The Art of Living Consciously: The Power of Awareness to Transform Everyday Life

What a fantastic book! I've been staying up late reading it the past two nights, and am so excited about what it has to say that I can't sleep. Here's a quote: "Too often, when we suffer the consequences of our unconsciousness, we do not ask, 'How can I learn to be more conscious?' Instead we ask, 'Why is life so difficult? Why do unhappy things always happen to me?"And another one: "Many people have an affair with or marry not a person but a fantasy - then resent the person for not being like their fantasy and then withdraw in bitterness, telling themselves, 'So much for romantic love.' They do not examine the mental processes that led to their selection of a partner; instead, they are angry at a universe in which the road of unconsciousness does not lead to fulfillment."Mr. Branden encourages us to bring full awareness to what we're doing, offering many stories, exercises and much encouragement for doing so. I especially like the chapter on consciousness and spirituality. To the reader below who deplores her new state of awareness: Now you know what you want to do. Buck up your courage, girl, and do it! Have faith in your own abilities, however latent they may be. You can do it!

If you have a pulse, can read, and understand this book can cause you to reflect more consciously about the everyday things that you do in your life than you may have in a long time. If you can withstand that, then doing Nathaniel Branden's exercises which he presents throughout the book will push the envelope even further. He doesn't settle for feel-good platitudes, but the medicines he offers can open us up to possibilities that we have previously not seen through the haze of unconscious behavior and thinking. I have become extremely jaded by a lot of the feel-good new-agey speak that has become closely identified in my mind with "self-esteem" and these days. Initially that association caused me to hesitate in buying this book. To the contrary, and to my relief I found Branden's message free from that kind of shallowness. If you merely seek self-flattery Branden offers none. On a personal note, in this book Branden even succeeded in rehabilitating the word "spirituality" for this once self-identified "atheist" who still occasionally refers to himself as a "secular humanist." On the whole his message proved very accessible, and I even found myself eager to reread it after getting through it the first time.

I thought I knew how to live consciously after meditating (in the Buddhist tradition) for many years, doing all kinds of psycho-spiritual self-help work, two years of psychotherapy, you name it, I have at least tried it. Mr. Brandon's book opened me up to a whole new level of awareness about myself and the world around me. I would consider this required reading for almost anyone who wants to grow in any way, in any direction. It starts out kind of abstract, but hang in there. There are big payoffs all throughout this book. I cannot imagine you will be disappointd.

Starting from the solid base of objectivist rationality, Mr Branden explains the meaning of our most fundamental moral responsibility, which is to live consciously. It also is the only way to develop a consistent , free-of-contradictions view of ourselves and the context in which we seek to live. For a broader treatment you need to dig deep into the Six Pillars of Self-Esteem, for sharper focus he has given us two: one on accepting responsibility and his latest on sustaining an active consciousness. A necessary conversation with yourself is what ensues in deciding the meaning to you. I doubt you can have anything better to do.

In the early seventies just after the publication of The Psychology of Self-Esteem, I went to the library looking for other books on the subject. I found only one other book with self-esteem in its title. Over the years, I've watched closely as the word self-esteem has exploded into American culture, and has become as American as the proverbial apple pie, often with undercurrents of confusion and ignorance. Yet, with Nathaniel Branden, the innovator of the whole movement, the definition has always been the same; what has changed is his ever-increasing knowledge and awareness of the subject, much of which he shares In The Art Of Living Consciously. For those interested in the role of consciousness in improving one's life and one's self esteem -- that one is competent to know one's world, and worthy of happiness -- this will be the book for you. Once again, Nathaniel offers up a treasure chest of personal examples, as well as the examples of his clients. Also, offered is a facinating look into the world of ¨spirituality¨ as seen through the eyes of Mr. Rationality. Here, again, is another powerful and entertaining book from the man who launched the term into public discussion.