Customer Reviews

Why Your Life Sucks: And What You Can Do About It

5 star:		(38)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

When I first saw this book, I was a little turned off by the title. It implied that my life sucked--and it didn't! However, I was too curious not to look. I'm glad I did.

We all have areas in our life that "suck". They are the uninvestigated thoughts and assumptions we have made that are a part of our reality. These, in turn, affect our decisions and perspectives. As a result, we often sell out, self-sabotage, and put up with things that suck our energy. It's these "little foxes that spoil the vine", to borrow from the Bible, that often eat at our enjoyment of life and its blessings.

I'm glad that the publishers of this book, The Jodere Group, were brave enough to allow for the title. "Suck" is an oft-used word in American culture, but it has the stigma of being crude slang. Yet, Cohen maintains that there are many aspects of life (including "energy vampires") that can literally suck the vitality right out of us--leaving us feeling drained, tired, anxious, depressed, angry, cheated and empty.

It took me awhile to get through this book because there are so many wise nuggets to absorb. I had my highlighter out, and soon realized this is a book that is not to be consumed quickly. Don't get me wrong: it's not difficult reading. Cohen writes in a friendly, conversational style--as if he's sitting in the living room with you. He uses personal stories, examples of well-known people, and quotes from others. (And he's also hilarious!) But what makes it a book to read slowly is that it contains such practical wisdom and advice for every area of life: relationships, money, vocation/work, spirituality, creativity, personal empowerment, sex, and so on.

Why Your Life Sucks is divided into 10 Chapters or reasons why your life may suck. Each Chapter/Reason then has sub-sections that cover the areas of how your life sucks and what you can do about it.

For example, Reason 1 that your life sucks is that You give your power away. The how of giving your power away is:

You put people on a pedestal.
You imitate instead of create.
You don't listen to your intuition.
You let others choose for you.
You think your destiny depends on something outside of you.

He then shares ways to plug up the proverbial leaks in your bucket, so you're not sucked dry. Here are a few gems I highlighted just in Chapter 1:

Physical death is mandatory, but spiritual death is optional.

If you don't use your mind, someone else will.

Drop what you've been taught so you can remember what you know.

Your true strength resides in holding your power in the midst of those who have abdicated theirs.

In the long run, you are the one who will have to live with your decisions, so make sure they represent your true desires.

Here are the other 9 reasons that your life may suck:

Reason 2: You expect it to suck
Reason 3: You get fooled by appearances
Reason 4: You waste your energy on things that suck
Reason 5: You keep trying to prove yourself
Reason 6: You say yes when you mean no
Reason 7: You think you have to do it all yourself
Reason 8: You try to fix other people
Reason 9: You starve your soul
Reason 10: You forgot to enjoy the ride

Many self-help offer little advice on how to navigate out of the murky waters of discontent; they just tell you what you already know--being big on what, but not how. This book, however, gives practical advice and real-life stories to help you plug up that leaky bucket that's been draining you of your life, your passion, and your energy.

I'll leave you with a nugget from Chapter 4: "Do what brings you life. Do not do what deadens you."

"When you trust your inner promptings and act on them, synchronicity works with amazing precision." ~Alan Cohen

There is a moment in your life when you realize you are taking care of everyone else and you have forgotten to take care of yourself. That is when you may notice a sense of soul-starvation, illness, a lack of energy, depression and a list of other negative factors appearing in your life. At about this time, you start to feel that your life "sucks."

Self-help guru Alan H. Cohen has written a comforting book to show you the 10 reasons why your life might suck and to present a roadmap to leave your past hell and enter a future life filled with triumph instead of tragedy. Through Alan Cohen's message I realized that everything I needed was inside me and lately I've learned how to listen to my heart and not just my head.

I really had a good time laughing out loud throughout this inspiring book. Not only does Alan Cohen speak to you as a friend, he adds a witty touch to reality checks. You can't help laughing along and enjoying this entire reading experience.

The book is divided into 10 main sections, which include such topics as: "You Give Your Power Away," "You Say Yes When You Mean No," and "You Forgot to Enjoy the Ride."

