Stop Whining, Start Living

Arrived on time Good book

Dr. Laura Schlessinger received her PhD in Physiology from Columbia University, and her certification in Marriage, Family and Child Counseling from the University of Southern California, becoming a marriage and family therapist. With years of experience in therapy, and many hours of experience on her talk-radio program, she has written many books, including nine New York Times bestsellers. In this book Dr. Laura dispenses advice to those who are ready to stop whining and start living. Using copious examples from her show and from personal correspondences, she shows the readers how they can reject negative thoughts and habits, and embrace a more positive, outward-focused life. Overall, I found this to be a wonderful book. At times it is thought-provoking, and at others it is wonderfully uplifting. I found the examples she used to be excellently used, often making Dr. Laura's point before she has added a thing. I think that this is a great book, one that should be read by everyone who wants to have a positive outlook on life, as we all at one time or another focus too much on ourselves and our problems. I highly recommend this book!

Dr. Laura's focus on there here and now, instead of letting the baggage of the past weigh us down, is critical to the thought process we all go through when it comes to planning the rest of our lives. We have choices. Yes, let us vent and rant and rave, but we can't annoy those who love us for too long, and we can't discharge the venom on those who can't stand us for too long, or we will find our present lives--and the lives of our family and friends--crushed below the residue of our unwillingness to let the past go and to cultivate gratitude for that which we have in our lives NOW. Dr. Laura's clear, simple, pragmatic approach to life is often criticized because of her bluntness, but the method of delivering the message is critical to its overall effect on others; and Dr. Laura has this method wired! She is a wonderful woman with a deep-seeded love for children, and this book, really should offend nobody. If it does, those who are bothered must own up to their own biases and political agendas.

I was prompted to buy this book after seeing Dr. Laura all over TV. As some others who have posted reviews have said, some of the tenets mentioned in the book have been written about before, but that's true of a LOT of self-help books. I thought this was a simple to read, straightforward guide to taking personal responsibility, which I think can't be stressed enough in today's culture of "blame." I work with young adults, many of whom don't think there's any need to take any responsibility for their actions! While they may not be the ones reading this book, their parents sure should be reading it. And anyone who finds themselves in a rut could benefit from this as well. It's very comfortable to "whine" -- to our families, our friends, and even to ourselves. The hard part is (as Dr. Laura says)to STOP whining, and start taking responsibility for the life you want to lead.

What can I say? Well, this book is great. In my life, I have gone through many rollercoasters and sometimes have felt very alone. I have been looking for a good book to read, that will help me with all of my "hurts" in life. This book is the best one yet! I realize that I have been doing a lot of whining, and not much living. I am now more confident in taking on my days and can't wait to begin living! I want to thank Dr. Laura for opening my eyes to a whole new world.

This book is straightforward advice on how to live a happier life based on your attitude. Her concept is simple - You choose whether you want to focus on all the bad things that have happened in life, or choose to focus on the light, no matter how small that light may be. She uses real-life examples from listeners who have called the show and written letters about their life lessons and experiences, then offers commentary and advice on how to apply these concepts to your life. What I also find interesting is that her concepts are not that much different than many of the "positive outlook" pop-psych books that have been extremely popular over the last couple of years. It's good advice, and frankly, it works. I might also mention that some people reviewing here have never even bothered to read the book, they simply give her negative reviews based on her political stance. Someone even wrote a bad review because they disagree with her position on the war. Totally irrelevant! Her political views have basically nothing to do with the premise of this book, which is that the individual is in charge of their own life's happiness. Try having and open mind, and you will most likely find this material very helpful!