for carers that I have come across a 'must have'for carers and staff alike.
A fantastic contribution to Dementia care well done to you both!
A refreshing change, 15 Aug 2008
A fantastic book with so many tips. My mum has dementia and we realise we have been doing all the wrong things. This book has given us a really positive approach to the disease. If you only read one book on dementia make sure it is this one. So much negative press about dementia but this book really opens a door to a more positive approach.
Constructive helpful advice for those assocaited with dementia, 14 Aug 2008
How do we cope... how do we respond... how do we help those we love who experience dementia? This book gives sensitive guidance on how to help those with degrees of dementia by our words and actions, to make their lives more contented. For us it's early days, for us this is the first real vehicle for constructive help.
We can't get enough , 18 Feb 2008
This book is excellent. Parents, who want lasting discipline, in the true sense of the word [teaching], look no further. As other reviewers have said, there is no quick fix. If that's what you are after, God help your kids!
As an author, I also found the techniques and suggestions easy to pick up and assimilate.
It is relevant for school, home and life in general.
We can't get enough of this kind of material.
Useful book and relevant but no masterpiece!, 20 Dec 2007
I am a mother of three boys aged 2, 4 and 5. Getting them to cooperate is sometimes such a challenge. And it is difficult to focus attention to three at a time so I often have the feeling that one will cry, no matter what I do or don't do. I bought this book because I was looking for ways to improve my communication with my elder boys (aged 4 and 5) who sometimes can seem so unreasonable and so defiant to me and their father. The book has helped me reacting differently and communicating comfort better to my children but I found it a touch too simplistic. I need not do my homework and see drawings to understand what this is all about. Examples are useful but I need not read ten very similar examples to get the message. It seemed to me that it was bit of a school text rather than a book aimed at grown up parents. Moreover, most examples focused on elder children (e.g. aged 8, 10 or older) contrary to what I expected, i.e. advice for communicating with toddlers and pre schoolers. In conclusion, I do recommend the book as a useful guide to improving communication with your children but it is certainly not the best book I have ever read on parenting.
My new bible, 29 Oct 2007
Really useful book.
I read it over and over again.
Excellent tips for keeping kids motivated and behaving well.
I have recommended this book to all my friends.
An essential book for any parent, 14 Jul 2007
This book really does what it says on the cover. The advice is relevant for all parents who want non-confrontational ways of disciplining their children. There are many examples given and old/new ways of dealing with situations. I found myself re-reading chapters as incidents arose within my home. Although changes won't occur overnight there should be improvements in a few days. As a teacher, I also found some of the techniques and suggestions relevant for school, I certainly intend to use them in future.
Changed my life literally overnight, 24 Apr 2007
A friend mentioned this book years before I had children of my own. When our first son was born my husband bought it, and then we forgot about it for a few years. Now my sons are 2 3/4 and 1 1/2, and I was having a really hard time.. the usual tantrums, food issues, fighting between the two... my older one was being sent to the naughty corner several times a day sometimes, I was shouting all day, and I felt absolutely miserable. Thought I was the worst mother in the world. Then I remembered the book, and aaaaah... never thought it possible that one book could hold "the truth". And it's such simple things you need to change, it's amazing. My son hasn't been to the naughty corner since I started reading the first chapter, we are a very happy, relaxed and calm family now, and my husband is still completely amazed that every evening I tell him "We had a good day" rather than finding me in tears. If you ever felt overwhelmed and powerless as a parent, and if you ever thought you were doing everything wrong ... READ THIS BOOK.
recommended, 31 Jul 2008
I was deeply cynical of this book at first because it sounds a bit dipsy and the actions involved make you feel more than a bit silly, esspecially sitting down to be hypnotised. But the CD is quite interesting because it does change the way you think - even though it may not make you truly confident in the conventional sense. I think what the CD does is give you access to a different persona which you can fit into...you imagine someone you know who is very confident (choose carefully because this works, bizarely) until ones true authentic self (ego) emerges and develops. After a month or so I found myself somewhat more confident esspecially in job interviews for example. And these days I feel about 100 times more confident than I was two years ago - and I do feel happy to express who I am. Can my confidence be attributed to the book? Maybe not, but then perhaps the book is the catalyst - that first push to get the ball rolling. I recommend this book because if you are truly low in confidence what have you to lose - nothing. You just need a push in the right direction. This book is that push.
McKenna standard, 26 Jul 2008
I never had a general "confidence" problems; but I had bought the McKenna book about staying thin (which was slowly but surely becoming a problem) and had enjoyed his writing style and his practical approach very much, so I bought this one too. I must say that even if the expectations were high it did not disappoint me.
It can be a useful guide, or explanation of how confidence "works", also for those people who do not have particular problems in this area; you can also use the book to revise your degree of self confidence in various areas, see for yourself that confidence really "works" as McKenna says and start working on the areas where improvement is possible.
Money well spent.
Truely amazing, 03 May 2008
This book really does work. I've read some of the negative words and all I can say is reading the book alone will not make you confident. Using the techniques and the CD provided with the book makes you confident. The second half of the book is a motivational section which really makes you want to go out and sort out your life, in every area. Buy this book.
excellent , 01 May 2008
I have been following this programme for a few months and it has subtly changed my outlook for the better.
this wont be an immediate fix, but rather the beginning of a journey.
This book is not just for under-confident people, 12 Apr 2008
Buying this book could be the best few quid you've ever spent. I purchased this out of curiosity really, not thinking I had any lack of confidence. But I now realise there's a lot more to confidence than just dealing with other people easily. Anyway, McKenna does not teach you lots of tricks to project a super-confident image to the world, like all those tedious pick-up artist guides to manipulating others. Instead, the book is a guide to feeling completely comfortable in your own skin and losing any negative habits that get in the way of being the best and most effective person you can be.
I've been really surprised by the effect carrying out the book's exercises and listening to the CD have had. I've no way of knowing whether this will work for everyone, but my experience has been I now feel calmer and more productive. This book has certainly helped me to become more confident to just get on with things in my life. I guess the will to do that was there already, but I would say anyone toying with the idea of making this purchase should give it a go - if it works for you as it has for me, you'll be laughing.
Nonsense of the highest order, 25 Aug 2008
While working for a previous company, I was sent on this course (which included reading the book). I'm sure the company meant well, but my experience of the "7 Habits of Highly Effective People", was essentially teaching people how to suck eggs.
Stephen R. Covey has made a personal fortune out of selling what most critical thinkers realise for themselves at an early age. His writings are bland and uninteresting, telling us what we already know in a language barely recognisable as English. "Synergize", "leverage", "win-win"; I'm sure you've heard them before. They are all here. Do they mean anything? In my humble opinion - not in the slightest.
Steer clear.
Stil the most influential self improvement book I've read, 16 Jul 2008
This is the one book I unfailingly recommend to others who want to be more successful in work or life in general.
I've read it several times and still find its ideas central to how I go about things in life. Hence buying it for a friend just now!
Covey makes a compelling (and welcome) case for the substance of real character over the cult of projected and perceived personality as the 'secret' to sustainable success in life.
The Key, 30 Jun 2008
Trying not to use the phrase "paradigm shift" is almost impossible when talking about this book. If you've not heard of this, then you need to get out more.
Seven Habits is a wonderful book that will change your life if you let it. Now, the key is in the title: Habits. Not whims, but habits. You have to keep at w | | |