Customer Reviews

Everything Happens for a Reason: Finding the True Meaning of the Events in Our Lives

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I recently purchased Mira's Kirshenbaum's new book "Everything Happens For A reason" and I found this book to be very inspiration and most beneficial. As a woman that has had much adversity in my life over these past few years, the author encouraged, that even through the worst of times, growth and peacefulness will emerge if we are open to trust in ourselves and the fact that everything does happen for a reason. As a mother that lost her only child 4 years ago to leukemia at the age of 10, I could not believe at the time, that any positives could ever come from one of the most devastating experience any parent could ever imagine. The truth is...they have....through my grief work I have grown in ways I never would have ever explored, had I not going through this experience I have had to endure. This book brought me a peacefullness in knowing that the twist and turns in our lifetime do have reason, that they help us to find true authenticity of self and to help direct us back on course to find the true meaning of our life here on this earth. The author knows first hand about adversity losing many loved ones of her own during the holcaust. Through her sharing in this book of her first hand experience with adversity in her own life, I felt that she truly could relate and understand my struggles as well. For anyone that has gone through a deep loss, whether it be a death of a loved one, illness or divorce this book is a wonderful resource to assit you with your healing. I highly recommend this book!
Lin from NH

I think this could be the best book I ever read. It made me feel so inspired!! It's so exciting -- that my life has meaning, everything that's ever happened to me, good and bad. I just love the idea that the universe is a safe, nurturing place for me, that the events of me life are all trying to help me become the real me. But there are also so many great stories, so this was not just inspiring but was a totally fun read. Do a favor for everyone you love and buy the a copy of this wonderful book. Just looking at the cover makes me happy!

When I'm given a book with a title like Everything Happens For a Reason, I sit up and take notice, as that statement has always been a part of my own belief system. Clients continue to fill my days with the very question "Why did this have to happen to me?", so a book with the subtitle of Finding the True Meaning of the Events in Our Lives was intriguing. The author, Mira Kirshenbaum, sounds like a sensitive psychotherapist and has written several other bestsellers with equally interesting titles: Too Good to Leave, Too Bad to Stay; The Gift of a Year; and Women & Love. In her new book, Kirshenbaum strives to bring meaning and comfort into everything that we experience, especially our tragedies. Not a small undertaking in my opinion.

Kirshenbaum's work represents years of statistical and (as she calls it) seat-of-the-pants analysis in which she strove to find patterns that would represent ten different universal meanings that would explain all the events in our lives. I love a good system that attempts to simplify. She allots a chapter to each of the ten, fleshing them out with explanations, examples and often questions that familiarize one with the principle. I admit I was at a loss to find an event in my own life that did not fit into one or another of her principles. Take a look at a few of them yourself and you'll see what I mean. Reason Three: to show you that you can let go of your fear; Reason Five: to help you uncover your true hidden talent; Reason Eight: to help you discover the play in life; Reason Ten: to help you become a truly good person. If Kirshenbaum's explanations give you a sense of meaning and comfort, they have served its purpose completely, for being able to recognize, understand and accept the conditions in our life is the only way we can ever truly embrace it.

This is a wonderful book! Get it - Read it - and surrender to the blessing that everything happens for a reason. Each page is a brilliant support for living with meaning and purpose. The concepts are well organized and the message is clear and soothing. This book is a true celebration of being human. Each chapter shines a light on the path of discovering the treasures of our life experiences. I will certainly return to this book again and again... especially when I need encouragement to move forward with my dreams.

After finishing "The Emotional Energy Factor", I have begun reading "Everything Happens for a Reason, Finding True Meaning of the Events in Our Lives" and I love it! Books are like best friends only sometimes even better and "Everything Happens for a Reason" is one of these books. I carry this book everywhere with me and it gives me great comfort and hope. Treat yourself or someone you care about to this book. I am grateful to start the New Year with more tips, insights and tools from Mira!!!!!!!

I have combined the wisdom of "Everything Happens for a Reason" with the "Emotional Energy Factor" and I feel like I received "spiritual soul food". There are experiences in life that make you feel like you might implode - destruct and give up. Mira gives you the tools for your spiritual tool box to stop from giving up on your life and find meaning. Grief and anger don't have to overwhelm you and shut you down; changing perspective and focus can help you to find energy to move own and take constructive action. When we are hurt and we feel unsafe we want to blame. Mira points out "Blame kills love".

