TinyThoughtGuy

Our addictive programming - how we think the world should be - is what keeps us from fully experiencing and appreciating life. Like computers, or robots, the only way we improve things is by changing the inner programming, not the outer conditions. If we live in the world of “want” we will never have enough. People through-out history have had power, money, fame, etc., and yet they were not happy because they were always on the quest to get more of their addiction. This becomes a vicious cycle that leaves the person unfulfilled.

In, Your Life is a Gift, Ken Keyes Jr. believes that it is only by changing our consciousness,--by modifying our perception and motivations--that we will be free from the cycle and it is only then that will be able to enjoy life to the fullest. Our addictions, defined as, “…any demand or expectation that you place upon yourself, another person, or a situation in your life which can AUTOMATICALLY trigger separating emotions,” must be transformed into preferences. In order to modify this “program of addiction” we can make use of the “12 Pathways” to help us emotionally accept the here and now. Once we accept what is, then we can go about transforming it.

Half of the book, the pages on the left-hand side, consists of drawings/cartoons that directly relate to the message that is being shared on the right-hand page. I find the drawings do add to the message by making the material more interesting and easier to retain. With the drawings, large font and wide margins, this book is a VERY fast read.

The fact that the book can be so quickly read, and the fact that it is written in a very easy to follow manner, creates the illusion that transforming our years/decades of programming is a “fait accompli.” It is not my place to say that the transformation must take a long time, for some people it might very well happen in a fraction of a second; however, I think it is important that people do not feel that they “failed’ in their transformation because the process took longer than the reader assumed it should. The Pathways, although crucial to the process, are not discussed at length, and I feel this omission is a potential hindrance to people who are not familiar with them. **(As a side note, Ken explicitly states that a more in-depth explanation of the “12 Pathways” is presented in his other book, How to Enjoy Your Life In spite of it All).

Towards the end of the book Ken shares the age-old adage that a journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step and that “Reading this book is one more step.” I would say that this is a concise statement yet, I would add the caveat that some people might find this book to be only a baby-step.

With all of mylengthy reviews thus far, I think it is time to make one short and sweet, well at least short and not bitter=;0)

Written in 1925, by one of the few females in the New Thought/New Age/Self-Help genre at the time, Florence Scovel Shinn’s first book, “The Game of Life and How to Play It” made for an informative read. Certainly, some of the examples and societal norms have changed in the 90 years since it was written; however, the wisdom contained on the pages of the aforementioned title still applies to this day.

In a style that is exuberant and easy to read, Florence advocates that, “…what man images, sooner or later externalizes in his affairs” and that in order to ensure success in this outer world/physical world, in the “Game of Life,” a person needs to have a knowledge of the inner world, the world of the spiritual.

Our thoughts, positive and negative, go out into the world and manifest in kind: thoughts of fear and worry materialize undesirable conditions and events while positive thoughts serve to improve our well-being. In her words, “The Game of Life is a game of boomerangs. Man’s thoughts, deeds and words, return to him sooner or later, with astounding accuracy.”

Florence goes on to blend the concepts of the conscious and subconscious minds with frequent references to Scripture, more so than any of her contemporaries that I have read to date. I did find some of the perspectives intriguing, for example when Florence states, “The fear of the Lord (law) is the beginning of wisdom. If we read the word Lord, law, it will make many passages in the Bible much clearer.” I would concur with her assertion, yet the frequency of Biblical references in this book was a little excessive for my tastes. I realize that this is just a personal bias and some readers might find this aspect of her writing to be the most poignant: Amen.

I want to state right at the outset, and although this is obvious to many, it seems that some people know that this is an autobiography, yet do not UNDERSTAND that this is an autobiography. What I am saying is that previous books written by Wayne Dyer focus on an idea, issue, etc. in which some personal experiences are shared. This book is about Wayne’s journey through life and that necessitates a frequent use of "I." Personally, I did not find this book self-aggrandizing, and people who read biographies can likely relate to the style in which, I can See Clearly Now, is written; however, people that expect this book to be written in Wayne’s traditional style need to be conscientious of this "different" perspective.

