Living Well Emotionally: Break Through to a Life of Happiness

I enjoyed this book very much. I don't have MS, I'm not depressed, and I've never been depressed, yet this book held my attention from beginning to end. It's a great motivational book to get you to start eating right, exercising more, and looking at situations differently. He includes great mini-article type things from experts and I found them to be almost the best parts of the whole book. If you are interested in depression or want to read more in depth about it, there's quite a few pages at the end that includes definitions, warning signs, treatments, etc... that could really help some people out.

I really like this book. I live with chronic back pain and there are days when I think it's just not worth the struggle but this book really did make me feel better. I really like how Montel just says it like it is and gives you a feeling of hope; that you CAN help yourself. And he doesn't just tell you, he actually gives you things you can do. I recommend it.

This book has totally gotten me out of my funk. I have been going through a very hard time recently and Montel's words just inspired me to move forward even though my illness keeps pulling me 2 steps back. It is hard but I know that I can do it.

The author explains the importance of perseverance in everyday life. He cites 3 conditions precedent for happiness. These are doing things (engagement), life circumstances and the genetic makeup. We can impact the first 2 items with community programs and the social safety net. The genetic make-up may be controllable later on this century. Once the genetic code is mapped fully , science itself can begin testing methodologies to alter the genes in order to slow down or eliminate classic disease processes. Depressed people tend to be in a never-ending negative feedback loop. People must break out of this mode by nurturing relationships, being thankful for life, making commitments to strong goals, a generosity of nature/spirit, self-confidence in the face of stress, forgiveness of transgressions (letting go) , living for the now and frequent exercises. The body craves exercise once the regimen is introduced. This book can help a person break through the mold of longstanding negativity to discover the meaning of a life worth living. Dr. Joseph S. Maresca

I thoroughly enjoyed Montel William's latest book, as I have each of his previous books. But, I believe that this could well be the most important of his books. As such, I highly recommend it. Montel, with an assist from his co-author William Doyle, has written an easy to read collection of ideas on leading a life of happiness. He has woven summaries of the work of leading experts on the subject, a large number of reinforcing quotes, and his own philosophies on the subject into a tapestry on happiness and organized the relevant concepts into guidance for the mind, body and soul. He concludes with a thoughtful list of seventeen keys to happiness. Now many authors have shared their advice on happiness in the last couple of years. Professors Seligman and Emmons are leading authorities on the subject of happiness and their recent books (both cited by Montel) are definitely worthy of reading. I so love that academicians are writing more reader friendly books on this important subject. Others, such as Marci Shimoff and Deborah Norville have recently written very enjoyable and useful books on the subject of happiness and the closely related subject of gratitude. But, what makes Montel's book so unique is the context provided by his own compelling story of his "struggles" with MS (Multiple Sclerosis). For me, the descriptions of his struggles (1) help me to focus on his message, and (2) provided me with an instant dose of gratitude (and hence happiness) as to just how good I have it compared to others. (My wife and I are caregivers for a disabled young man, so I get reminded of this lesson daily.) The reason I believe that this is so much more than just another good book on the subject of happiness is because Montel serves up the wisdom of the book from the perspective of one suffering from depression, a condition affecting so many in this country. With the severe downturn in the economy, I expect the number people struggling with depression to increase dramatically. For them, this book can hopefully be a bridge to another way of seeing their situation. Or, at least, a part of such a bridge. In a world where being a celebrity sells books, I have high hopes that this book will be among those widely read by those suffering from depression (another of my recent favorites on the subject of dealing with depression is Kat Tansey's terrific "Choosing To Be.") Kudos, Montel. Your selection of the subject matter and your timing are divine. And, I so respect that you chose to include the Appendix material on Managing Depression from the National Institute of Mental Health.