I have never felt confident or hopeful about my future and Mira articulates this painful feeling in her book as well as the ache of not feeling I have a place in this world. When I took motorcycle lessons the first spiritual lesson I learned was look up! You can't look down or in the wrong direction because if you do that is where the motorcycle will go and the same for your life. Mira explains even in the darkest incomprehensible pain -- given time and thought -- meaning and a positive direction -- life affirming action can be taken.

Mira Kirshenbaum's books are simple reading but there is so much meaning and thought in her words and they can make a difference in our lives and the world. I feel better emotionally and spiritually thanks to Mira. There are lots of spiritual vitamins here and you will feel empowered and hopeful!

There are few books that I hold dear to my life, the Holy Bible is the first and now my new best friend is "Everything Happens for a Reason". I couldn't put it down. I have re-read the book two times already, and highlighted in pink the things I wanted to remember and return to quickly, the only problem now is my whole book is pink. This book gave me the inspiration to learn more about what I was holding on to, and not forgiving others, but mostly myself.
I am on a journey of losing weight, for the umpteenth time, wondering why I would lose and gain and lose and gain and have my confidence in the toilet. I learned so much when I read this book. I found that if I forgave myself for the weight, and forgave myself for the hate and disgust I was feeling it would make my life fuller and more meaningful. I e-mail Mira also as many have in the reviews I have read on this book, and I too received a reply from her. I am keeping the reply with my book as it makes the book even more priceless to me now. It is even better than if she had signed my book personally. Thank you Mira for the book and for the insight it gives to someone dealing with something that they don't understand and don't think they can get through. You gave me courage and determination to keep going even when there are bad days, because I now know why I was placed in the situation I am in now. Compassion and forgiveness two things I never had before for myself, but something I desperately needed. Thanks again.. You have got to get this book and hold it close it answers so many questions. You will be glad you did.

This book gave me the conviction that everything really happens for a reason. There is no such thing as coincidence. It was hard for me to digest the truth but it is what it is. I was married for 11 years and during that time, I was living a life of lies and pretention. I was abused physically, verbally and worse mentally. I was told that I was nothing and would never become anything if I left. When I was ready, I left and I became strong, confident and independent. So what had happened to me was supposed to happen in order for me to become strong, confident, independent and a better person. I am still struggling with some other things but overall I found the real ME. The diagnostic questions truly help one understands and accepts life's realities. I urge everyone to read this book.

Reader from Connecticut

I highly recommend people interested in learning something about self and others to read this book. Very insightful, thought provoking, general easy read. The best part, would be understanding how to become a good person, and how you got there.Or why you already are a good person. I've already told Mira, its a reread. Another wonderful thing in the book you will find a web site where you may dialog with Mira. I received an overnight response from her. Also visit her web site. Russ

Mira Kirshenbaum does an excellent job helping us to see the meanings in life's most painful events. Child of Holocaust survivors and raised in a Displaced Person's camp, Kirshenbaum grew up seeing people who survived life's worst catastrophes. She became a Psychotherapist and spent a lifetime helping others and trying to understand how individuals could survive, grow, mature, and become better people after events that might have destroyed others.

Her clinical research taught her that the pain in life occurs for at least one of only ten reasons. The book is an exploration of those reasons and a guide in understanding how they fit into our lives.

As a former "hard headed realist" like Kirshenbaum, I came to understand those meanings; and the book changed my life in some very important ways. I highly recommend this excellent work for anyone searching for reasons to go on after major losses in life.

"Every time something happens that is big enough to shake us, whether it's bad or good, it fertilizes the self with some new learning that the self had somehow always been waiting for. And it's out of that that your new self is born." ~ pg. 234

Mira Kirshenbaum has an uncanny way of matching up circumstances with reasons they occur. Most of this book consists of stories and analysis. Through her work as a psychotherapist Mira Kirshenbaum realized that there are ten basic reasons why negative events occur in our lives.

To be honest this made a lot of sense. As she explains, sometimes people have to face death in order to eradicate fear from other areas of their lives. As you read through this book you will start to realize why you had to experience something negative in order to grow as a person in life's school. Mira Kirshenbaum calls it Cosmic Kindergarten.

If you want to discover the meaning of circumstances in your life then this would be a good place to start. It is a fairly simple read without a lot of complex analysis. It is easy to relate to most of the stories and reading this book is somewhat calming and comforting.

~The Rebecca Review