I can't begin to explain the way this book makes you feel. Reading this book made me want to get out in the world and do something nice for someone else. This is a book I will want to read over and over again, and HIGHLY recomend you read it!

What a wonderful book! It pushes all the right buttons, in all the right ways. What more could a reader who needs motivation ask for! These stories are phenomenal, and they deserve everyone's attention. If you have not read it, do so, and if you have think of someone you have not recommended it to, that you could. It's a message worth sending, and, as the book shows, no positive effort is ever wasted! I LOVE this book!

Although I worked on this book with Jackie (I photographed many of the people who are profiled within), it is, of course difficult for me to be unbiased. But after meeting twenty of these exceptional people, it is hard to come away from this book untouched. They are truly an inspiration to us all, with Jackie at front of the class - leading the pack. I am thrilled to be associated with a book like this, a book that can motivate us all to get up and DO SOMETHING FOR OTHERS!

The recipes are fast, easy, and taste great! My husband's favorite is probably the Curried Chicken Salad with Mango - it's a miracle that I can get him to eat a salad for dinner. Now my mom wants it for Christmas.

Joan makes a comment in the book that she hopes it becomes the readers stickypage book. The one you go back to time after time and the pages become sticky from use. It has for me. I was very apprehensive about purchasing a "celebrity" cookbook..looked at it and thumbed the pages no less than six times. But its worth the purchase price for the recipes alone. You don't have to read about Joan if you don't want to. The recipes are fantastic and everyone I have served to guests has elicited raves and requests for copies of the recipes

Well selected collection of quotations, excellent drawings; however the author has got a restricted and ego-centric view of life, people and the world. The example she gives to a stressful situation being a woman getting jealous of a friend who gets a diamond bracelet from her husband as a Valentine day present is the limit!

Joan Lunden's book is very enjoyable. I read it in one seating. It is a collection of inspiring, humorous and life appreciating quotes from many different people including Joan Rivers to the Dali Lama. I found a rekindled appreciation of how great life can be after reading this book.

I highly recommend this book as well as these other great books:

Working On Yourself Doesn't Work written by Ariel & Shya Kane

Life Strategies written by Phil McGraw

Healing Society written by Dr. Seung-Heun Lee

I am an individual that loves to read motivating material. One day while in a book store I saw this familiar face looking back up at me from the shelf and automatically new that this was a book that I needed to read. I found the qoutes to be inspiring and even motivating. This not only effected me at work it also help shed some light on other bleak areas of my personal life as well. I love to collect qoutes and since this book is choc full of them it helped to increase my collection. I would buy this book for any person that I know.

I listen to a lot of tapes about living a healthy life style. I think this one is the most disapointing. She rambles on & on providing only a few usable insights. It wouldn't be so bad if the path she took was inspirational to the average person. Most people can't aford personal trainers, health spas, & expensive fittness centers for the affluent. Those things aren't bad, & they are what helped her. I do a lot of counceling on fittness & nutrition, & the average person that I work with wouldn't relate to making those type of expenditures to live healthy lifestyle. The few things that are applicable to the average person are few & far inbetween.

I have always been a fan of Joan Lunden, but this tape is nothing more than narcissistic musing of her path to growth supported by The Golden Gate Spa and a high dollar fitness club in New York

The tape contributed no new or practical knowledge which one could make use of on their own path to growth.

I have always admired Joan Lunden and followed her on GMA since the birth of her first child. She seemed to be pregnant everytime I was. First my daughter than son than another daughter were born around the same time as her children. I was going through a very low point in my life when I picked up her book in the library. I finished it in a day. I felt so uplifted and have been trying for a long time to make changes in my life also. I am just 50 and it's so hard to find the courage to do things different. My life has been in turmoil for about 5 years now and I have just started to get into inspirational readings and tapes. This book hit such a nerve and I am going to as a result of this read her other books. One of my things was getting back in shape and loosing 20 lbs that has been bothering me for years. I have confirmed my feelings of her being now my hero. I will not climb the titans but I sure will reach my goal of just feeling better about my self. Thank you Joan I have given birth with you, cried with you, laughed with you and this book makes me feel so good about my self again. Barbara

I listened to this book on cassette, and then skimmed the paper version. This particular literary outing of Ms. Lunden and her co-author is disappointing.
Lunden's use of her own life as the model of "10 Positive Principles for Dealing with Change" is unrealistic -- possibly even more so when you hear her own voice expecting you to sympathize with her as she gets up at 4 am, and sympathize again as she struggles to get out of the early-rising habit following her departure from Good Morning America. The author CHOSE that life-style.
The author, as portrayed by the book, is a combination goddess and martyr -- never making a mistake, and yet ever-suffering and brave. Supposedly not slamming the network during her last show is an example of her maxims "take the high road" and "don't burn your bridges." She doesn't mention the unkind comments she made about her husband in the media during their divorce (e.g. Good Housekeeping 11/92).
When she states, "remove failure as an option," she seems to give no thought that a multi-million-dollar income national celebrity has a few more options than most of us. If I'm ever asked to be the guest headliner of a Las Vegas show, or to ride along in a U-2 spy plane, I'll certainly remember Lunden's advice to be brave and go through with it. And I'll be sure to get lots of sleep before considering all those offers to be the star of a TV show, or be spokesperson for a national product. (Yes, she really does use these examples.)
Most readers who are not national celebrities will not identify with the "poor little rich girl." For these readers, her supposed struggles are fantasyland. For $7700 per morning, she can get up on time. Yes, of course, the rich and famous do have real feelings and issues: Lunden simply doesn't touch on those in this book.

I picked this audio book up in a discount store. It was truely what I call a diamond in the rough. Sometimes people give them selves a self evaluation and feel that they need to make changes in their lives but just don't know how or where to begin. I am at that point and thru much prayer my answer came from this book. It makes you realize that though change is a part of life and sometimes it is vital, it is how we handle it that can make the difference. I've read the reviews and I while they are all different it is how we view something as to how we will benefit from it. There are some things I did not agree with and I chose not to focus on those things. There was much that I can use to my advantage and I choose to do just that. My whole life is about to change. From a person who felt that there was no hope I can say keep looking and keep praying. Faith is the substance of things hoped for. Keep an open mind and an open heart and be ready to recieve the blessings.

I recently read this book AGAIN. Joan has so many stories to inspire YOU to find the courage to make the necessary changes in your life. I'll admit I've thought the world of Joan Lunden for a long time and having worked in TV myself for many years, I enjoyed the "inside" stories. However, this book played an important role in helping me to tap into more of the courage, confidence and creativity I needed in making my own career change to authoring my first book, KIDS RULE! The Hopes and Dreams of 21st Century Children. This book gives you even more reasons to love, respect and embrace Joan Lunden and the adventurer inside you!