Ask and It Is Given

May 31, 2007

caroline rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: those who want to make a big leap in their lives

I am really enjoying this book. It is written in small digestible chunks, and although it is somewhat intense material to engage with originally (it is chanelled from a collective group of beings named Abraham, it is very applicable and has helped me to make some shifts mentally that feel great in my life.

One of their arguments is that something feeling good is evidence of its being in line with who you are. That is advice I can certainly connect with. Very clear and easy to accept. ...more

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Sep 17, 2008

Jessi rated it

Shelves: healing-arts, spirituality

The original teachings of Abraham -- won't ever get tired of re-reading this every so often for a fresh perspective! Love it love it love it!
Love the simplicity, the ease with which the Abraham-Hicks material brings out our natural tendencies towards joyful abundance. Reading Abraham always makes me realize that I have a tendency (and I think all of us who are slightly "overeducated" into believing in "the way things are" do) to overcomplicate most things. It doesn't n...more

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Mar 28, 2008

Raven rated it

Shelves: favourites, spirituality, non-fiction, owned

Read at the right time, especially when on a spiritual path, I think this could be one of those life changing or at least very pivotal books to read. It's very simply set out and easy to comprehend which is great for those who are only just learning or discovering law of attraction. As for people who already know about law of attraction I think it's great for a reminder and for fine tuning what you know.
I did find it to be slightly repetitive but I feel that given the subject and taking in...more

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Aug 21, 2008

Carmen rated it

Wow. This book was kicking aorund my house for 18 months before I read. The cover looked, and the titled sounded, like it was religious. Then I opened it and I started to make all these miraculous things happen. I have found it transformative to say the least. I read it concurrently with 'Conversations with God" so the "channeled writing" aspect didn't phase me, really.

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Oct 29, 2010

Kyra rated it

Shelves: must-read-woo, best-of-woo

Esther Hicks writes for a "nonphysical intelligence" known as Abraham in this former New York Times Best Seller, Ask and It is Given. What I found most interesting in Ask were the deviations from Esther and Jerry (her husband) Hicks' 1989 book A New Beginning I, which predicted various "earth changes" that were on the brink of occurring in 1989, including simultaneous volcanic eruptions that would cover the earth's air with ash. In Ask, these revelations of turbulence are not...moreEsther Hicks writes for a "nonphysical intelligence" known as Abraham in this former New York Times Best Seller, Ask and It is Given. What I found most interesting in Ask were the deviations from Esther and Jerry (her husband) Hicks' 1989 book A New Beginning I, which predicted various "earth changes" that were on the brink of occurring in 1989, including simultaneous volcanic eruptions that would cover the earth's air with ash. In Ask, these revelations of turbulence are not even touched upon. There are also various inconsistencies within Ask regarding Jerry and Esther's initial encounters with Abraham, including an altered-or cleverly tailored version-of Abraham's first words.

As for the "biographical sketch" provided in Ask about Jerry and Esther's life pre-Abraham, it is incredibly vague. It tells us that Jerry was very successful before Abraham, but does not mention that Jerry Hicks was a Crown level distributor at Amway, who was giving seminars about positive thinking and motivation. Only instead of using the Abraham works, he was using those of Napoleon Hill. Dateline did a wonderful expose on Amway, revealing a major business within Amway that was not in selling various appliances/supplies, but in selling motivational courses and materials within the company. It is clear that Jerry was involved in this sort of motivational selling with Think and Grow Rich before his Abraham work. While the effect of Think and Grow Rich on Jerry's life is mentioned in Ask, the Amway link is never made, though it is touched on in various interviews with the Hickses. Of course, this seems to be irrelevant to most readers of the Abraham materials. To me, this was an important fact that made Jerry and Esther appear less like sincere messengers of positive thinking and more like pious frauds for Napoleon Hill.