I enjoy Alan's love of quotes and his thoughts have been inspiring me for years when I heard them on the "Dave 'til Dawn" show on the radio. After going through a few months of deep soul searching I knew it was time to read all of Alan's books. I needed a reality check, but in a manner that was comforting and healing.

There is an amazing rescue story in this book and an interesting perspective on how you can lose weight. Now I realize why yoga can be great for weight loss. Alan really answered a lot of my questions in "Why Your Life Sucks." He also captures profound ideas in one sentence.

"Wherever you go, you will find yourself." ~Alan H. Cohen

Although I agreed with 99% of the advice in this book, I am not so willing to eternally responsible for agreeing that there is no heaven or hell. I found it interesting that Alan was quoting a few scriptures but had rejected those two ideas. Then he got me interested in looking up additional books. There are quotes from many religions and also from a variety of sources throughout this book. It is not a religious book, but will definitely help you along in your spiritual path. Alan is against guilt trips and in favor of a feeling of freedom and acceptance.

Alan goes beyond commonsense and shows you how to live in an enlightened reality. He encourages the reader to take care of the body and soul.

I also loved his descriptions of his life in Hawaii. I will continue to dream about night-blooming jasmine and clouds that turn pink at sunset.

You might also enjoy reading:

The Wisdom of the Heart
The Dragon Doesn't Live Here Anymore
The Peace That You Seek
A Deep Breath of Life

~The Rebecca Review

Like the books that offer the reader the opportunity to get rich quick, everyone would like to think that we are just a short read away from easy street. An author of seventeen self help books, Mr. Cohen appears to have found the formula for the good life. Like the infomercials on T.V. there is a hell of a lot of money being made by people "selling us" the way to happiness and success. With all this in mind, I might add that I was rather skeptical of this book. So I must admit that I was surprised at the many helpful ideas the book offered.

So if you feel that your life, well, sucks. Read the book, just keep in mind that doing something about your life requires far more than reading a book. Perhaps the next title should be, "Beyond a Life That Sucks,"

Alan Cohen has distilled the essence of hundreds of self help and consciousness raising tenets, and in the process created a simple yet powerful antidote to the ailment of the "sucky" life.

With a writing style that is humorous and humble, straightforward and non-judgmental, Cohen takes the reader through a journey of self-discovery that reminds us that the ultimate power over our lives lies in our hands alone. He covers ten basic reasons your life may suck, with anecdotes and personal experiences to illuminate each, and then hands you the keys to unlock the door to your own joyful path.

A great self help book works simply to remind us of what we already know, deep down inside. This book does not give vague hints or mysterious exercises meant to create the illusion of growth. It strips away the nonsense and reminds us that, despite evidence to the contrary, the only thing standing in our way is us.

I loved this book. It was a joy to see myself reflected in its pages. And with its hilarious title, it will be a joy to share it with my family and friends.

Zanne Marie Gray, Editor-in-Chief
BookReview.com

The book was recommended by a friend (actually, I read it because of a gentleman's bet). I thought it was very well written and sincere. It addresses small issues that I didn't really concern myself with but once I got into them in the book I realized how they really did drag me down. It helped motivate me to be more creative, and I'm using the book as a step to persue a new job.

The conversational and anectdotal nature of the book is what kept me interested. I recommend it to others as well, even if you think you have no use for an inspirational book. I've never read anything by Alan Cohen before, but I recommend him now.

This is one of the most enjoyable books I have read recently; I could not have loved it more had I written it myself! As one might infer from the title, Alan Cohen gets right to the point and holds nothing back in this marvelously insightful work. Without preaching or being overly idealistic, Cohen has written the ideal self-help book.

He writes with candor and humor, in a style which is easy to read and downright entertaining. "Why Your Life Sucks" is chock-full of interesting, funny and touching stories, which will enlighten anyone wishing to bring their life into harmony and balance. Cohen's words resonate with sincerity and truth, which serves as testimonial to the fact that he writes from experience, teaches by example, and is a gifted and eloquent storyteller.

