It's Up to You: A Practice to Change Your Life by Changing Your Mind (from the Author of Each Day a New Beginning and Let Go Now)

I had bought Change your Thoughts, Change Your Life...and wanted more of its unbelievable help and brilliant messages on a day to day basis, including the written "work". But I found "It's Up to You" less helpful and useful than simply re-reading many parts of Change Your Thoughts and then choosing to write on those. Perhaps I will re-visit it in 2010 but am skeptical.

Karen Casey has authored 18 books, including the bestseller, Each Day a New Beginning. Her writings are often devoted to enhance your personal and spiritual journey. In Casey's 32-year journey living in a 12-step life since she dealt with her own addition, she has helped many others with the concept of taking personal responsibility. Originally she attended Alanon because she wanted to learn how to "fix someone in her life," and while there, learned the lesson that you cannot fix others--only how you react to them. She also realized she was addicted, and since then, attends Alanon and AA meetings weekly. This book is a simple, yet powerful daily walk toward changing your life by changing your mind. Casey has divided our life into 12 chapters, starting with "Tend Your Own Garden." The theme of Chapter 1 is "focus on yourself." She has written a thoughtful meditation for the morning and evening of each day of the week. Although you should read page by page through the 12 weeks-however, as I moved through the book, I could see that some chapters were more powerful to my own life. In Chapter 9, "Do No Harm," Casey writes, "We are either being helpful or not, kind or not, loving or not," - anything short of that misses the point. I also like the concept that everyone who comes into your life is there for a reason--it is not accidental, the good and the bad. And, we have to figure out what we are supposed to learn from that person/situation. Every week the book gives you opportunities for changes-to change YOU!-and no one else. That may be the hardest lesson for us to learn: We cannot changes others; just ourselves. Casey is a powerful giver of positive messages, much needed in today's society with its mean-spiritedness displayed on many levels. If you need to change your life, Case show how you can by changing your mind. Check our review on another Casey book: All We Have Is All We Need: Daily Steps Toward a Peaceful Life. Check her web site for alll her other books--including Change Your Mind and YOur Life Will Follow and Be Who You Want to Be (for tween girls). (Listen to our audio interview with Karen Casey on our Web site.) Armchair Interviews says: Taking responsibility for your life, and how you look at it, will be enhanced with Casey's advice and meditation.