Now that the caveat is out of the way, for those familiar with Wayne’s work, you will find numerous stories and anecdotes that he has shared during his 40+ years or writing and sharing...it’s hard to believe that Your Erroneous Zones came out in the mid-70’s!!! Many of the stories and personal experiences that have been shared during Wayne’s journey are finally compiled in one place, in a chronological order, that is easy to follow.

Wayne starts out with the early days in Detroit where he lived in an orphanage, his days in school and then he progresses through his post-secondary years, his time in the navy, and then through the creation of his 41 books. Along the way Wayne shares the encounters he has had with some of the significant “change agents” in his life, people like: Mother Teresa, Ken Keys Jr., Viktor Frankl, Guruji, Edwarda, Abraham Maslow and so many others. The names however, are not as important as the messages that came with them. It seems that every time a new person intersected Wayne’s path there was a new unfoldment, a new way of seeing the world. Some of the encounters were pleasant, some not so much, yet all the encounters contained new seeds of experience that helped Wayne expand his consciousness.

As his consciousness grew so too did his writing evolve from the physical/cerebral world into the world of the subconscious/spiritual . Going from Your Erroneous Zones to his later books, such as The Power of Intention or Wishes Fulfilled, there is a definite shift. I would concur with Wayne’s own conclusion that there is a Divine hand in this process and that all of the events in his journey have “conspired” to carry him along the path that he needed to travel to fulfill his dharma. Although hindsight is the rest stop we don’t get to enjoy until after the bumpy roads are behind us, the fact that we can “see clearly”, even after-the-fact, is a blessing that we can share with others as they travel on their own bumpy roads. The fact that Wayne is sharing his road map is the most significant aspect of I can See Clearly Now: the reader gets to share in experiences that can connect us on a universal/soul level. In other words, Wayne candidly shares his experiences AND these then form the foundation of an idea/concept/lesson that others can benefit from.

I am grateful that Wayne wrote and shared I Can See Clearly Now from the perspective of a curious onlooker - I enjoyed reading about Wayne’s personal journey thus far - and I also enjoyed this book from the perspective of a student of life – learning as I go.

To emphasize some of my previous ramblings, I Can See Clearly Now is definitely written from different perspective than Dr. Wayne Dyer’s other books: this is an autobiography. If you have read and enjoyed Wayne Dyer’s other books AND you are curious to learn more about his personal experiences then you will likely enjoy I Can See Clearly Now. On the other hand, if you are looking for a book that is exclusively a “how-to” book, or simply another book from Wayne Dyer that is written in the same style as his earlier books, then I Can See Clearly Now might not be the book you are looking for.

As a side note, ironically and synchronistically perhaps, before the release of “I Can See Clearly Now” was announced, I was reading another book by Dr. Dyer and thought that it would be wonderful to have more insight, in a chronological order, into Wayne’s life. Well, it is said “Ask and ye shall receive” and perhaps one could even take that a step further and say “Think and ye shall receive” because in this case my thoughts were answered and I now have the book I had hoped for.

“Ok, to put this in perspective, this book has been on the market for about 115 years!!, and it is still widely published to this day. Ralph was/is regarded as one of the original founding voices of the New Thought movement, and with books like, In Tune with the Infinite, it is easy to see why.
Unlike some of the other books from this era & in this genre, such as Prentice Mulford’s book, Thoughts are Things, this book is linguistically easy to read.

That being said, the main premise of this book is very similar to others in the genre with the belief that our internal dialogue and beliefs are manifest in the external: essentially our thoughts create our reality, “…so far as the physical life is concerned, all life is from within outwards.” Thoughts are forces and when we realize the power within us and truly believe in that ability, then we can create a reality that we want rather than live in the reality that appears beyond our control, “Thoughts are forces, subtle, vital, creative, continually building and shaping our lives according to their nature. It is in this way that the life always and inevitably follows the thought.”

This of course means that we need to take responsibility for our thoughts and for the outcomes that come as a result of them, an idea that many people do not wish to entertain because it is far easier to place blame on external forces.Compounding the problem is that fear thoughts will bring with them consequences that are in opposition to what we desire. We manifest what we think about not what we want.

