How To Enjoy Your Life In Spite Of It All

by Ken Keyes

Paperback, as pictured; mild cover flaws, as shown; text is excellent (na)

Genres: Self Help, Nonfiction

Paperback

First published January 1, 1993

Reviews

[Leonard Waks · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best guide to personal growth. Based on the ancient wisdom traditions. This is not merely a book; it is a lifelong program of self-transformation. The author provides twelve "pathways" to happiness and personal growth. You do not merely read and ponder them. Instead you commit them to memory and use them as a mantra. Every time you find yourself upset, you repeat them to yourself. One or more will pin point to you the cognitive error you are making in framing your situation. So the twelve, as a set, are like an x-ray into specific erroneous thinking in any upsetting situation.

I found this book at a particularly dark time in my life. By applying the method consistently over about 10 years I went from deeply depressed to consistently happy and productive. I keep these in mind and rehearse them often even forty years after first reading this book.

Some unhappy people turn to self-help books to alleviate their pain. Each book is like a shot of life-giving hope. But no one can make any serious change by reading anything. Life does not work that way. You have to do the work yourself; the author can only be a guide and teacher. But any spiritually sound practice taken on seriously for 10 or more years is bound to bear fruit. If you are a Christian you can read the Bible everyday, read commentaries, pray for understanding - and especially pray when life has upset you. If you are a Buddhist you can read sutras and commentaries, meditate on them, and reflect when you are unhappy about your cravings.

If you have no particular religious affiliation but want to gain the benefits of a steady spiritual practice, this book provides the guide. I do not think there is anything like it in the self-help literature. I am a philosopher, psychologist and educator with almost 60 years of professional experience, and I judge this the single most valuable guide because it is rational, does not promote any dogmas or irrational beliefs, provides clear psychological explanations for each of the twelve pathways and how they work. So it is great as a stand-alone guide or to augment your religious life if you have one.

[John Elbare · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the best and most practical guides to happiness. Ken draws on all great spirtitual traditions and modern psychology to come up with practical ways to re-program your habitual negative thought patterns. I have read it several times and am re-reading it now. Get a copy while you can, it is out-of-print but still available through online booksellers.

[Bsordini · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book had some good ways of changing my thinking to allow me to have more peace of mind. Following all of the pathways might take a lot of practice, but using just one or two of them has made a significant difference in my relationships.