The First 30 Days: Your Guide to Any Change (and Loving Your Life More) (Hardcover)

~ (Author)
Key Phrases: change demons, change guarantee, first thirty days, The First, The Things You Can Control, The Change Muscle (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Has a change happened in your life that you are having trouble accepting? Is there a change you would like to make to help you love life more? If you answered yes to either of these questions, this is the book for you.

This year alone, many of us will fall in love, get in shape, and start new companies, while some of us will lose a job, deal with health complications, or get divorced. Although we often try to ignore change, whether good or bad, it is the one constant. Now, with The First 30 Days, we can learn how to embrace change, move through it, and successfully navigate the twists and turns of life.

The First 30 Days reveals how the beginning of any change is a pivotal time that can either leave us stressed and stuck or lead us forward in our lives with clarity and hope. Change coach Ariane de Bonvoisin provides the tools to make each change a new beginning, whether it is a change you want to make or one brought on by a situation out of your control. Ariane introduces nine principles that will help you develop an optimistic mind-set toward change, an attitude that encourages you to see that life is on your side and that good can come from even the most difficult circumstance. With real-life stories, practical exercises, and inspiring action points, The First 30 Days teaches the skills you need to face any change--skills that will help you today and for the rest of your life.

Inside, discover:

• How to develop a positive approach to change--it can make all the difference.
• The Change Guarantee--from any change, something good can come.
• Your Change Muscle--you have one! Find out where it is and how to use it.
• How to combat your Change Demons--the negative emotions that want to hold you back.
• How to build a Change Support Team--who and what makes the most difference.

A Letter from Ariane de Bonvoisin

How good are you at change? Big changes? Small changes? Professional changes? Personal changes? The fact is, everyone experiences change. It’s the one constant in life. Be it a job change, relationship change, health change, or changes in the world we live in, change is unavoidable. What change are you or someone you love dealing with? A first time mom, recently divorced, caring for a sick parent, adjusting to a new job, or a recent graduate?

Whatever change you're experiencing —whether unexpected or planned—the first few days and weeks are often the hardest, most emotional time. It is the time when we have the most questions, emotions, doubts and fears. It is also the time when we are most in need of direction, information, inspiration, and support. Thirty days is enough to get started in the right way, to begin to understand what makes change easier and most importantly, how to stay on the right track.

I’ve interviewed hundreds of people and seen a pattern in what helps someone get through change with less stress and anxiety. The things we do, say, and feel directly affect our reaction to change. Through these interviews, I’ve seen that it’s possible to become better at change, to embrace and look for the positive in the transitions that will inevitably arise. The First 30 Days includes real life stories of people who have lived through many types of change, along with clear action points (look for the Take Action sections in the book) that will help you move through the changes in your own life.

The First 30 Days is for all of us who have always wanted to make a change, but didn’t know how to start; for those who have tried over and over to initiate a change with little or no success; and for those who are overwhelmed by the changes that have come into their lives. The First 30 Days will not only kick start your life of change, but it will also help you reach your goals by keeping you focused, directed and inspired.

I believe anyone can change. I believe there is always something good that will come from change, even if you can't see it right now. I believe that when we stop resisting the changes we are going through and simply embrace them, we realize that life is on our side. We all have a part of ourselves that doesn’t change —and, when we find that part within us, whatever change we are going through becomes easier. The First 30 Days can show you how.

Review

"Ariane has a wonderful, warm, inspiring approach to life, to changes we all go through and to what’s important. This book is filled with ways to make change simpler, easier and less stressful. I highly recommend it." -- Mike Dooley, author of Notes from the Universe, featured teacher in The Secret

"Good or bad, whether foisted upon us or of our own choosing, change is always tough. Author Ariane de Bonvoisin focuses on the first 30 days in her book and offers nine principles to lessen the pain and nurture the gain -- Chicago Tribune

"Smart, sane advice to guide you through the first month of any life change..." -- Redbook Magazine

