Customer Reviews

Creating Your Best Life: The Ultimate Life List Guide

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4 star:		(5)
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1 star:		(1)

 

 

There are far too many self-help books out there and in recent years, an abundance of books on happiness. Miller & Frisch distinguish their book from the pack. It is nearly impossible to read this book without reflecting on your life goals, what exists in your life that facilitates them, what obstacles get in the way, what successes can you build on from your past, and most interestingly, what occurs on the fringes of conscious awareness that pushes you toward your goals or pulls you away from them. Despite studying and teaching positive psychology for nearly a decade, I found myself scribbling all over the pages. By the time I finished, a list of new life goals emerged, elaborating new meaningful themes to direct my limited time and energy.

I suspect people are skeptical of a book titled "Creating your best life" and they should be. The authors seem to beckon skepticism and in response, do an excellent job of providing the scientific basis for the main points and exercises in every chapter. The reason that this book is compelling is that it has great forward momentum. If you ever read a book written by scientists, you know that smooth prose is the exception not the rule. This book is an easy read (and I mean this as a profound compliment). Guided by ample scientific research, this book provides the necessary tools for someone to immediately improve their quality of life.

Author of Curious?: Discover the Missing Ingredient to a Fulfilling Life

A good book that brings some sanity and science to the world of self-help. They present a number of strategies that won't be new to anyone familiar with self-help and life coaching.

Outstanding chapter on "prime," i.e, environmental influences on behavior. For instance, people made different choices when a briefcase was on a table than when a backpack was in the same place.

Best parts:

Good discussion goals and the inadequacy of the "SMART" goal acronym.

Excellent chapter on "grit" and determination.

Based on solid research, not just a series of anecdotes.

Nice worksheets and exercises.

Weak points:

As in most self-help books, the authors give examples of people who were rewarded by doing the "right" thing. For instance, they show people who benefited from taking risks. By definition, risks can have negative consequences, too. I would like to see some examples of people who took risks that did not work out, but turned the situation around or were glad they took the risk. Colette Dowling's book, The Cinderella Complex, includes a cautionary tale of the wrong kind of risk-taking.

The chapter on relationships is geared toward the "married with children" set. Considerable research shows that making friends has become increasingly difficult. Adding friends on Facebook or connections on LinkedIn rarely leads to meaningful relationships; they're more helpful for business and career.

The discussion of retirement follows the stereotype that older people want to trade off money for "doing good."

Many action suggestions are impractical. For instance, The section on neighborhood makes suggestions that will be difficult for many people especially those living in a city.

Definitely recommended with a caveat that some strategies will be challenging to apply to your own life.

If you are looking for a book to help you draw out a map of your future, this is it. I have always been big about writing out goals and achieving them. This one task has kept put me on a track to achieve success in many areas of life. Like losing 60 pounds, acquiring a large net worth, becoming debt free, having a happy marriage, and many other smaller things. I believe you will never get any where unless you know where you are going. I have read several books on writing goals and this one is by far the best. This books author connects the research on goal setting with the new science of positive psychology, giving us all the tools we could ever need to move ahead in life and keep going past every setback or challenge that will occur. The book is based on research not on the authors personal opinion. That is what I like about the book, it is backed by science and statistics. The book gives you seventeen areas of life to construct your priorities with from health, self-esteem, values, spiritual life, money, work, play, learning, creativity, service, love, friends, children, relatives, home, neighborhood, and community. It will allow you to focus your time and energy on areas that you find most important. The back of the book has several exercises you can go through to get your creative juices flowing along with a 100 item "bucket list" you can create for yourself. This book really shows you step by step what you will need to achieve your goals. You will need to develop willpower, you will see how to get it. You have to take educated risks. You will need relationships with people that support you in your goals. You have to have the grit to not quit when setbacks occur. See how to write your own brief but powerful mission statement. Celebrate the wins along your journey. The speed bumps might slow you down but do not let them stop you. This book covers all these principles in great detail. This is one of the five books I will give to my children on their 18th birthday. I wish I would have had this book when I was young. I did have a book about written goals and it has been a powerful life guiding principle for me for the past twenty. I will return to this book for many years as I accomplish my bucket list. This is a book that will change your life if you let it.

