MSI Press Blog

  Recently released - the audiobook edition of  How to Get Happy and Stay That Way  by Joanna Romer. Book description: A winningly simple yet comprehensive look at the source of happiness, based on interviews with twelve of the happiest people that the author knows, most of whom have had what others might consider difficult lives. Each "happy person" vignette includes an introspective mini-bio and advice for how readers can attain the same level of happiness. At the end of each chapter (interview), the author provides guidelines for achieving happiness in small steps that any reader can take with confidence. An excellent book for developing self-awareness and an attitude of gratitude, leading to peace and joy. Book Review by RLAManna (Amazon): What is the way to happiness and how does one stay on that path? How do we move beyond hardened views of the world, our place in it, and our often faulty perceptions? If it is true that peace and happiness abide within us, waiting t...

  Excerpt from  How to Get Happy and Stay That Way: Practice Techniques for Putting Joy into Your Life ebook: Anazon Kindle paperback:  MSI Press webstore  (code FF25 gives 25% discount) Don't Let Guilt Block Your Happiness It’s odd to think that guilt can get in the way of happiness, but I know it can because it’s happened to me. There have been times I’ve been so happy that tears come to my eyes—and then I realize something else has gotten into my head, too. That something else is guilt—guilt because I’m happy and other people aren’t. There is no way to get around this reality: not everyone is happy. In fact, there are those who say we should never declare ourselves happy while there are people in the world who are suffering. Some individuals—writers, philosophers—proclaim that to be happy in the world as we know it is a sign of insanity. I don’t agree with either of these concepts. To me, we are most apt to go out of our way to help those less fortunate than ourse...

    excerpt from  How to Get Happy and Stay That Way  (Romer) - INTRODUCTION The “pursuit of happiness” is one of the rights promised in the Declaration of Independence, and most of us spend quite a bit of time engaged in this endeavor. Typically, we think it takes some big event---a wedding, job promotion, fantastic vacation—to bring happiness into our lives. But is this true? Could we, in fact, be happy simply by carrying out our daily activities? I say yes—if those activities are things we really like to do. The key to being happy is to engage on a daily basis in work or play that we love. And the key to turning this happiness into joy is gratitude. This is not an esoteric philosophy. It has nothing to do with reaching Nirvana or some other-worldly frame of mind. Yes, those states of consciousness can point the way—but for everyday happiness we need a practical set of techniques that will work year after year, despite obstacles. In addition to gratitude, these tec...

  With cancer, it does happen. Many stories do not have happy endings, and some endings come sooner than we would like. MSI Press has published several books on bereavement. Broader in scope than the experiences of those who have lost loved ones to cancer, they share many, if not most, of the emotions of those who have grieve for those medical science could not save -- and they give hope and a wide range of options of how to go on and LIVE.  Harnessing the Power of Grief (Julie Potter) get the book or ebook In this book, Julie Potter traces back decades the research on understanding and coping with grief, which she describes as a natural human response to loss. Pulling from the work of Worden, the author prescribes four tasks for those in grief to use in managing their grief. She also walks the reader through special situations like tragic loss without warning. A book for those who are grieving and those who are walking with grievers. Read more posts about Julie and her book H...

  excerpt from How to Get Happy and Stay That Way (Romer) - How Can We Tell When True Happiness Is Ours? Knowing when we are happy may seem like a no-brainer, but actually it can be trickier than it sounds. What seems to be true happiness may be deceptive and turn out to be just a passing phase or, worse, the opposite of happiness. For example, have you ever spent hours, even days, planning an event, and it turns out to be something that sounded much better on paper than it actually was? In this case, it may be that whatever happiness was derived from the situation came from the planning process, and not the event itself. Now there’s nothing wrong with achieving satisfaction from producing an event—event planners will vouch for that! However, it’s important to know whether it’s the process or the result itself that makes us happy, so that we’re not disappointed. But how about simple, everyday happiness, not associated with major projects—how can we accurately tell when happiness i...