“The mind is everything, what you think you become.” Buddha

For those reading my other reviews this may be redundant; however, I add it here for those that have not read my reviews from similar authors: if you are deathly allergic to some of the labels/terms associated with religion, terms such as God, Jesus or spirit, then you might not enjoy this book, nor the other New Thought Books with similar messages.

In order to have a conversation about the unseen world, the world of cause, we need to get over the dogma associated with formal religions and see these labels simply as terms of reference for meaningful discussion. We can substitute any label we like, the essence remains the same.

Personally, I did not find this book to be ‘preachy’ or in any way advocating organized religion. The concepts on these pages, as with the other books in this area, if applied, have the power to transform our lives by allowing us to reclaim our power from the external. Of course this requires that we are honest with ourselves and that we take responsibility for both the ‘good’ and ‘bad’ alike.

Although not as old as some of the original books in the “New Thought” movement, I still consider Ernest Holmes’ second book, Creative Mind and Success, as a classic in the field of personal development.

I have yet to read any of Ernest’s other books, including the predecessor to this book; however, I must say that I enjoy his writing style and I really resonate with his views on the nature of reality and creation. The main premise of this book is that everything in this universe was created from consciousness, “The starting point of our thought must always begin with our experiences. We all know that life is, else we could not even think that we are. Since we can think, say and feel, we must be. We live, we are conscious of life; therefore we must be and life must be. If we are life and consciousness (self- knowing) then it follows that we must have come from the life and consciousness.”

Continuing on, Ernest explains that we direct this consciousness through our thoughts, which then in turn will create our reality, “By the activity of our thought things come into our life,…” and “Just as the creative power of the soil receives all seats put into it, and at once begins to work on them, so mind must receive all thought and at once began to operate on it. Thus we find that all thought has some power in our lives over our conditions.”

To put it another way, if we dwell on the negative, we are drawing to ourselves more negativity and if we wish to improve the quality of our lives we need to intentionally focus our thoughts on the positive. The idea is that the power of creation (consciousness, God, whatever label you wish to use) does not impede our free will so it will not judge our intentions; it will simply manifest to the extent that we focus on a specific outcome.

I don’t want to give the impression that this book is convoluted or overly intellectual -by trying to condense pages of ideas into a brief book summary might make the ideas seem more convoluted than they are in the book. The ideas are presented in a more modern writing style than some of the other, early books in this field and the information is presented in a logical flow; however, potential readers should realize that this topic does require a great deal of introspection and an open mind. Furthermore, due to the nature of the topic there will necessarily be numerous references to spirituality/religion.

I do not have any religious affiliation and I do not enjoy reading religious texts and while Ernest does have numerous Biblical references, they flowed with the topics and did not come across as preaching.

This book is only 63 pages long and at this point in my journey I have not read a book that so concisely and eloquently speaks to the nature of consciousness and the power of thought. I know that I will read this book several more times and I suspect that every time I do I will glean a little more from the life-altering words within.

An empowering and transformative book written in the early 1950’s with truths that are just as powerful today as they were then.

The main premise put forth by Neville Goddard is that our thoughts create our reality. More specifically, by focusing our attention on our imagination and seeing ourselves as we wish to be, rather than how we are, we put into motion forces that will manifest our intention, “If you will not imagine yourself as other than what you are, then you remain as you are,…”

Neville goes on to assert that the more focused we are, the more quickly and the more easily our imagination manifests into physical reality, “Your attention must be developed, controlled, and concentrated in order to change your concept of yourself successfully and thereby change your future. Imagination is able to do anything, but only according to the internal direction of your attention.”

For those thinking that this concept might sound familiar, it’s likely because the same underlying process has been the topic of numerous books and several movies over the last decade - The Secret and What the Bleep being two of them.

One final point I would like to make is that Neville seems to have been very well versed in Biblical scriptures and my knowledge in this areas is essentially non-existent; therefore, the numerous Biblical interpretations Neville makes are unfamiliar to me and, while they seem to be accurate, I can’t speak to how the more devout religious reader will accept his interpretations.