Cohen presents 10 reasons why life can suck, and provides useful, solid suggestions for rectifying those "sucky" situations; situations which will sap your energy and undermine your quality of life. In this book you will discover how to transform challenges and perceived obstacles into gifts of joy.

The reader is given valuable lessons, such as that when one trusts their intution and acts on those inner senses, synchronicity works with amazing precision. He advises that asking for what you want increases your chances of receiving it. A beautiful message imparted by Cohen is that you don't need to wait until you die for God to remind you how wonderful you are. Remind yourself now, as you play out the game of your life.

Don't let the title throw you; this book is a true gem. I found it to be thoroughly engaging from beginning to end, and think that you will too. Reading this book will help you to turn your life into a suckless success!

I just finished reading Alan H. Cohen's marvelous book, "Why Your Life Sucks, And What You Can Do About It." I have to say that this book is a "must have" for those that wish to pursue a deeper meaning in their lives.

Cohen takes teachings from various world religions and spiritual belief systems, and blends them with various psychological techniques and philosophical perspectives to help us change the traits that cause our lives to "suck." I found material in this book that spanned across the entire spectrum of religious preferences (from Christianity to Buddhism, and I even found thoughts and ideas that even Satanists would agree with!) By combining these "words of wisdom" passed down through the ages, with modern examples and explanations, this book makes a great effort at showing you how you can turn your life around and keep it from "sucking!"

If you combine all of the relevant information found in this book, along with Alan Cohen's creative and enlightening method of writing, it's no wonder that this book has become one of my favorites mere minutes after reading it for the first, and certainly not the last, time!

I have read almost all(almost) of the metaphysical, spiritual and self-help books out there, and Alan Cohen is power-packed with upliftment! If you think your life sucks, don't be ashamed, angry, or complacent -- read this book! Alan is funny, upbeat, and incredibly wise about how we use our energy. The line that got me to buy this book was about "your energy is your most important currency." And here I was, worrying about my money! or lack of it. You won't want to put this book down, and he divides it into mini-chapters with fascinating subheads like
"You Waste Your Energy on Things That Suck," "You Say Yes When you Mean No," "You Starve Your Soul," etc. One of my favorite lines is "striving to make more money without an attitudinal shift is like fighting for peace. You can't get there from here." That's his approach to any area of your life you think sucks: you have to back up, turn the car around and take a look at how you are driving. Alan Cohen is down-to-earth, colorful, and specific about how to get out of the muck you're in. One of his lines is "You Label People," and "most labels stuff people into positions smaller than they are." If you are finding yourself kvetching about your life again, becoming grumpy, this high-quality gem of a book will inspire you to change your mind, and show you exactly how to do it. I may have heard some of the pointers he offers before, but never all in one place like this, and rarely with such a genuine conversational warmth. That's it!
That's Alan Cohen. He's genuine. "Never act out of scarcity or panic," he says. So no matter how your day looks, take a deep breath, and read this book. I rate my keeper books using an A.
His is rated A+++++. I've used up my orange marker underlining the whole thing. It's up to you, but if you think your life sucks, what have you got to lose?

I've bought 2 copies of this book, loaned both of them out, and forgot who I loaned them to. As a counselor in a community mental health center, this book is amazing when I work with people who choose to remain "victims" and are unable/unwilling to do anything different. This book is a must-have for therapists but you don't have to be a therapist to benefit from this book.

This is a no mess, no fuss, tell it like it is book. As I read through the pages I found my spine straightening, my spirit rising, and my attitude shifting. Alan's words always touch me deeply and I feel warm and heartened that there is a better way to be. Joy eludes us because we allow it, but we're not always sure how to stop the process and start the new behavior. This book shows us how.

If you're looking for "fluff" don't bother here. Alan gets straight to the point with few wasted words. He speaks from experience and you can tell he's been there done that, and now wishes to offer insight to those of us who are receptive to getting out of the trap of a sucky life.

Truly a jewel in a sea of confusion. I recommend this book for anyone who is seeking clarity and a way of improving their life that works!