Customer Reviews

Happy for No Reason

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When I first saw the title, "Happy for No Reason," I'll have to admit that my initial reaction was that this would be just one more new age, touch-feely, full-of-fluff feel-good book. So I was very pleasantly surprised to see how thoroughly-researched, well-written, and down-to-earth practical this book is. "Happy for No Reason" is a groundbreaking philosophy that belongs in the same category as the work of David Burns (cognitive mood therapy), Martin Seligman (learned optimism), Daniel Goleman (emotional intelligence) and Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (flow). It is a brilliant blend of scientific research summarized in language that anyone can understand plus stories from people Marci calls the Happy 100, people who are role models of happiness for the sake of happiness, not because of love or money or other exogenous factors.

I was so impressed with this book that I gave copies to each of my children as Christmas gifts this year. I'm hoping they will read it with a pen or highlighter in hand, which is what I found myself doing - and would recommend to you as well. It's easy to be unhappy, which might be why so many people are. Watch TV for an hour and you'll have a hundred reasons to not be happy; it's nice to know that you can choose to be happy for no reason at all.

The idea presented in Happy for No Reason: 7 Steps to Being Happy from the Inside Out is to get the reader to become, well, "Happy for No Reason"- which the book defines as true happiness that isn't dependent on external circumstances. You can then take a questionnaire to see how close you are to being "Happy for No Reason." But if you're not quite there yet, how does the book intend to get you there? Well, by several ways:

-you'll learn three guiding principles that will help you get past the common blocks to happiness

-you'll learn how to apply the "Law of Attraction" to being happier

-you'll learn about a seven-step program to become "Happy for No Reason". Each step has three "Happiness Habits" with corresponding exercises.

-the author interviewed 100 happy people and shares 21 of their stories that define what it means to be "Happy for No Reason"- stories reminiscent of the "Chicken Soup" series.

As you can see, there's plenty of good stuff in this book which will give you great advice and things to think about to help you "reframe" your thinking. Readers might also be interested in The Prayer Project: How Each One of Us Can Make The World a Better Place to Live - In a Few Minutes a Day.

I thought it would be namby-pamby or filled with fluff until I read this paragraph in the introduction:

"My first major discovery was that scientists have found that we each have a `happiness set-point,' the genetic and learned tendency to remain at a certain level of happiness, similar to a thermostat setting on a furnace. Fortunately for those of us not born on the sunny side of the street, it's been shown that we can change our happiness set-points. I'll discuss this more in the next chapter and offer you specific exercises throughout the book to raise your happiness set-point."

As I read the book I was surprised at most every turn. I was delighted that she included Mark McKergow's Solution Focus Technique--a longtime favorite of mine that keeps you focused on what's working in your life instead of on what's not working.

...And that she actually tells how to do one of Chunyi Lin's Spring Forest Qigong techniques that energizes the body and literally brings you feelings of happiness and joy.

Part of her process in studying happiness was to interview 100 truly happy people. Another surprise was finding a link where I could actually listen to highlights of the interviews online.

So...I'd get the book.

I have read more of the happiness literature than most people because of a work assignment. Granted, by the time I got to this one, much of the information was not new anymore. But when evaluating a book or manuscript, it's helpful to look at it as if it were the first of its type you have picked up.
Happy for No Reason is good, but there are better "happy" books out there. Good promotion is taking this one far. Better by a long shot are STUMBLING ON HAPPINESS (Daniel Gilbert), HAPPY AT LAST: THE THINKING PERSON'S GUIDE TO FINDING JOY (Richard O'Connor), and AUTHENTIC HAPPINESS (Martin Seligman).

The title is terrific and underscores the theme of the book - you don't need to find a reason to be happy. This is contrary to the culture we are immersed in. One of my students - an MBA from a top school and an executive at a technology firm - wondered aloud why co-workers would frequently ask her, "You seem so happy today - what happened?" Why, she wondered, did something have to happen for one to be happy.

That is precisely the point Marci makes in her book - deep, lasting happiness, the joy that pervades and uplifts you DOES not require you to be, do or get anything. You can experience it right now and every day if you will let go of certain conditioning that you have been subjected to all your life. The two most powerful myths you probably believe in are 1) The myth of more which leads you to believe that the more you have the better you will feel, and 2) The myth of I'll-be-happy-when which assumes that happiness will magically appear when some external event transpires.

While the erroneous conditionings that keep you trapped are deep, you can shed them, The way you do this is by cultivating new habits that enable you to experience the world differently. As you do this, happiness reaches out and engulfs you. This does NOT mean that life is evermore a bed of roses. The thorns will be there in terms of sickness, financial reverses, relationship problems and adversity of various kinds. But even as you do what you must, you are keenly aware that you are fine and will always be so. There is a sense of well being that never leaves you.

These new habits - like gratitude, ignoring the negative thoughts that spring up, prayer, caring for your body, etc. - are described well and there are many practical exercises to help you make it a part of your life.

What makes this book outstanding is the clarity and simplicity of the language and the sincerity of the author. Marci's autobiographical anecdotes place her advice in context and make it so much more powerful.