The chapters in Ask offer an emotional guidance scale to let you know where you are and some 22 processes to help you reach a better feeling place to help you align with those things that you are wanting. The 22 processes include an interesting combination of cognitive therapy, visualization, and New Age woo. Though some of them seem very helpful, there does seem to be some undermining as the processes and rhetoric ask you to set aside critical thinking and replace it with emotional guidance. Also, for the entities that have claimed to not wish to alter our beliefs, these processes suggest otherwise, as they are designed to assist us in altering our beliefs. Various emotional appeals, combined with validation for whatever you want to believe in, make this book very appealing to anyone who wants approval or to believe that they can be, do, or have anything they want. This book operates under the claim that it will help you manifest your desires. But buyers beware, the authors take no responsibility for anything you are unable to manifest using their processes and there are no objective means for testing how well you are doing. And based on the logic presented within the book, even if you are unable to manifest something: All is well. I do not recommend this book to someone trying to manifest something, but rather to someone who wants to become a devotee of one of the most popular channels of our time. When you find yourself needing to listen to their CDs and watch their youtube videos more than anything else, that's when you know you've found a friend.(less)

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Nov 11, 2009

Sherah rated it

The motivation behind this text is not for everyone. By that I mean that not everyone will believe that the collective "Abraham" is speaking through Esther who is then writing it down. That said, I think the message in the book is potentially empowering for all individuals from every faith, or even no faith.

What struck me throughout the book was its emphasis on reaching for a feeling of relief, always striving for a better emotion. I found this incredibly empowering.
...more

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Feb 08, 2011

Sharon rated it

What if you could change your life by changing the direction of your thoughts?

I know that this sounds like what one acquaintance of mine calls "woo-woo,"but bear with me.

Esther and Jerry Hicks are presenting information from Abraham, a Non-Physical Being. (Think Jane Roberts and Seth.) Abraham shares ideas about how the direction of our thoughts manifests change in our lives, and some practical ideas/exercises to help you with the process.

I have be...more

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Dec 06, 2009

mark rated it

Shelves: nonfiction

This book definitely rates AMAZING. I cannot say without doubt that I accept its premise as The Truth; but the application of its tenets can only benefit anyone who applies them. Essentially, it (The teachings of Abraham) are all about Self-Determination, which is what psychotherapy is about. The individual's health and well-being is first and foremost. Given that--the rest will take care of itself. In other words, the world and nature are just fine. Fix yourself; and that by doing so you help ...more

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Sep 27, 2007

Emily rated it

Recommends it for: anyone wanting inspiration/motivation or to improve her life

Shelves: life-changers

Your life really does change when you change your thoughts. It's not easy, but worth it. These books/series/concepts are so inspiring and uplifting to me. I can read this stuff everyday and just feel more energetic, inspired, etc...I never get tired of it. They just released their new one, The Astonishing Power of Emotions, and I went out and got it the first day. I NEVER do that. Warning: it takes an open-mind to really get the most out of this.

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Jan 17, 2009

Fuschia rated it

Recommends it for: all

Recommended to Fuschia by: liz

I started this months ago and just stalled on it after the boring Abraham heavy intro. Picked it up again this week and burned through it. I needed to be in a certain frame of mind to absorb this one.

I liked the processes/activities in the back. This is definately a book I'll need to pick up again in the future.

Please re-design the cover art, it's a very scary super Christian-looking cover.

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Feb 26, 2008

Jessica rated it

Shelves: spirituality, metaphysical, non-fiction, self-help, must-read-spirituality

Truly the best Abraham-Hicks book written! Probably the best, most useful, transformational book I own. This book is most recommended because of 22 processes in the back of the book that turn it into a literal handbook as to how you can revolutionize your life! There is not one other book that I am aware of that has such transformational information between its covers.

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Jan 21, 2008

Cathy Newton rated it

This book changed my thinking, altered my belief system, and greatly improved every aspect of my life! It is the most powerful book I have every read. I just finished reading The Amazing Power of Deliberate Intent by the same authors
and found it be equally as stimulating. The exercises and techniques in these books are fabulous and life-changing.

