MSI Press Blog

  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...

    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...

  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...

  What is a book jewel? A sometimes-overlooked book with remarkable insight and potential significance. Each month, we share near-daily, or as often as possible, reviews of the monthly book jewel - short, succinct reviews that can be read in 1-2 minutes with links to the reviewer by reviewers whose words are worthy of being heard and whose opinions are worthy of being considered. Sometimes a couple of minutes contains more impressive thought than ten times that many. We will let you decide that. This month's book jewel is  Road Map to Power  by Syed and Darius Husain . Description What is the true source of authentic power? Offering a detour from the dead end of this "buy more, be more" culture, the authors demonstrate why the traditional routes to power are accessible only for an elite few. Wrapping warm, profound stories of empowerment around an extensive body of research, Road Map to Power is your guide to a life of dignity, satisfaction, and happiness. keywords: authe...