The book is light-hearted even though the teachings are profound. The many cartoons are downright hilarious. I am still chuckling at the one where a fresh graduate proclaims that he is simply looking for proof that money does not bring happiness.

And there are snippets of information that are illuminating. Did you know, for instance, that in Thomas Jefferson's time "pursue" meant to practice something? Thus when he spoke about the "pursuit of happiness" he was not advocating chasing after it but simply experiencing it.

If you do even a fraction of the exercises in this book, your life will be immeasurably improved.Are You Ready to Succeed? Unconventional Strategies to Achieving Personal Mastery in Business and LifeThe Personal Mastery Program: Discovering Passion and Purpose in Your Life and Work (Sounds True Audio Learning Course)

Happy for No Reason is delightful. It evoked many smiles and much gratitude for all that I have in my life! As I read on, amazingly, there was a shift away from self judgement and criticism. The author led me to a place where I could enjoy my birthright and embrace it with enthusiasm, gentleness and levity. The seven steps to a lifestyle of consistent well being and generosity have a magic that goes beyond her words, an inspiration that lifts one up just by being open to infinite possibilities. This book itself is an act of generosity! I highly recommend it and also suggest Being Here: Modern Day Tales of Enlightenment by Ariel and Shya Kane. Both truly inspirational and enlightening books to have on your shelf!

"Happy for No Reason: 7 Steps to Being Happy from the Inside Out" by Marci Shimoff was full of gems and eye opening moments. The book is both enlightening and fun. I found myself smiling a lot while I was reading this book. One of the many things I loved about this book is that Shimoff says "You can't depend on external circumstances for lasting happiness. It has to come from inside you". This book put into perspective how it can be that two people with the same set of circumstances can have different outlooks, one can be miserable while the other can be happy.

This is a book of short stories about Shimoff's "Happy 100". The stories were touching and I found it hard to put the book down. Another book of short stories I really enjoyed was "Being Here Modern Day Tales of Enlightenment" by Ariel & Shya Kane.

This is a well written, researched, & practical book without the flowery new age fluff you find in so many self-help books. This promotes self-improvement, not ego gratification. The author calls the Happy one hundred, people who are role models of happiness for the sake of being so. Not because of love of material things, money, status, or other external factors. Her interviews illustrate that these folks had to "work & create their own well being."

Common sense things like discipline, focus, & a positive attitude are obviously required if an individual wants to be happier. For me, "Pillars of the Mind: Don't Believe Everything You Think" was the most informative. She gives plenty of stories & examples to help raise the readers skill in coping with ones negative thinking. All in all a quick & helpful read.

I love my life! I hope you love yours, too, and that you can say you are a truly happy person. If you'd like a little help in this area, you must immediately purchase Marci Shimoff's new book, "Happy For No Reason". You may know Marci as the #1 New York Times bestselling author of six of the "Chicken Soup for the Soul" books, including "Chicken Soup for the Women's Soul". She has written a marvelously illuminating book on how to maximize your happiness every day--whether you have "reasons" to be happy or not.

In order to learn and teach others how to "follow their bliss," Marci searched and found many happy people to interview for her book. I am honored to be one of her "Happy 100" and to have a story of mine included in her book. It's a previously untold story of my recovery of balance and perspective after my beautiful wedding was canceled just three weeks before the wedding day. My fiancé came home and said, "I can't go through with it" and in shock and despair, I...well, you'll have to read the book to get the whole story.

There are 22 stories from her "Happy 100" and they are all moving tales of how people learned to cherish their lives and live in a state of blissful gratitude every day. The stories are fascinating: the experience that made a man shed 100-plus pounds in one year, the woman who escaped from Saddam Hussein only to be abused by her new husband and had to escape again, the woman whose accidental blindness led her to fulfilling life's work. Marci also fills the book with the latest scientific research on happiness (psychology has always studied dysfunction--now it's studying happiness. A good move, don't you think?) Her illustrations are wonderful, and each chapter concludes with points to remember and exercises that have been proven to increase your "happiness set-point." I'm doing a lot of them myself already...Yeah, I'm happy already, but where happiness is concerned, too much is not even enough!

The Happiness continuum can take you up the scale from Unhappy, past Happy for Bad Reason, to Happy for Good Reason, and finally, to being happy in the core of your being regardless of circumstance--Happy for No Reason. This is true happiness--a neurophysiological state of peace and well-being that isn't dependent on external circumstances. As Marci says, "When you're Happy for No Reason, you bring happiness to your outer experiences rather than trying to extract happiness from them...you live from happiness, rather than for happiness."

We'd be happy for you to join us! Be sure to post your successes here so we'll know when the "Happy 100" becomes the "Happy 1000" and then the "Happy 1,000,000"...

Cheers and Happy New Year!
Chellie Campbell, Author
The Wealthy Spirit: Daily Affirmations for Financial Stress Reduction and
Zero to Zillionaire

Happy for No Reason is how we all want to be. This is a rich and engaging book filled with insight and many practical applications on how to truly change your life. I felt happy just reading it. It's an everyone should read book that combines scientific proof along with experiential understanding. It's charming and genuine, once I picked it up, I didn't want to put it down. The experiece of Happy for No Reason is still with me, days after reading it. Thank you Marci!!