Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
It works!, February 10, 2005
It always amazed me how my grandmother could take a bone from the butcher, some vegetables from the pantry bin, and a 49 cent box of noodles and cook up a soup every bit as tasty as something Daniel Boulud had spent hours agonizing over.
"Use what you got," she would say as she sliced the carrots and searched for spices.
In her book, Barbara Babbit Kaufman reminds us that "Use What You Got" is a great recipe for a happy life---and the primary ingredient is a positive attitude.
This book is not about affirmations, it's a call to action: A positive attitude takes effort---it is a constant conscious choice, and requires concrete action---but there is nothing more important for success in life. When you change your attitude a profound shift occurs--suddenly you realize that "what you got" is far more than you ever knew, and can take you places you never even dreamed.
Ms. Kaufman offers plenty of personal anecdotes to support her thesis. This is a woman who was fired from four jobs and went on to become National Business Woman of the Year. She founded a very successful chain of independent bookstores---taking on giants like Borders and B&N. (The name of the bookstores? Chapter 11. "Prices so low you'd think we were going out of business." Love that!)
What I liked about this book is that it's efficient. It gives you step-by-step advice, and plenty of practical (and invaluable) wisdom: Networking---HOW to build contacts. Setting Goals--How to prioritize. (Perfect for those of us who are disorganized or try to do too much) Showing up for life--This is key. How many of us decide beforehand that something won't be worth our time? OR meet our expectations? Or we won't be up to the challenge? Ms. Kaufman makes it clear that this type of thinking is the biggest obstacle to our success.
I read this book last month, and started using a number of tips right away. It's already paying off.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Love it, August 5, 2004
I love it, I love it, I love it! Simple actions you can take to improve your attitude and get your life moving in a positive direction. Not boring, stuffy or overly complicated. Making lists to keep you in the right direction. Overcoming fear. Making focus easier. Even liveable dietary advice- IF you want/need it! No psychological "mumbo jumbo"-- just practical, doable, useful advice. Your new mantra: "Make it happen." :)
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4.0 out of 5 stars
Attitude: Reverberation of Your Thoughts and Actions , April 25, 2005
Barbara Kaufman shares with you some techniques she has used to keep the right attitude in the face of adversity or success. Ms. Kaufman does not try to prescribe a one-fit-for-all approach to challenges and opportunities occurring in your life. She correctly stresses that creating and keeping a good attitude is a habit to practice, one small step at a time and one day at a time. With some training and/or coaching, it becomes easier to have and keep the right attitude. Attitude is how you physically and emotionally interact with yourself, others and your surrounding environment. Attitude, not weight, looks, brain or luck, will have the greatest impact on how your life plays out. If you have the opportunity, I recommend that you first listen to Ms. Kaufman at one of her appearances before buying her book. Her passionate testimony about her successes and failures in both her private and business life will not leave you indifferent. Ms. Kaufman's testimony will convince you to pick up her book and dig for the nuggets, which are the most relevant to your own, personal experience.
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