Customer Reviews

The Joy Diet : 10 Daily Practices for a Happier Life

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People who visit my site often assume I'm getting commissions from Martha Beck. I wish I were: I've recommended Finding Your Own North Star to just about every client and every person I know.

I was afraid her follow-up book would not be able to keep up the pace, but she's exceeded my expectations. The joy diet is not about food, she clarifies right away. It's a ten-step program to bring more joy into your life.

Beck does not promise that joy will also bring money, sports cars and mansions into your life. If you read carefully, she warns that you need to work hard for what you want. But if you follow the ten steps she proposes, it's hard to imagine that you won't find more success than you ever dreamed possible.

I was a little nervous as I read the chapter on risk. As a coach myself, I am very leery of encouraging people to take big risks, like quitting a job without another one waiting. Beck offers some good questions to ask before you take the leap, such as, "Is this the only way?"

Everyone will find a favorite chapter and mine was "truth," because I've never seen this material anywhere else. It's not the usual spiel about integrity - it's about facing your own reality, which can be tough.

The most challenging step for many will be "connection." During a transition, as she says, you have to leave some people behind, and for awhile -- often a long while -- you are on your own. That's why so many people hire a coach or counselor.

As before, Ms. Beck combines insight and wisdom with a delightful sense of humor. She doesn't talk down to us, her readers, and she doesn't offer bromides and easy answers. And I especially enjoy watching a Harvard-trained social scientist attack career and life challenges, combining intelligence with commonsense. I'm a fan.

I was thrilled to see a new book from Martha Beck, and since I work in a bookstore, I was able to start reading it before it was released. I meditate, so although I wouldn't say that the first "menu item" is easy, I was able to skip to week two automatically. Don't skip it if you don't do it! It certainly is essential to my life, and helps me stay focused. Each week/chapter adds another dimension to the "diet", and expands your life in some other way. As I am impatient, I can't simply read a chapter a week, so I am finishing the book and then incorporating the weeks as I go along. I appreciate Ms. Beck's sense of humor and frank honesty. She has been a lifestyle coach for quite a few years and offers excellent advice. If you missed "Finding Your Own North Star", be sure and check it out.

"Excuse me, My Life is Waiting" and "Extreme Success" are also excellent titles along this same line.

Like many self-help books, there's a lot of common sense stuff in The Joy Diet. But I like the author's approach to the subject of seeking happiness in our life. As the title implies, the book is structured like a diet regimen. There are 10 life-enhancing "menu items," such as truth, laughter, play, and creativity. Some of what you'll read here is similar to what you'll read in a lot of other books. But it's written creatively and succinctly. I like how the book is organized and I like its relatively compact size. She gets to the point and summarizes neatly at the end of each chapter for quick reference or for anyone who prefers to skim. Overall, a nice little book.

I've been through a really trying year and after reading Martha's columns in O magazine I decided to try this book.

I don't really like most self-help books because their advice usually evaporates soon after reading.This doesn't. It sticks. I keep it by my bed and have been reading and re-reading it as needed.

Whenever I need a boost or a reminder to keep on track, I pick it up and get re-inspired. Hers is a very refreshing practical approach to making your life more joyful. Her writing style is funny and direct with a common sense attitude that is very appealing. Buy it!

I enjoyed the light-hearted nature of this book. Imagine, a life based on joy instead of deprivation. How liberating, how delicious. Yummy. Here is a quote I pulled from the book that says it all:

"Any sentient being knows when it wants to eat, mate, run, sleep or fight -- any sentient being that is, except most members of the human race. We are the only beasts in creation who systematically eradicate the knowledge of our own desires."

I have found that by using the concepts in this book, I am able to maintain a comfortable weight effortlessly and I am able to enjoy my being in my body...scars, stretch marks, cellulite and all. Hooray!

I love Martha Beck's writing. She has such a simple yet intelligent voice. She also knocks me out with her humor. I love the moments when she places an incongruent word in a group that will just make you stop, pause and then laugh at the placement. (For example-not from the book-I love read novels, non-fiction, and the confused look on my teenager's face when I am talking about the 60's).

This book is a delight and really gives some great tips and great quotes to take away. I am especially going to use her actual to phrases about eating:

1-You must eat only what you enjoy eating

2-You must enjoy everything you eat.

(that means eat the candy bar instead of the brocolli but stop when full).

The whole book is about finding your real self and not masking it with food (my issue) or excuses. A delightful read.

This book was a surprising help to change my life for the better. It really had some great ideas to follow to add fun back into my life! As a recovering workaholic, the ideas in this book really showed me things missing from my life & small steps I could take to make changes. I highly recommend this book!

I am so glad this book has come into my life. It has helped me to find inner peace and to really connect with who I am. I can't put it into words what this book means to me. You just have to find out for yourself. I beleive it will affect everyone differently. It has that universal quality.

If you feel any kind of void in your life or like you're running on empty, this book will save you. You don't have to believe any certain religion or even follow one for that matter. You just have to want to know yourself and have a desire to be completely satisfied with you and your life.

I am a Martha Beck fan, having enjoyed and learned from the wisdom and insightfulness of several of her earlier books. After the heavy lifting done in "Finding Your Own North Star" (read it BEFORE this book if you haven't already), I was unsure if she could produce a substantive follow up. This book did not disappoint.

This book goes deeper into certain topics. It introduces ten daily practices to feed yourself and create more joy in your life. Beck recommends taking one step at a time and mastering it before moving on. I opted to read the book from cover to cover first and then reread it as I worked through each step. I spent more or less time on each menu item, depending on my level of mastery with each step (including being still/meditation, finding and telling your personal truth, identifying your desires, nourishing your creativity, taking risks, feeding your life with treats, playing, laughing, connecting to others, and daily feasting).

This book has obvious applications for those working through food issues. But its life applications make it a must read for anyone who is ready to create more joy in their daily life.

I once sat next to a dietician on an airplane who had arranged to have Martha Beck speak at their national conference - connecting the "Joy Diet" to the importance of their work. She found Beck so endearing that she commented, "she will always be `my Martha'". I think most female readers of Beck's books will feel this type of connection. Martha Beck "gets" her readers. She comes across as both intelligent and wise with a high level of common sense. She's tells you like it is while simultaneously inspiring you to do better and be more. She separates herself from many other self development authors by liberally sharing her quirky sense of humor to soften her straight talk. These are some of the reasons I use Beck's books in my life coaching practice and why I recommend that you add this book to your library today.

Mollie Marti, Ph.D.

Author, Selling: Powerful New Strategies for Sales Success

I had the great good fortune to be trained by Martha Beck, known nationwide as "Oprah's Life Coach." Martha is funny, open and wise -- as is her wonderful book "The Joy Diet."

OK, it's probably the only "diet" book that doesn't have one recipe in it! Maybe that's precisely why I like it so much! Martha leads the reader through 10 Daily Practices which will bring much more joy into your life. Take it from me, it really works! From finding stillness amid the cacophony of your day, to telling the truth and taking risks, if you follow Martha's "menu" you will leave the table feeling full, happy and... joyful.