"The First 30 Days can help people change their lives." -- Richard Parsons, former CEO of Time Warner

"The First 30 Days is ideal for anyone going through a change, wanting to make a change or helping someone through a change. There are gems of wisdom in here that will make a difference in how we all get through change and transitions in life." -- Karen Salmansohn, bestselling author of How to be Happy, Dammit

"This beautiful book is like having a compassionate friend guiding you through the beginning stages of any major change in your life. I loved it." -- Wayne Dyer, New York Times bestselling author of Change Your Thoughts, Change Your Life

"This book is full of practical information that will both inspire and inform. … a must read." -- Cathie Black, New York Times bestselling author of Basic Black: The Essential Guide for Getting Ahead at Work (and in Life), president of Hearst Magazines

"What could you do to start loving your life more? This book helps you answer that question and provides the tools you need to make it happen." -- Marci Shimoff, New York Times bestselling author of Happy for No Reason, Chicken Soup for the Women's Soul and featured teacher in The Secret

"de Bonvoisin found common threads among those who successfully navigated shifting circumstances, whether they were thrown cruel curveballs or desperately seeking something new: They have a positive outlook, a support team and an action plan."

-- Brandweek.com

:"Life coach/trainer de Bonvoisin expands on the change theme by offering readers direction in the changes they want to make…taking an in-depth look at resistance to change (the drive that wants things back the old way) and suggesting ways to surmount it." -- School Library Journal

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: HarperOne (May 6, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061472832
• ISBN-13: 978-0061472831
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (36 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #196,370 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is the first book you need to pick up to help with ANY change in your life, May 6, 2008

By	Simon Sinek "Inspirer" - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

No matter what you're going through, this book will help you find the positive side of everything so that you can get more out of your life. I am going through a big career change and Ariane's 9 principles of change have helped my understand what I'm going through. And, more importantly, helped me navigate the change. I am already feeling more confident and positive about the change and I haven't even finished reading the book yet!!

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It's in brackets (Loving Your Life More), July 12, 2008

By	P. Bergkvist - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I met Ariane when she was working for the Boston Consulting Group in London. I was still at the university she had studied at and was interviewing at BCG. I didn't get the job but our meeting sparked a fascinating chain of events in my life...I only talked to Ariane briefly but the next day she came to find me at the university, listened to me, a stranger, moan about my plight and then told me to join her for a walk around London. We talked about life, work, study, travel, finding employment; we brainstormed other options and how my life might be better without the job (how many people put themselves out for strangers like that?).

A few months later when Ariane was traveling through London we met up again. I hadn't found a job and was struggling with my studies. When we said good-bye Ariane announced that she wasn't going to get in touch and didn't want to hear from me until I received the grades I needed. Perhaps, she said, that would help me understand how important it was for me to regain my focus. Then she just walked off. I was stunned but what an effect it had! Eventually I went on to do a Masters in Barcelona and then found a job with another consulting firm in New York. It was perfect and I loved it. A year later Ariane moved to New York after Stanford - I had got back in touch with her via fax (a strange notion, I know). In New York I had the opportunity to really get to know this 'life coach' who had helped me re-frame my thinking so dramatically. I know I'm not the only one with such an 'Ariane story'.

So the book? Well, to me it is Ariane. A reflection of how she lives and what she has seen work in her own life and the many lives she has touched. A reflection of who she is as a person: somebody who helps. When I read non-fiction I'm almost more interested in the authenticity of the author so I thought I'd tell you about how I met Ariane in case you are too. Ariane has always been a change expert and so it is no surprise that the book is finding success and touching people. It can't not because it's authentic.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Change positively, May 6, 2008

By	Du Roy De Blicquy "Blicquy" (Brussels, Belgium) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

most of us hate change, or, to say the least, are ill-equipped to deal with it. This book has helped me to use easy tips to improve my life simply on a daily basis, while going through exciting (living healthier) or challenging (death of a loved one) changes. Great format to take notes; will become one of your bedside's favourites. Must read for all!