Wise Choices: A Spiritual Guide to Making Life's Decisions [Paperback]

Margaret Silf (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2007

With advice that combines ancient spiritual traditions with the common sense of the 21st century, this book offers soothing and practical guidance to the frazzled decision-maker. Those concerned about making the best choices can find techniques for broadening their way of thinking and effectively solving problems that also make sense for them spiritually. From everyday choices to landmark decisions, this book will simplify problem-solving and guide readers through all stages of life.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Her spare prose a mute rebuke to the anecdotal loquaciousness of many self-help books on the spiritual life, Silf aims to help her readers craft thoughtful decisions in a world in which options seem endless and decisions pressing. Stringing her sentences out like scavenger hunt clues in a white landscape, the British author of The Gift of Prayer, Wayfaring and other explorations of spirituality divides her book into five sections on such topics as how to figure out which choices are truly necessary, how to choose with integrity and how to follow up on a decision once made. The slim book is peppered with practical advice, as when Silf advises her readers to avoid the "if-onlys" "what-ifs" and "might-have beens" that often get in the way of decision making. In a particularly helpful segment, Silf includes several discernment tests readers can use to predict the potential consequences of a decision. Some of her longtime fans may be frustrated by the format, lack of illustrations and dearth of overtly Christian content, but they will not be surprised by her commitment to decision making that is careful, forward looking and informed by a sense of responsibility to oneself and to the world. (Apr.)
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Review

"Citizens of the modern Western world face a range of choices—both trivial and monumental—that can be paralyzing and oppressive rather than liberating. In Wise Choices, Margaret Silf offers wise advice, in simple and compassionate language, that can help those who are overcome with doubt."  —Barry Schwartz, author, The Paradox of Choice

"Margaret Silf has written a lovely, sensible book full of gentle wisdom. Faced with choices, as we are every day, this book will remind us of what we know deep down and will encourage us to take those steps that lead to more integrity in our lives."  —Gunilla Norris, author, Inviting Silence

"Truth is complex, but never complicated. The key is to reveal the simple without succumbing to the simplistic. This is the magic of Wise Choices. In language as plain as it is powerful, Silf lays out the choices of life and reveals that in the end making the wise move is always choiceless."  —Rabbi Rami Shapiro, author, The Sacred Art of Lovingkindness

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Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Bluebridge; 1 edition (April 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1933346043
• ISBN-13: 978-1933346045
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 4.8 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #787,637 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Margaret Silf travels widely in her work as a retreat director and speaker on Ignatian spirituality. Her books include Compass Points, Inner Compass, Close to the Heart and Going on Retreat(Loyola Press) and The Gift of Prayer: Embracing the Sacred in the Everyday (Bluebridge). She lives in England.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Simple, Elegant, Excelent, September 13, 2008

By 

Joseph Crick (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Wise Choices: A Spiritual Guide to Making Life's Decisions (Paperback)

This is a wonderful book, packed with a lot of very focused, good advice and guidance---and without a lot of unnecessary stories (something I, personally, get bogged down in reading other growth & wisdom books). The only complaint I have---which is something my partner appreciated---was the formatting of the text in the book: All of the text is centered on the page. My partner appreciated that, because it allowed her to break up each of the sentences on the page into a thought---like reading a poem. However, I am very visually sensitive, and the formatting added an additional challenge to my reading experience. But don't let that stop you from reading this excellent work!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book IS a "Wise Choice", May 4, 2009

By 

Annie (Modesto, CA USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Wise Choices: A Spiritual Guide to Making Life's Decisions (Paperback)

It would be a "wise choice" to buy and reflect on every word of this wonderfully insightful book...I loved the prose, I loved the format, I loved the conciseness and truth of her spiritual wisdom.

"...(remember) that in everything we do,

at every fork in the road of our journey through life,

however large or small,

we have a choice...

The choice is always about "which way forward",

and it always begins right where we are."

This is another wonderful Margaret Silf book on spirituality

and spiritual direction. Highly recommended!

3.0 out of 5 stars Wise Choices, September 12, 2011

By 

Cindy Bellinger (Pecos, New Mexico) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Wise Choices: A Spiritual Guide to Making Life's Decisions (Paperback)

We are all faced with decisions in our lives. Some are monumental while others are small. This slim, thoughtful book helps readers negotiate the process of choosing well and learning from past mistakes. The author combines wisdom of ancient spiritual traditions with 21st century common sense. The result is a lyrical primer for removing the stress of an increasingly complex world.

Wise Choices helps decide which decisions are important, slay nagging doubts and feel confident to trust our own minds. The author writes: "Tuition is something we are given from the outside...Intuition is something that dwells within us--an inner wisdom that prompts us gently about the right course to pursue, the better reaction to a situation." The book also suggests ways to follow through once a decision is made. This is her fourth inspirational book about silencing the outside world and finding inner solace.