The Complete Idiot's Guide to Reinventing Yourself [Paperback]

Jeff Davidson (Author)

Book Description

Series: The Complete Idiot's Guide | Publication Date: March 1, 2001

(Alpha Books) An idiot-proof guide to assessing personal circumstances and changing them, no matter what they are. Shows how to redefine body, mind and spirit, through physical fitness, proper nutrition, healthy relationships with family and friends, and more. Also helps reinvigorate careers by teaching improved writing, speaking and Internet skills. Softcover.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

The hardest part of changing your life is figuring out how to get started. "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Reinventing Yourself" helps you figure out where you are and how to get what you want. It will show you how to assess your work, home, and family life, and then how to set goals and make them happen.

About the Author

Jeff Davidson, MBA, CMC, is author of 28 books, including The Complete Idiot's Guide® to Managing Your Time, The Complete Idiot's Guide® to Managing Stress, and The Complete Idiot's Guide® to Reaching Your Goals. A popular conference and convention speaker, he is founder of the Breathing Space Institute, a firm that helps organizations whose people are suffering from time-pressure, stress, and information overload. He lives in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Alpha; 1st edition (March 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0028640055
• ISBN-13: 978-0028640051
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #456,305 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book found me., June 25, 2008

By 

Kelly (New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Complete Idiot's Guide to Reinventing Yourself (Paperback)

I bought this book years ago when I was still in college. It made it's way into the back of a book shelf in my closet. At age 28, while at a particulary challenging time in my life, I stumbled on it once again. Although the book was now 8 years old, and I assumed it to be "outdated" I decided to look through it one night, and within the first chapter I instantly relaxed. I have a degree in Psychology, and have spent all of my teen and adult years reading self help books, and none of them ever did me any good. I would start out with full honest intentions only to get bored halfway through. Most self help books these days are written by an author who feels that he or she has "the system," "the theory," and "the philosophy" that will change your life forever. These books usually include chapters worth of "exercises" which only work if you follow them precisely. Some of these so called "systems" even require you to purchase supplemental workbooks, and six different journals to even follow them. And they all make outrageous claims. Some are so full of psychobabble that even a psychology buff like myself quickly tires of it. Some of them seem are so bland that they seem to be written by an author who looked at the project as a chore. Others are so incredibly ridicolous that the suggestions are almost laughable. Are you REALLY going to put index cards all over your house, car, and office, to remind yourself how wonderful you are? And are you SERIOUSLY going to believe that stopping your car along the side of the road in order to analyze the beauty in the flowers is going to change your life? Some self help books feel like one huge commercial, and are usually written by popular pop psychologists that are on the daytime talk show circut. Not only should you buy the book, but if you REALLY want to change your life, you will need to invest in the daily affirmation cards, calendar, motivational posters, and lunchbox.

And then...there is this simply put together book by an author I never heard of, and haven't in the 8 years since this book was first published. He isn't trying to sell me anything. He was just reminding me of things that I already knew, but maybe my head was just a little too cloudy at the time to remember. And that is that if I want to....I CAN change my life. Just because I am not happy at this current chapter in my life, does not mean that I am crazy, and need to get on medication. Or that I need to waste a ton of time writing myself essays and posting index cards all over my house. I don't need to run to the nearest bookstore and purchase the entire "kit." Heck, I don't even need to read the book from front to back. But if I want some motivation, and the reminder that I CAN change my life, and maybe some encouragement and ideas...in PLAIN ENGLISH, I can refer to this silly little orange book...and maybe...just maybe...START to get the wheels turning to reinvent myself...on my terms.

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Needed Change !, October 2, 2002

By 

Taylor Nelson (Charleston, SC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Complete Idiot's Guide to Reinventing Yourself (Paperback)

Rarely have I encountered a book that is so methodically, comprehensively and yet amicable covers the topic of reinventing yourself. Like the author says, most of us are going to live a whole lot longer than we think, and are going to be findng ourselves in different occupations, maybe in different regions of the country or even different countries, living different kinds of life styles. This book gives great insights as to what kinds of chalenges might be on the horizon for you. I think that this would also be a good book to give to friends who are currently trying to find their way.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars just what i needed, May 11, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: The Complete Idiot's Guide to Reinventing Yourself (Paperback)

The idea of reinventing yourself, is appealing to me for many reasons. Since the terrorist attack, I have been reading how so many people are reevaluating their priorities and what is really important in life, but I was already thinking about these things before then. This book covers considerable ground, but is not difficult to get through. The author is kind of witty, and he has certainly done a lot of homework in terms of providing resources to help readers follow up on particular topics. I would recommend this book for lots of different reasons and in fact I am thinking giving some for Christmas.