Peaceful and calm. This is what I felt while I was reading this book. It was easy to read and it came at just the right time. It’s a good reminder to compassionately accept who we are, that we are all interconnected, that suffering is part of life and that it’s not by pushing away painful things that we can be happy. An encouragement to see who we truly are and to observe how we react to our emotions and thoughts. I loved it when… Read More »The Wisdom of No Escape
I liked this book, but I didn’t like it that much. Sometimes I felt it was motivating, but other times I found it a bit “common sense” with what it was trying to teach. The author himself says that he hasn’t made up these habits, that they are just natural laws. It’s well-structured and put together, and I appreciated the examples mentioned. Even if the world has changed since its original publication in 1989, I can see that the content is still relevant today. However,… Read More »The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
I’ve been wanting to read this classic for a number of years and I am so happy I finally got around to it. I found it helpful and engaging that at the beginning of every single chapter there was a practical case to introduce the topic. The author also mentioned many scientific studies to support his theories. Eye-opening, deeply informative, insightful and satisfying, this expertly written book was definitely worth reading. From Goodreads: Everyone knows that high IQ is no guarantee of success, happiness, or… Read More »Emotional Intelligence
Stop and think about two facts: This goes to show how important it is to start developing an awareness of our emotional life and to that end, this book is a must-read. Informative and witty, it can also be read “on-demand”, given that it is what it says on the cover: an encyclopedia. I found the cultural stories behind the emotions particularly interesting. I had never given enough thought to the fact that emotions can be interpreted differently depending on the time, location, culture, etc.… Read More »The Book of Human Emotions
Do you have a vegetable garden? If not, and if you want to live a long and happy life, you might consider having one. You’ve just learned one of the “secrets” of the longest-living people. Sorry for the spoiler. It wasn’t that much of a spoiler, though, wasn’t it? We already knew that. I have been curious about this book for a while given its aggressive promotion and I have become familiar with the Ikigai diagram even before reading the book. In this read, I expected to find some… Read More »Ikigai
The Dalai Lama believes that the purpose of life is to seek happiness. To achieve this you need to do only one thing: train your mind. Because that’s what happiness is, a mental state. The book is not directly written by him, but instead by a Western psychologist who asks him questions about life. The Dalai Lama’s answers show that his mind is open, flexible and gentle, his humanity is real, his wisdom is deep and his teachings are powerful and effective. Funnily enough, he… Read More »The Art of Happiness
The majority of self-help books out there repeat one thing like a broken record: that the problem is your ego, you need to let go of it. In the culture in which we live, which values self-sufficiency and individualism, repeatedly hearing this concept is dangerous because it can trigger a fight with yourself. This book, instead, opens your eyes: the ego exists, it’s there, without it you wouldn’t be able to make sense of your life, it’s the way you live your life. So, instead… Read More »Ego Friendly
The best non-fiction book I’ve read in 2021. I’ve often read reviews about books that changed readers’ lives and had always wondered whether one day that would happen to me. Well, I found it, this is the one. I’ve read it twice this year and I’m sure I’m going to go back to it many other times. It’s a well-organised and inspiring book with lots of practical examples and exercises that will help you integrate meditation and mindfulness in your busy life with a natural attitude and not… Read More »A Monk’s Guide to Happiness