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Aug 05, 2011

Giovaennchen Lozano rated it

· review of another edition

Este es el cuaderno de trabajo del libro de "pide y se te dará", como ya lo dije antes, solo es para quien esté preparado y dispuesto a recibir estas enseñanzas. Yo diría que se trata de una serie de consejos para dejar de ser adictos a la mala suerte, a la negatividad, a la tragedia y al victimismo. En este libro encontraremos una serie de ejemplos y ejercicios muy concretos para poder cambiar nuestra forma de ver los acontecimientos, de buscar y formar nuestras espectativas sobre el ...more

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Oct 23, 2008

Phil Lamb rated it

Inspiring and hopeful. I enjoy the Hicks and most of their works. I learned that I don't have because I am afraid to ask.
I also learned to think about how the future should be and not how it has to be. I am dreaming bigger because of this read. I also found it more practical than most of the law of attraction books.
Enjoy

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Dec 16, 2009

David Hooper rated it

Classic Law of Attraction book.

Summary...

1. Every thought vibrates.
2. Every thought radiates a signal.
3. Every thought attracts a matching signal back.

Good book. If you're into the Secret and want something deeper, you'll like it. If you're an open-minded Christian and want to know why prayer works, you'll like it.

Good for people who are looking to create a better life for themselves as opposed to being passive observers. If you're blaming bei...more

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Dec 02, 2009

Rowan rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: 2009

Perhaps difficult to deal with the language used, but the techniques are remarkably effective.

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Oct 04, 2011

Johnny Martin rated it

This book definitely contributed to the expansion of my consciousness and awareness on my spiritual journey. The art of manifesting, as described by the Hicks', can be difficult to grasp initially but once understood, the practical techniques given in the book can be used to help make real changes in daily life. I also bought the oracle cards, which can serve as quick refreshers of the teachings and provide positive inspiration from day to day. So if you'd like to take a more active role in crea...more

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Feb 23, 2008

Mary rated it

This book will change your life! Wonderful!

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Mar 05, 2011

Mak M. rated it

· review of another edition

ASK AND IT IS GIVEN is amazing! It is one that you could read again and again because every time you read it you reinforce or see something you may have missed.

If you focus on what you can find good or can appreciate in a bad circumstance or situation, then good positive energy will flow and expand, and conditions will improve. That is helping others along with yourself. Your emotions let you know if you are connecting to your Source Energy, which is all-positive. If you feel bad, y...moreASK AND IT IS GIVEN is amazing! It is one that you could read again and again because every time you read it you reinforce or see something you may have missed.

If you focus on what you can find good or can appreciate in a bad circumstance or situation, then good positive energy will flow and expand, and conditions will improve. That is helping others along with yourself. Your emotions let you know if you are connecting to your Source Energy, which is all-positive. If you feel bad, you are resisting the constant flow of Source Energy. If someone is cruel to you and you feel bad, think a good, positive thought and somehow try to see the good. The information is very simple without being oversimplified or condescending. It's extremely repetitive but repetition is what imbeds information into the brain. Step outside of your earth-bound ego of expecting to be a victim and hoping for some outside force to change. Take charge of your thought process. How do you see the world, with gratitude or grumbling?

