The Joy Diet: 10 Daily Practices for a Happier Life [Hardcover]

Martha Beck (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 6, 2003

Welcome to The Joy Diet, a menu of ten behaviors you can add to your way of living and thinking to enhance every day’s journey through the unpredictable terrain of your existence. You can add these behaviors gradually and watch your life become steadily more vivid and satisfying. Or you can go on a “crash Joy Diet” to help you navigate life’s emergencies.
The ten menu items are:

• Nothing: Do nothing for fifteen minutes a day. Stop mindlessly chasing goals and figure out which goals are worth going after.

• Truth: Create a moment of truth to help you unmask what you’re hiding—from others and from yourself.

• Desire: Identify, articulate, and explore at least one of your heart’s desires—and learn how to let yourself want what you want.

• Creativity: Learn six new ways to develop at least one new idea to help you obtain your heart’s desire.

• Risk: Take one baby step toward reaching your goal. The only rule is it has to scare the pants off you.

• Treats: Give yourself a treat for every risk you take and two treats just because you’re you. No exceptions. No excuses.

• Play: Take a moment to remember your real life’s work and differentiate it from the games you play to achieve it. Then play wholeheartedly.

• Laughter: Laugh at least thirty times a day. Props encouraged.

• Connection: Use your Joy Diet skills to interact with someone who matters to you.

• Feasting: Enjoy at least three square feasts a day, with or without food.

No matter what your long-term goals are, The Joy Diet, written with Martha Beck’s inimitable blend of
wisdom, practical guidance, and humor, will help you achieve the immediate gift of joyful living in the here
and now. Begin your journey today.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Beck, author of the bestselling Finding Your Own North Star and columnist for O magazine, delivers another useful and sure-to-be-popular self-help guide. The Joy Diet, designed for the soul rather than the body, is composed of 10 steps that, once learned, are to be practiced on a daily basis to achieve greater fulfillment and a happier life. Beck strongly suggests becoming thoroughly familiar with each step, by practicing it for a week, before adding the next step. According to the author, the first step, spending 15 uninterrupted minutes a day doing nothing (meditating, engaging in repetitive physical activity, staring at some natural motion like flowing water), is the hardest to learn and the basis for all the other activities. She contends that a daily period of mindful silence provides a sanctuary that no one can ever take from you. The other nine steps include methods for dealing with emotional pain, identifying true desires, employing creativity to realize yearnings and taking appropriate risks. Beck advocates daily self-nourishment through play, humor and the enjoyment of at least three personalized treats. Written in a down-to-earth, positive tone, the author's thoughtfully designed exercises, inspirational anecdotes and gentle advice should fall on fertile ground. National publicity.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From the Inside Flap

Welcome to The Joy Diet, a menu of ten behaviors you can add to your way of living and thinking to enhance every day?s journey through the unpredictable terrain of your existence. You can add these behaviors gradually and watch your life become steadily more vivid and satisfying. Or you can go on a ?crash Joy Diet? to help you navigate life?s emergencies.
The ten menu items are:

? Nothing: Do nothing for fifteen minutes a day. Stop mindlessly chasing goals and figure out which goals are worth going after.

? Truth: Create a moment of truth to help you unmask what you?re hiding?from others and from yourself.

? Desire: Identify, articulate, and explore at least one of your heart?s desires?and learn how to let yourself want what you want.

? Creativity: Learn six new ways to develop at least one new idea to help you obtain your heart?s desire.

? Risk: Take one baby step toward reaching your goal. The only rule is it has to scare the pants off you.

? Treats: Give yourself a treat for every risk you take and two treats just because you?re you. No exceptions. No excuses.

? Play: Take a moment to remember your real life?s work and differentiate it from the games you play to achieve it. Then play wholeheartedly.

? Laughter: Laugh at least thirty times a day. Props encouraged.

? Connection: Use your Joy Diet skills to interact with someone who matters to you.

? Feasting: Enjoy at least three square feasts a day, with or without food.

No matter what your long-term goals are, The Joy Diet, written with Martha Beck?s inimitable blend of
wisdom, practical guidance, and humor, will help you achieve the immediate gift of joyful living in the here
and now. Begin your journey today.


From the Hardcover edition. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Crown Archetype; 1 edition (May 6, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0609609904
• ISBN-13: 978-0609609903
• Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.9 x 7.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #16,708 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Martha Beck is a writer and "life coach" who specializes in helping people design satisfying and meaningful life experiences. She holds a bachelor's degree in East Asian Studies and master's and Ph.D. degrees in sociology, all from Harvard University.

She worked as a research associate at Harvard Business School, studying career paths and life-course changes in today's economic and social environment. Before becoming a life coach, Dr. Beck taught sociology, social psychology, organizational behaviour, and business management at Harvard and the American Graduate School of International Management. She has published academic books and articles on a variety of social science and business topics.

Her non-academic books include the New York Times bestsellers "Expecting Adam" and "Leaving the Saints", as well as "Finding Your Own North Star: Claiming the Life You Were Meant to Live", "Steering by Starlight", and her newest book, "Finding Your Way in a Wild New World: Reclaiming Your True Nature". Dr. Beck has also been a contributing editor for many popular magazines, including "Real Simple" and "Redbook", and is currently a columnist for "O, the Oprah Magazine".

More information can be found at marthabeck.com, including Dr. Beck's lively blog posts and video blogs, books, speaking appearances, and life coaching strategies and suggestions.

Dr. Beck lives in Phoenix, Arizona, with her family.