Overall this book contains some empowering ideas that will undoubtedly improve the quality of my life and I am glad that I purchased a copy that I can frequently refer to. I find it wonderful that at a time in history when most people in the Western world were thinking about the physical nature of reality, there were a few individuals, like Prentice Mulford, that endeavored to “wake” people up to the power of thought.

Ideas such as, “Your real self moves with inconceivable rapidity as your thought moves” or that, “To say ‘Impossible!’ is to set up your relatively weak limit of comprehension as the standard of the universe. It is audacious as to attempt the measurement of endless space with a yardstick” were likely not normal topics at the dinner table or even in most literary circles and hence, Prenitice is regarded as one of the pioneers in the “New Thought” movement.
Many of today’s authors who discuss the power of thought and manifestation would likely credit the ideas and words of Prentice Mulford as being essential in this area of experience.

On the “negative side”, if I can call it that, with this book being written over 120 years ago, I sometimes found the “older” literary style to be a little foreign to me and on more than one occasion I had to re-read a section to get the gist of what was being said.

Another aspect of the book that I didn’t resonate with were the sections titled, “Immortality of the Flesh” and “The attraction of Asperation.” I understand that this is only a personal preference and I am sure there will be people who enjoy this part of the book as well.

As a final point of clarification for those contemplating whether or not they want to read this book, I will have to admit to one of my sins: I use a highlighter while I read!!! I know this is blasphemy to many, but I find it really beneficial and I promise I would never do it in your book =;0) In any case, I have fewer highlights in this book than in other books related to this topic; however, the quality of the highlighted material is second to none.

Overall this book contains some empowering ideas that will undoubtedly improve the quality of my life and I am glad that I purchased a copy that I can frequently refer to. I find it wonderful that at a time in history when most people in the Western world were thinking about the physical nature of reality, there were a few individuals, like Prentice Mulford, that endeavored to “wake” people up to the power of thought.

Ideas such as, “Your real self moves with inconceivable rapidity as your thought moves” or that, “To say ‘Impossible!’ is to set up your relatively weak limit of comprehension as the standard of the universe. It is audacious as to attempt the measurement of endless space with a yardstick” were likely not normal topics at the dinner table or even in most literary circles and hence, Prenitice is regarded as one of the pioneers in the “New Thought” movement.

Many of today’s authors who discuss the power of thought and manifestation would likely credit the ideas and words of Prentice Mulford as being essential in this area of experience.
On the “negative side”, if I can call it that, with this book being written over 120 years ago, I sometimes found the “older” literary style to be a little foreign to me and on more than one occasion I had to re-read a section to get the gist of what was being said.

Another aspect of the book that I didn’t resonate with were the sections titled, “Immortality of the Flesh” and “The attraction of Asperation.” I understand that this is only a personal preference and I am sure there will be people who enjoy this part of the book as well.

As a final point of clarification for those contemplating whether or not they want to read this book, I will have to admit to one of my sins: I use a highlighter while I read!!! I know this is a blasphemy to many, but I find it really beneficial and I promise I would never do it in your book =;0) In any case, I have fewer highlights in this book than in other books related to this topic; however, the quality of the highlighted material is second to none.

With a wonderful, light-hearted attitude, Peter McWilliams shares his thoughts, and quotes from many of the greats in history, as he discusses how our thoughts form our reality. Indeed, from the very first sentences in the book we get the essence of everything that the author is trying to say,

“A simple thought. A few micromilliwatts of energy flowing through our brain. A seemingly innocuous, almost ephemeral event. And yet, a thought—or, more accurately, a carefully orchestrated series of thoughts—has a significant impact on our mind, our body, and our emotions.”

On this journey to help us purge our mind of negative thinking, all aspects of life are discussed and no excuse is left undisturbed. Life-threatening illness, the death of a loved one, failed relationships, addictions and many other “reasons” for negative thinking are all addressed, as are the negative emotions that are often associated with some of life’s most trying circumstances.