Mythomania, toxic control freaks, and so many other delusional personality disorders require therapy and other horrible and sad conditions such as schizophrenia, and other forms of insanity require medication, but the "normal you and I" can gain so much from reading this book. The sad thing is that we all merely want to be liked and accepted by everyone but some push people away because of their own insecurity and lash out in bitterness from the rejection that they inevitably bring on themselves. Simple listening, understanding and reason would solve a lot of problems. But, one thing that is made clear is that we are responsible for our thoughts, to connect to our source energy by choosing better-feeling thoughts. We each are connected to this source and we can't do anything for others that they don't have the power to do. We need to follow our bliss. There wouldn't be war or murder. We have the power to change the way we see and from "seeing" good, we have the power to help others, through association, to help them want to see good and trust in the fact that most of us merely want camaraderie and peace. It is so simple. It is right in front of our noses. We just need to "choose" to see it and "the other person" needs to make that choice for himself. We can't do that for them. We need to "expect" the other person is doing the best he can in life and isn't "out to get us". I'd like to think that an evil, jealous heart can be healed. Sometimes, dealing with some is truly impossible and you need to remove yourself from an unhealthy situation in order to preserve your own peaceful, feel-good place. But, on the whole, do your best to "see" the good in people and the beauty of this earth, and trust that you will have all the peace and graciousness in heaven. We each chose to be born into this physical body. We get what we think about. We dwell on miserable, we get miserable. We dwell on ugly, we get ugly. Nothing is more important than feeling good, well-being, and we each are in total control of our thoughts. See ugly? Think about something beautiful. See miserable? Think about something happy and good. If everyone would connect to their Source Energy, there would be no assaults, insults, no jealousy, no insecurity, or no uncomfortable feelings of competition. Any feelings of insecurity and hatred are born from disconnection from who they are which Source Energy, (God) is. We all fear that evil person who deliberately intends harm to another, but it is not possible for someone who is connected to Source Energy to wish harm on another. If everyone read this book and "got it" we could quite possibly have "Heaven" right here on earth. This book is a winner and should be on all of our book shelves! (less)

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Oct 30, 2010

Kyra rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: esther-and-jerry-hicks

Esther Hicks writes for a "nonphysical intelligence" known as Abraham in this former New York Times Best Seller, Ask and It is Given. What I found most interesting in Ask were the deviations from Esther and Jerry (her husband) Hicks' 1989 book A New Beginning I, which predicted various "earth changes" that were on the brink of occurring in 1989, including simultaneous volcanic eruptions that would cover the earth's air with ash. In Ask, these revelations of turbulence are not...moreEsther Hicks writes for a "nonphysical intelligence" known as Abraham in this former New York Times Best Seller, Ask and It is Given. What I found most interesting in Ask were the deviations from Esther and Jerry (her husband) Hicks' 1989 book A New Beginning I, which predicted various "earth changes" that were on the brink of occurring in 1989, including simultaneous volcanic eruptions that would cover the earth's air with ash. In Ask, these revelations of turbulence are not even touched upon. There are also various inconsistencies within Ask regarding Jerry and Esther's initial encounters with Abraham, including an altered-or cleverly tailored version-of Abraham's first words.

As for the "biographical sketch" provided in Ask about Jerry and Esther's life pre-Abraham, it is incredibly vague. It tells us that Jerry was very successful before Abraham, but does not mention that Jerry Hicks was a Crown level distributor at Amway, who was giving seminars about positive thinking and motivation. Only instead of using the Abraham works, he was using those of Napoleon Hill. Dateline did a wonderful expose on Amway, revealing a major business within Amway that was not in selling various appliances/supplies, but in selling motivational courses and materials within the company. It is clear that Jerry was involved in this sort of motivational selling with Think and Grow Rich before his Abraham work. While the effect of Think and Grow Rich on Jerry's life is mentioned in Ask, the Amway link is never made, though it is touched on in various interviews with the Hickses. Of course, this seems to be irrelevant to most readers of the Abraham materials. To me, this was an important fact that made Jerry and Esther appear less like sincere messengers of positive thinking and more like pious frauds for Napoleon Hill.

