Slowing Down to the Speed of Life: How To Create A More Peaceful, Simpler Life From the Inside Out

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Summary: most helpful self-help book I ever read
Review: After months of therapy, Prozac, and reading self-help books, I read this one. WOW. I finally understood what the other books were about. This book made it all clear to me at last- how to quiet my mind and be present in the moment! My life was transformed by this incredible book! For the first time in my adult life I know HOW to relax.I do not exagerate when I say that if everyone read this book, the world would be a very different place.

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Summary: Great book with misleading title! Many uses.
Review: An excellent book with very practical resources for taking charge of your own life. The title is a bit misleading in that the principles discussed can be applied to many problem areas, e.g., depression, anger, communication, relationships, not just stress or anxiety as the title implies. Another odd thing about the book is that the principles described are, for the most part, lifted straight out of Buddhist teachings, but the words Buddha or Buddhism are never mentioned, nor is much other specific information as to the "school" or "philosophy" of the book's ideas. So, if you'd like to learn about the psychology/philosophy of Buddhism without wading through the dogma, rituals, and other religious trappings, this book is a wonderful and practical place to start!

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Summary: This is the self help book to put all others out of print!
Review: As a single parent with a demanding career and three active (athletic & academic) teen children I've taken stress to an art form. This is the first "how to de-stress" book that provides the solution to stress without suggesting that you move to the mountains of West Virginia and live on roots and berries. This book has truly allowed me to continue to live life at the 150% level and love every minute of it. The secret: live in the moment not the past or the future. Sound simple? The amazing secret is that it is simple -- and it works. It's really true that this very moment is called "the present" because it truly is a gift. So ENJOY!.

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Summary: Too repetitive...needs more practical advice
Review: Do not be mislead by the title. If you are looking for tactics you can use to simplfy your live, you will not find these here. This book talks more to what is happening in you mind. The author contends that we think about things in one of two ways. We either analyze a situation or thought to death or we let the thought come and go. It is when we allow free flow thinking to guide us that we feel less rushed and more in control thus living a simpler life. The ideas in this book make a great deal of sense. However, after reading about three-quarters of the way through, you want solutions to the situations. You want to know what you can do to get into the free flow. There is a lot of theoretical stuff here that gets repeatred time and again, but very little practical advice about how to get to the desired place.

Rating:
Summary: Too repetitive...needs more practical advice
Review: Do not be mislead by the title. If you are looking for tactics you can use to simplfy your live, you will not find these here. This book talks more to what is happening in you mind. The author contends that we think about things in one of two ways. We either analyze a situation or thought to death or we let the thought come and go. It is when we allow free flow thinking to guide us that we feel less rushed and more in control thus living a simpler life. The ideas in this book make a great deal of sense. However, after reading about three-quarters of the way through, you want solutions to the situations. You want to know what you can do to get into the free flow. There is a lot of theoretical stuff here that gets repeatred time and again, but very little practical advice about how to get to the desired place.

Rating:
Summary: This is the self help book to put all others out of print!
Review: Everyone should read this book. This will help everyone to live a better life. It is easy to understand as his explanation is quite thorough. The title could be a lot better, although you will be experiencing a certain calmness and peace when you become "aware" of the message given here. It will certainly be a blessing in your life.

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Summary: This is one of the best self help books I've read in a while
Review: Everyone should read this book. This will help everyone to live a better life. It is easy to understand as his explanation is quite thorough. The title could be a lot better, although you will be experiencing a certain calmness and peace when you become "aware" of the message given here. It will certainly be a blessing in your life.

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Summary: This is zen, right?
Review: I see so many parallels in this book with Zen quotes that I can't help but think this is what Zen is all about. Basically, the authors teach, "Your thoughts are not you!" They say that your sense of being is usually made up of the thoughts you have, and that your feelings and emotions are preceded and created by your thoughts, so nip all your destructive thoughts, and there you have your true self, which they call "the healthy psychological functioning." This "healthy psychological functioning" must be what Zen master Rinzai called "true man" in one of his sermons, where he proclaimed, "On your lump of red flesh is a true man without rank who is always going in and out of the face of every one of you. Those who have not yet experienced him-look! look!" The authors not only provide great analysis on the workings of the mind but also teach a simple but practical way of seeing for yourself the difference between "analytical, past-bound mode" and "non-analytical, free-flowing, present mode." It's interesting the authors seem to be conveying without religious connotations what Buddha taught more than two millenia ago.

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Summary: Easy to read and apply! Filled with "Aha"s!
Review: This book is a must-read for all! The authors provide clear, easy to understand examples and processes for "slowing down to the speed of life" - reducing stress, experiencing more enjoyment, eliminating procrastination - simply getting more out of every moment! This is a book you will be tempted to pass around to the people in your life you really care about!

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Summary: This is zen, right?
Review: This book just plain made sense. I know, I know, the concepts in it borrow from Buddhism, and yet it was refreshing to read a book which did not have any religious connotations. It is the 'normal' thing to do to analyze everything that comes into our minds, but if we want to have inner peace in our lives and to have a sense of flow, we must not force our thoughts. I spent a long time reading this book because I enjoyed it so much. It is worth the effort to adopt this way of life in order to enjoy life to the fullest.