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Aug 14, 2011

Sharlene rated it:

I have already recommended this book to a friend. I enjoyed listening to the author. Although I wouldn't take everything he says as gospel, he provides many practical and inspiring ideas for self improvement. I love the section of this book that talks about habits. I am trying to incorporate many of his ideas in my life. The stories he shares are interesting and illustrate his points well. I will probably read or listen to this book again, so that I can remember the suggestions and feel inspired More...

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Sep 23, 2010

Armand rated it:

Inspiring book as usual from Joel Osteen. I could have rated it a full 5 stars but I can't seem to fully ride on the author's overly praise to high heavens Gods goodness which includes thanking someone even for a bad service. I wouldn't go that far but would no longer create hell whenever a person gives bad service but would instead call his attention in a proactive and civil way. Still, the book succeed in steering your thoughts to live in faith and trust for becoming a better person through t More...

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Mar 18, 2010

Avaladez1 rated it:

I learned a whol lot from this amazing book. Let me tell you that this man is a genious for his words. This book tells you how to make the best out of life and to love who you are and outhers around you. It also tells his own sense of humor between him and his wife. By far this man here, Joel, is the wisest man I have ever read from. His book inspired me over this past summer to enjoy what the lord has to offer and to appreciate what he has given us.
The reason I was reading this book More...

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Jul 04, 2010

Thurman rated it:

I listened to the audio version of the book "Become a Better You". I enjoyed the emphasis Joel places on faith,and the human potential under God. All of his messages radiate with hope eternal and the faithfulness of God. I sent a copy of the audio to my oldest son who was thrilled to get it and was helped in many ways through the encouragements in each chapter. I must say that I admire Joel Osteen's unwavering focus on faith which he approaches from as many directions as possible. I am More...

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Oct 18, 2009

Christina rated it:

Become a Better You
By Joel Osteen

This book is great for mind power
With God’s approval we’ll tower
We must encourage all others
Honor and praise all our Mothers

Helping another is the way
God will help us throughout the day
Do give Almighty God your trust
Replenishing faith is a must

Live with positive attitude
Each day do show your gratitude
Plan for dreams to become achieved
In God’s time your dream is receiv More...

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Jun 11, 2008

Tina rated it:

With this much positive energy pulsing through his veins, Joel must be on top of the world!

VERY inspiring and spiritual all at the same time. Beautifully written, while incorporating humor and down to earth, relatable stories.

"Joel Osteen is A MARVEL!"

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Jul 05, 2009

Tori rated it:

Let me start off by saying that I abhor organized religion. I find it an outlet for people to act pretentious and judgmental. Don't get me wrong. I like Jesus. I just want to beat the crap out of 98% of my fellow followers and especially church leaders.
With that said, I adore Joel Osteen.
If you have ever seen his show, you know that he applies Christian concepts to day to day lives. He gets it. He understands what people need to feed their souls.
I thought that maybe he was More...

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Apr 11, 2009

Delilah rated it:

Had someone not bought me this book, I may have never read it. The title itself screams self help and I tend to stray from that type of reading. I will say though, the book left me feeling upbeat and positive about what I want to accomplish in my own life. I'm not into literature that banks on using the word "God" a lot but somehow I got over the religous stigma. It is however, constantly referred to throughout the book, so Anti-religious types beware! There are many good points t More...

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Jun 11, 2010

Lorenzo rated it:

now it is my laziness that has prevented me from finishing this book. i am not much of a reader but im making a change. This book is a must read. if you feel you are not at your maximum capacity and you need just a little encouragement and advice this book is just for you. After receiving this book form a Pastor and friend i find myself evaluating who i am, who i want to become and how i intend to get there. Joel Osteen has certainly done it again. Through God's direction he has supplied us with More...

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Jul 24, 2010

Lucy rated it:

Just finished reading this a second time, the most positive book after Norman Vincent Peale, who wrote a powerful book "The power of positive thinking". In today's world we constantly need to be reminded that life is not all about the money, power and prestige as all the advertisement and shows on the TV portray but about the little things in life that really matter. We Americans have grown accustomed to the most luxuries life in the world, and when things do not go according to our de More...

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Feb 02, 2010

Liisa rated it:

I can't help but relate to Joel Osteen's message as 'The Secret' (or Law of Attraction) with a spiritual twist.

He is labelled a 'prosperity preacher' and criticised for encouraging people to believe for the best and have faith but that's just the type of message I want to hear right now.

I 'read' an audio-version of this book in my car, to and from work, and found it easy to listen to, with a clear message. He backs up his message with examples, (both Biblical and persona More...

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Jan 12, 2010

Charmaine rated it:

A life saver! full of enlightenment too! "Become a Better You" provides an understanding of God's words and gifts bestowed to us. Joel gives his own experiences and good insights, always referring to the Bible's verses. His explanation of the passsage meanings are clear and easy to understand. From the first chapter to the last, his messages continued to keep my self-motivation fueled. I find the messages within vital for anyone who wants improvement in the quality of his/her life. Bel More...

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Jul 10, 2010

Denise rated it:

**realy wanted more from this book! it felt very anecdotal, not very real. the middle lagged a little.

**update - obviously this book is sticking in my craw!! ok. I am mad. when i think of this book, i get mad. I don't need a book that's like: "think a bunch of positive thoughts ... i did that and God gave me a lot of stuff ... so you can too! here, i'll prove it: here's a bunch of stuff that happened to some other people - and oh yeah, did I mention I got a bunch of stuff? so ju More...

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Jun 09, 2009

Nicole added it

becoming a better you
By: Joel Osteen
pgs: 400
publisher: Simon & Schuster Adult Publishing Group
ISBN: ISBN-13: 9780743296885

this book helps you to get through stress, and moments where you cant really see where or why things are going a certain way. its interesting to see what thing you can apply to your life to really make you become a better you.

one thing you can really take away from this book, is that you have to be certain with yourself first. m More...

