A Short Guide To A Happy Life (2000) - Plot & Excerpts
It is an unspoken rule of mine that self-help books are to be avoided at all costs. It just seems to me that there are just some things that cannot be helped with a book, and people presuming they can change or improve my life in 300 hundred pages or less is a bit disconcerting. Of course, that is just my opinion, and anyone is welcome to disagree with me. That being said, I gave A Short Guide to a Happy Life a chance, though not my usual choice of book, because it was very kindly gifted to me by my (now) former journalism teacher. Having read Anna Quindlen's best seller, I realize now that it only belongs on my self-help shelf for lack of a better place to put it. I also found it surprisingly practical and thoughtful. Quindlen offer concise and honest advice on how to life a happy life in just 50 pages (or less if you discount the pictures). Best of all, she does not presume to know any more about the subject than her readers, confessing to still be a student in life. Quindlen emphasizes the importance of being a good daughter, sister, friend, and partner instead of solely focusing on being successful in your career. “You cannot be really first-rate at your work if your work is all you are," she advises. I could not agree more. Overall, Anna Quindlen does not give much original advice, but she does breathe fresh air into old words of wisdom that is clearly needed. Her clear, unassuming voice feels more like a mother or aunt than an awarding winning author. A Short Guide to a Happy Life is a great gift for anyone graduating high school or college and the perfect read for someone looking for more life advice that comes without steps attached.
This is a good book just to remind you of the one saying I made up in my life and really believe - Life is about moments. Books that remind you of that are always valuable. At first I thought this book was going to do what so many of these "reminding us to live life" books tend to do, which is to generalize those moments as the same for everyone instead of validating that everyones moments are different. She, of course, does tell you the moments that mean much to her but she ends on a great story that let's you know she has thought beyond her world. And the book, is a great reminder that you have to work to cherish your moments. As Quindlen writes in the book, "It would be wonderful if they came to us unsummoned, but particularly in lives as busy as the ones most of us lead now, that won't happen. We have to teach ourselves how to make room for them, to love them, and to live, really live." Quotes"If you win the race race, you're still a rat.""Get a life in which you are not alone. Find people you love, and who love you. And rememer life is not leisure it is work. ""...realize that life is glorious, and that you have no business taking it for granted. Care so deeply about its goodness that you want to spread it around.""Scholl never ends, the classroom is everwhere."
What do You think about A Short Guide To A Happy Life (2000)?
"Exhaust the little moment. Soon it dies. And be it gash or gold it will not come again in this identical disguise." -- Gwendolyn BrooksIt is so easy to forget to live intentionally. Days rush by and we stop noticing our joy, the moments that bring us happiness. Quindlen reminds us to live life for every moment. To live life like a terminal illness where there is only so much time left. Life is short. Embrace it. This is book is like a shot of happiness. In about 15 minutes, you can take in a few words to live by and photos that may tug at your heartstrings.
—Erin
Some excerpts,1.tShow up. Listen. Try to laugh.2.tYou cannot be really good at your work if your work is all you are.3.tGet a life, a real life. Not a manic pursuit of the next promotion.4.tTurn off your cell phone. Keep still. Be present.5.tGet a life in which you are generous.6.tAll of us want to do well, but if we do not do good too then doing well will never be enough.7.tKnowledge of our own mortality is the greatest gift God gives us. It is so easy to exist rather than to live… Unless you know a clock is ticking.8.tWe live in more luxury today than ever before. The things we have today our ancestors thought existed for just the wealthy. And yet, somehow, we are rarely grateful for all this wealth.9.tThe hardest thing of all is to learn to love the journey, not the destination.10.tThis is not a dress rehearsal. Today is the only guarantee you get.11.tThink of life as a terminal illness.12.tSchool never ends. The classroom is everywhere.Recommended by http://jamesclear.com/august-2015-books
—Amit
Short and sweet. If you are familiar with Anna Quindlen's work, she doesn't disappoint here. Her voice comes through clearly and consistently. Her perspective is non-judgmental and approachable. She punctuates herself so simply, I am always left surprised such an order of words could initiate a deep internal conversation for me. "It's so much easier to write a resume than to craft a spirit." She doesn't spend the time talking about those who are happy vs. those who aren't and why- which is what I find happens with a lot of these sort of books. She is just offering an enlightened reminder of what we forget all to often- life is short, be grateful and appreciate even the smallest miracles, privileges, feelings.It is a great coffee table read. Her overarching message for me: "I am still a student, still learning every day how to be human." I walked away from it with a spurt of energy and renewed motivation. What more could you ask for of 50 pages?
—Roxanna