Simply bringing our negative thoughts into the light of awareness is not enough, so Peter emphasizes the steps we can take to focus on the positive aspects in our lives. Pro-active steps to better thinking include: meditation, visualization, using affirmations, having an attitude of gratitude and learning forgiveness.
This is quite a lengthy book, and the information is quite extensive, so if you’re expecting a quick read this might not be what you are looking for. On the other hand, if you truly want to make your life better, and if you are truly interested in reading a book that will help eliminate stinkin’ thinkin’, then this could be precisely what you need to read.

I find this book review somewhat more difficult to write than other reviews in the “New-Age/ Self-Help” genre because I quite enjoyed the earlier chapters and then there were some chapters that I did not care for. Some of the information in The Magic in Your Mind really resonated with me, and then some of the information was completely contrary to my views. I’m not saying that if a book doesn’t reinforce my views then it is no good; on the contrary, I believe that “If you simply believe everything you read, why read?” So, based solely on the quality of the information, I find this book to be well worth the read; however, I did find some parts of The Magic in your Mind to be contradictory to others parts of the book and I did find some of the ideas a little redundant.

In general, the premise that U.S. Andersen advocates is that there is a universal “Secret Self” (or subconscious mind) that is separate from our ego based “Surface Self”, “Between the surface self and the Secret Self lies and opaque wall, impenetrable to the gaze of the ego and yielding its secrets only to one who has expanded his consciousness beyond the limits of his conscious mind.” It is only through overcoming the dependence on our five senses that we are able to connect with our Secret Self, “To get outside and free from the grip of the senses is the only path to discovery of the Secret Self.”

In other words, Andersen is saying that our physical senses only perceive an infinitesimally small portion of reality and we then use this information to support the egoic notion that we are separate from everything else. So, how does one escape this invisible prison? By making use of our imagination, primarily through visualization we can create a new reality that frees us from the physical limits that confine us. As many others have stated throughout history, it is our thoughts that create our reality and, echoing this belief, Andersen states, “It is deeply significant that we exist by grace of thought, and it is even more significant that at any particular time we are the sum total of the thoughts we hold in mind.” Andersen goes on to say that, “A man is with his mind twenty-four hours of every day, and he never ceases to think. He is influenced a thousand times more by the thoughts that cross his consciousness then he ever is by the situations he encounters in the sensual world.”

Aside from the essential message about the power of our thoughts, the book also delves into: how fear robs us of our power and how risk taking is a necessary ingredient to personal development/success, how knowledge can actually inhibit growth, the fact that guilt and hostility are “accoutrements” of the ego that need to be dispelled and the important role that intuition plays in our lives.

In all, an empowering book with many positive points to ponder.

As a final point for anyone considering this book, I should mention that U.S. Andersen has a writing style that might be considered more “intellectual” than some of the other authors in this genre. This is neither negative or positive, I just wanted to make mention of this point in case some potential readers have challenges with more “scholarly” authors

A superb book!! There are some books that you read and understand on a mental level, and then there are a select few books that really resonate with you on a deeper level, they touch something deep inside of you; for me, this is one of those books.

Positive Thoughts Positive Action really brings home the point that regardless of who we are, where we come from, or how positive we want to be, “undesirable” and unexpected events will rock all of our worlds at some time or another. This book shares some very tragic events that shook people to their core, yet they still seemed to “get through it.” In many cases the people mentioned had every reason to give up and feel sorry for themselves, and they chose another way: to keep going regardless of their exterior circumstances. People in concentration camps doing kind things for one another, young people who had devastating accidents, people living in the worst economic conditions and children that were abused all succeeded in spite of their circumstances because they wouldn’t allow those external events to pollute their internal world. One of the authors, Arnold Fox, was born into abject poverty and he escaped that to become a doctor, author and an inspiration to many. Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Edison, Clark Gable and an endless list of successful people listed on these pages all had their share of obstacles.

As the title states though, in addition to positive thoughts positive action is also an integral to personal well-being. By thinking positively we have fewer health challenges, thereby giving us more energy for creative processes. Rather than being stuck in fear, we see opportunities and we are able to pursue them. Thinking positively allows us to take control of our lives and this in turn promotes greater health and happiness. As we take care of ourselves, we are not a burden to others and indeed, we can even become an inspiration to others.