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Jan 16, 2009

Carl rated it:

Joel Osteen has been very influential in my life. This book puts a lot of things into perspective, and has been the spring board for me to strive for better.
I would not consider myself a very religious man, but somebody that is comfortable in his spirituality. Joel Osteen is a minister and relates a lot of his teachings to the bible. This was new territory for me, but Joel has a way of making sense of it all. In my opinion this is a must read.

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Jul 23, 2008

Kristy rated it:

I was inspired by many messages in this book. I listened to the audio version to and from work. The actual author is the one speaking in the audio. It's great. He says, "instead of focusing on weaknesses and faults, you can learn to speak to yourself in more positive ways." This was very sound advice EVERY day considering the difficult relationship I have with a co-worker!

Joel Osteen encourages us to not dwell on negative thoughts so we can reach our full potential. He More...

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Jan 23, 2008

Jami rated it:

This book really and truly disappointed me. I am not one for organized religion, but I have always enjoyed watching Joel Osteen's sermons on television. I wanted to read this book because I think he has a good message and I felt I would get something valuable out of the book.

Although I find Mr. Osteen a brilliant preacher, his writing skills are not. The whole book seemed very repeative to me, with short and choppy sentences. The material did not flow nicely and I had a hard time sta More...

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Dec 12, 2008

Margaret rated it:

I read (audiobook, so technically, "heard") this right after reading "Your Best Life Now," and I'm convinced Joel Osteen has a special gift God's given him for storytelling, edifying and encouraging. It feels like a personal training session on life every time I heard his words. And of course, they're Biblical principles he teaches, with practical anecdotes as examples. EVERYONE should read this.

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Jan 20, 2009

Marlyn is currently reading it

This book is really helping me find myself in how to learn how to love myself more and how to forgive those who have hurt me either intentionally or unintentionally. I am halfway through with the book and I am taking my time to read it so that I can really get to learn who I am and how to change myself so that I can be better for myself for the sake of my relationship, my family and my job.

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Jun 01, 2011

Chris rated it:

He repeated the learned lessons quite a bit but overall accomplished the point of motivating and inspiring oneself to believe in a higher power, focus on the positive and place action behind your thoughts (dreams). Took a minute to finished, had to take a break from the dwelling of points being made. Can't say I'll reread the material anytime soon. Good source for reality check though.

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Nov 27, 2010

Alison rated it:

What a happy book! If you are ever feeling down in the dumps, go ahead and pick this up. It is mainly for those who believe in God though, and he uses that belief to bolster one's confidence. My favorite idea from the book is the concept that your dreams have been placed in your heart by God, so why would you ignore something God wants you to do? A great concept as I always believed my goals were something I came up with. I like the idea that the great Being just kinda installed it inside me.

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Mar 15, 2010

Carol rated it:

I listened to this on "Playaway" over the last week. Extremely uplifting and encouraging. The author has a way of making you think positively and I found myself much more likely to be kinder to myself and those around me. Overall, I agree with everything he said. The one thing that keeps me from giving this a 5 is that some of his material is EXACTLY out of Stephen Covey's 7 Habits and I think credit should have been given there.

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Oct 13, 2009

Chris rated it:

Sometimes you just need a shot of Joel. Not necessarily religion- but I think he can get you to good and move you into doing good things. You have to create and live into the life you want- simple enough. Most people get bogged down in the I can't. Joel can get you back to I can really easily. Hokey yes- but I still like him!

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Nov 26, 2008

Kelsey rated it:

I so love Joel Osteen and if you love him and watching his services or listening to his podcast- you will love this book too. I went through and highlighted so many things he said in this book and put them in a little notebook for myself because his words and stories are so inspiring to my everyday life.

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Jul 21, 2011

Melissa rated it:

Faith, hope, gratitude, and positive thinking combine for a very uplifting message. I listened to the audio version and it was great to hear the author read his book with his Texas drawl. After finishing I feel like "I'm not gonna let anything get me down, and I'm gonna be happy."

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Feb 07, 2010

Jeff rated it:

Great pastorly advice from a popular big church pastor.
Good spiritual advice as well.

7 keys to becoming a better U is great it will teach U things that U don't think about. This book will help U see what areas in your life U can grow closer to GOD and how to do just that.

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Dec 16, 2008

Runningfox rated it:

Absolutley great book for anyone,any age to read..This is one of the most outstanding positive books I have ever read and is now one of my, if not my favorite books..I recommend this book to anyone and if it does not inspire you and move you,THEN YOU ARE DEAD!

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Dec 29, 2010

Carey rated it:

I've been a Joel Osteen fan for a long time, however, this is the first book of his I've read. I'm an even bigger fan after reading it!!! It reads as if he's sitting down having a conversation with you. I read the book in stages, and approached it as I would a text book. I studied each chapter, took notes...really tried to "use" the book rather than just reading it. Very inspirational!!! He's such a positive person that his excitement was contagious. Even if you're not a religious-mind More...

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Feb 05, 2008

J-T marked it as to-read

I read a chapter today in a Wal-Mart. It seems to me that this guy is not building Christian community. He's not even talking about it. And, he's not talking about how to become a saint. Or a missionary. Or about how to change the world. Or be radical.

He may, however, be getting the Word of the Lord to people. "Don't listen to the accusing voice in your head. That's not the Lord. It's the Enemy." "You're lovable." "God wants you to succeed in the things you are More...

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Sep 07, 2011

Michelle rated it:

Sometimes you just need a book full of motivating one-line imperatives made into prose. Very encouraging. I love that he is general about religion so as to reach a wide audience but not afraid to claim that religion should be a part of every day life.

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