Miller and Frisch's book should be a permanent and well-thumbed fixture on the bed sides of both the consummate goal-setter and the weary New Years warrior.

In a world filled with self-help platitudes, "Creating Your Best Life" is the rare book that marries evidence-based research with its practical application. In doing so, it provides the enigmatic "how" that is invariably missing from other self-improvement books.

I highly recommend that you read this book with a pen and notebook in hand for it will ignite latent dreams and spark many good ideas!

"Creating Your Best Life" offers a wealth of compelling arguments and concrete strategies for setting goals. I picked up a copy of the book after hearing Caroline Adams Miller speak about positive psychology at New York University. She brings her passion for a science based approach to improving the lives of others and makes the book fun and accessible to her readers. She is a font of knowledge, is up on all the latest research, and is passionate about all things goals and happiness. The book offers invaluable insights into topics such as willpower, risks, and regrets. It's a lively read, packed with information, statistics, and great stories. Don't miss this incredibly rich exploration which will help improve your life.

This was a great book. I did all of the exercises. One of the exercises, about creating a joy jolt list (or something close to that), really moved me. Make a list of things that make you happy and then look at it often. Seems simple, but it profoundly moved me.

9/11, the dot.com crash, and now the 2008 global economic meltdown have inspired numerous books challenging life as it was and inspiring individuals to look at what life should or could be for them. "Creating Your Best Life" is one of the better books of this genre and should be at the top of the list for those seeking their "best" life.

Authors, Caroline Adams Miller and Professor Michael Frisch (Baylor), are experts in positive psychology and its application to life. Miller, an internationally known coach and speaker on the topic of goals and happiness can be heard on satellite radio with her "Positive Tips of the Day."

"Creating Your Best Life" applies and integrates goal-setting theory, social cognitive theory (a can-do mind set), and Seligman's learned optimism to deliver a step-by-step guide on how to create a mind-set that will "create a life of engagement, meaning, and pleasure - a life that is vibrant and not a distant dream." Miller and Frisch provide a boatload of exercises and worksheets (20 pages worth!) designed to help the reader maximize the information, research, tips, and advice given. They also provide methods of evaluating the reader's strengths in several areas.

Satisfaction has proven to come from the attainment of goals important to the individual thus the book centers on the creation of a "Life List" and the identification of the most beneficial goals in sixteen areas of one's life (family, friends, neighborhood, learning, et al). The "Life List," according to the authors, is essential for happiness and success.

"Creating Your Best Life" integrates everyday language on what can positively impact your thinking and your behavior with easy to use exercises flushing out goals and action plans making this book a good one-two punch for those seeking a better and more satisfying life.

This is a great self-help book on "how to be happy." Miller and Frisch did a great job writing a book that is rich in good advice advice and useful suggestions. Many of the "how to" principles are based on solid science from quality-of-life studies and positive psychology. I recommend this book to those interested who are seeking a self-help book on happiness based on solid science.

I have never previously reviewed a book. I have read many of the positive pyschology books. I found this book very practical and useful, with much insight on how actually to get a better life through goals. Caroline sets forth the research and the "how to" in a light, easy to read manner. The book, to be used correctly, involves real work --lists, thoughts, etc. But, isn't your own happiness worth the effort we put into TV or sports? And, the great news is Caroline's book shows you what to do, rather than leaving you in that nebulous place of: "OK, I get that I need to be more grateful...how the heck do I achieve that?"
Indeed, readers of this book will realize that my Penname comes from a book recommendation regarding goal recognition!
This is a Bravo!

You will really enjoy Caroline Miller's extremely well researched book. It is chock full of scientifically-based guidance regarding happiness and goal setting. With both her enthusiasm and her scholarly approach, Caroline has become a true leader in the science of happiness. Through exhaustive documentation, she makes a strong case about the demonstrated link between happiness and goal setting. Importantly, the book provides not just research but highly practical advice and "diagnostic" tools. Caroline's book is a treasure that I plan to use a reference for years to come. It is not the kind of trendy self-help book that will end up is a dusty pile in a corner!