I do find the stories and ideas in this book to be very inspiring and I am grateful that I was able to acquire it before it became scarce (for some reason, a day or two after I purchased it on Amazon.ca, there are no longer any copies available, other than from a secondary source, at a cost of $57). If you can get this book, at a price you can afford, I would recommend getting a copy for yourself and/or a loved one.

PS: If anybody reading this review knows of a website for Arnold or Barry Fox, or has contact information for them, can you please email me, I would like to get into contact with them.

Irresistible, one page cartoons related to personal transformation and Buddhism.

With this being a really short book, I think it is appropriate to keep the review short as well.
I received this book as a gift several years ago and I just recently picked it up again: I’m glad I did. The series of one-page cartoons have provided me with a lot of chuckles and even more belly-laughs. In addition to the cartoons being humourous, many of the cartoons can also be understood at a deeper level. If you want a little more (pun intended) humour in your life, or if you want to give somebody a lovely little gift, this book could very well be it.

Brock Tully has pedaled tens-of-thousands of miles on his bicycle, spreading a message of kindness wherever he goes and, true to is nature, he has once again produced a book that shares inspirational and mind expanding thoughts that will move the world to a kinder place.

The “Great Gift” combines some thoughts from Brock’s earlier books, as well as several new ones, along with a short story that will surely give readers pause for reflection. Although the short story will likely strike a chord with younger readers, the thoughts themselves will appeal to a diverse audience as many of them share deep, profound truths.

Accompanying the thoughts are illustrations that younger readers will certainly find interesting and should still bring a smile to the face of even more “serious” seekers.

Overall, Brock’s words reflect his life, and his life is a message of kindness and tolerance. For anyone looking for more of a light-hearted read that resonates on several levels, for those wanting to share a message of kindness with a kindred spirit, this could be precisely the book you are looking for…or perhaps this is the book that is looking for you.

Considering that Jack Canfield co-authored the best-selling Chicken Soup For The Soul series, which have sold more than 500 million copies, add to that the numerous other successful books and his personal development programs and one can certainly say that he understands how to create a “life of your dreams.”

I realize that there are numerous books on the market promoting the law of attraction and how to incorporate it into one’s own life; however, while I certainly can’t say that I have read most of them, I find that of the ones that I have read, numerous ones only deal with a cursory examination of the law. In this book, Jack Canfield’s Key to living the Law of Attraction ,I find that the authors do a good job of explaining the law and, most importantly, they provide some direction into how to incorporate the law into one’s life.

The authors suggest that some of the key components of implementing the law of attraction include using affirmations, visualization, prayer and meditation, and they discuss the importance of gratitude, attitude, beliefs and, of course, taking action.

Sprinkled throughout the book are relevant quotes from notable people in history and there is ample room for the reader to put onto paper the answers or the various exercises that the authors provide.
As with so many things in life, it is one thing to “know” something on a conscious level, yet it is often a process that requires work at a deeper level to create lasting changes and true wisdom. Overall, this book is not a “cumbersome/heavy” read, it is quite enjoyable and written in a manner that is easy to follow. I think that anybody interested in harnessing the law of attraction would enjoy the information contained in this book and they would benefit from completing the exercises provided.

I am certainly no expert in the realm of Quantum physics; however, in this day and age when the term “quantum” seems to be applied to everything except canned milk, it is refreshing to find a book wherein the word is used in a genuine and relevant manner and Cynthia Sue Larson’s latest book, Quantum Jumps certainly does fulfill the quantum content quota.

When the layperson hears the term “quantum” the tendency is probably for them to envision wild-eyed scientists madly covering the classroom chalkboard with indiscernible characters and computations. While this mental image may indeed contain some truth, many people may not realize that the quantum world impacts us every moment of everyday, nor would most people realize that what happens at this subatomic level touches all aspects of our lives.

While still in its infancy, the science of the really, really small (quantum physics) is captivating the minds of some of the best minds alive today. The idea that the basic building blocks of everything known and unknown comes from “stuff” we can’t define stretches our understanding of the nature of reality and the universe; however, while Quantum Jumps shares some mind-expanding, as well as some mind bending, concepts, the information is presented in a manner that is respectful of people whose knowledge is limited in this area. Those with no knowledge of quantum physics will not likely be overwhelmed by the information (the first chapter is the most intense, but a deep understanding of these concepts isn’t necessary to get the benefit of later chapters) and those with some exposure to Quantum physics will likely still find new and unique concepts as well.

Some of the deeper concepts discussed on the first pages of the book include Quantum Entanglement, Quantum Teleportation, Quantum Tunneling, the Placebo Effect and, of course, how all of these ideas are connected to Quantum Jumps.

Regardless of a person's previous exposure to quantum concepts, I think that one of the most intriguing aspects of Quantum Jumps is that it touches on the vast interconnectedness between the quantum world and our observable reality. Certainly there is a healthy smattering of facts, figures and scientific experiments to keep you on your toes, but there are also healthy doses of anecdotal stories and experiences that keep the material at a “human” level. Indeed, one of the greatest gifts that the author gives is that she connects all of the science to the human experience and she provides exercises that everyone can make use of to incorporate quantum jumps into daily life.

Cynthia discusses the benefits of taking quantum jumps, she shares the three steps required for a quantum jump to take place, she provides several exercises at the end of each chapter to enhance the quantum jump experience and at the end of the book she gives a list of common questions and their associated answers.

With respect to questions and answers, I think it is important to mention that much of what is happening at the quantum level will intrigue and occupy scientists for many years to come, and perhaps some of the “hard” questions will never be explained with the physical, finite tools that we possess. If you are hoping that any book will give the absolute, final word about what is happening in the quantum realm, or if you are the type of person that requires 100% proof of something before you become convinced of its existence, then the realm of the quantum will likely not give you the answers you seek. The good news though is that, as people living in this quantum environment, we don’t necessarily require all of the answers to make use of quantum laws and quantum jumps to increase our quality of life.

Cynthia states that, “Quantum Jumps is designed to help you open your mind to new beliefs about the nature of reality, and the range of possible realities you can focus on, energize, and choose to live within.” I believe she has successfully lived up to these words in this book & I appreciate her exuberance and dedication in presenting this material.

In contrast to many of the books that I have reviewed here, “Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself” is quite lengthy, at 300+ pages, and those pages contain a great amount of information for anyone trying to reprogram their thought patterns or who are just curious about the mind and how it functions.

I am certainly no speed reader, and with the depth and breadth of knowledge that Joe Dispenza presents in this book it did take some time for me to complete. If I were to summarize the content of this book in my own words, it would be that we all have within us programming that has been learned and acquired over our lifetime thus far. This programming is akin to autopilot where-in we go about our daily routines in an unaware state of mind and even if this programming does not serve our highest good, we continue on thinking that there is nothing we can do to change it. Our past experiences and the emotions associated with them have created a neural network, analogous to a computer program, and when we encounter familiar situations the old programming goes to work and we repeat patterns of behavior, whether “good” or “bad.” On the positive side, we are capable of creating new neural networks when we overcome our self-limiting beliefs by aligning our thoughts and feelings: referred to as quantum creating.

“Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself” very clearly demonstrates that we do indeed have the ability to overcome our limitations and programming by re-envisioning our lives through the use of intent and the quantum field. Although this might sound very technical and daunting, the author does a superb job of clearly illustrating how our minds work, why we think as we do, and most importantly, how to change our thoughts/programming to assist us on our journey rather than hinder us.

The last third of the book goes on to give the process by which we can move toward our new destiny, a process of relaxation and meditation that will dissolve our existing programming and replace it with the new and improved version. This is to say that the old computer software is overwritten with new and improved code that will facilitate our progression to higher awareness and improved states of being.

The bottom line, to quote from the author himself, “You are a multidimensional being who creates your reality.” If you want happy with your life and you are looking to understand why that may be or if you have already progressed past that stage and are looking to make subconscious changes to improve the quality of your life, then this book will be a valuable tool in that process. As I mentioned though, this is not a quick fix solution that is obtained by skipping through a few pages in a seven-step program.