The chapters in Ask offer an emotional guidance scale to let you know where you are and some 22 processes to help you reach a better feeling place to help you align with those things that you are wanting. The 22 processes include an interesting combination of cognitive therapy, visualization, and New Age woo. Though some of them seem very helpful, there does seem to be some undermining as the processes and rhetoric ask you to set aside critical thinking and replace it with emotional guidance. Also, for the entities that have claimed to not wish to alter our beliefs, these processes suggest otherwise, as they are designed to assist us in altering our beliefs. Various emotional appeals, combined with validation for whatever you want to believe in, make this book very appealing to anyone who wants approval or to believe that they can be, do, or have anything they want. This book operates under the claim that it will help you manifest your desires. But buyers beware, the authors take no responsibility for anything you are unable to manifest using their processes and there are no objective means for testing how well you are doing. And based on the logic presented within the book, even if you are unable to manifest something: All is well. I do not recommend this book to someone trying to manifest something, but rather to someone who wants to become a devotee of one of the most popular channels of our time. When you find yourself needing to listen to their CDs and watch their youtube videos more than anything else, that's when you know you've found a friend.(less)

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Oct 29, 2010

Kyra rated it

· review of another edition

Esther Hicks writes for a "nonphysical intelligence" known as Abraham in this former New York Times Best Seller, Ask and It is Given. What I found most interesting in Ask were the deviations from Esther and Jerry (her husband) Hicks' 1989 book A New Beginning I, which predicted various "earth changes" that were on the brink of occurring in 1989, including simultaneous volcanic eruptions that would cover the earth's air with ash. In Ask, these revelations of turbulence are not...moreEsther Hicks writes for a "nonphysical intelligence" known as Abraham in this former New York Times Best Seller, Ask and It is Given. What I found most interesting in Ask were the deviations from Esther and Jerry (her husband) Hicks' 1989 book A New Beginning I, which predicted various "earth changes" that were on the brink of occurring in 1989, including simultaneous volcanic eruptions that would cover the earth's air with ash. In Ask, these revelations of turbulence are not even touched upon. There are also various inconsistencies within Ask regarding Jerry and Esther's initial encounters with Abraham, including an altered-or cleverly tailored version-of Abraham's first words.

As for the "biographical sketch" provided in Ask about Jerry and Esther's life pre-Abraham, it is incredibly vague. It tells us that Jerry was very successful before Abraham, but does not mention that Jerry Hicks was a Crown level distributor at Amway, who was giving seminars about positive thinking and motivation. Only instead of using the Abraham works, he was using those of Napoleon Hill. Dateline did a wonderful expose on Amway, revealing a major business within Amway that was not in selling various appliances/supplies, but in selling motivational courses and materials within the company. It is clear that Jerry was involved in this sort of motivational selling with Think and Grow Rich before his Abraham work. While the effect of Think and Grow Rich on Jerry's life is mentioned in Ask, the Amway link is never made, though it is touched on in various interviews with the Hickses. Of course, this seems to be irrelevant to most readers of the Abraham materials. To me, this was an important fact that made Jerry and Esther appear less like sincere messengers of positive thinking and more like pious frauds for Napoleon Hill.

The chapters in Ask offer an emotional guidance scale to let you know where you are and some 22 processes to help you reach a better feeling place to help you align with those things that you are wanting. The 22 processes include an interesting combination of cognitive therapy, visualization, and New Age woo. Though some of them seem very helpful, there does seem to be some undermining as the processes and rhetoric ask you to set aside critical thinking and replace it with emotional guidance. Also, for the entities that have claimed to not wish to alter our beliefs, these processes suggest otherwise, as they are designed to assist us in altering our beliefs. Various emotional appeals, combined with validation for whatever you want to believe in, make this book very appealing to anyone who wants approval or to believe that they can be, do, or have anything they want. This book operates under the claim that it will help you manifest your desires. But buyers beware, the authors take no responsibility for anything you are unable to manifest using their processes and there are no objective means for testing how well you are doing. And based on the logic presented within the book, even if you are unable to manifest something: All is well. I do not recommend this book to someone trying to manifest something, but rather to someone who wants to become a devotee of one of the most popular channels of our time. When you find yourself needing to listen to their CDs and watch their youtube videos more than anything else, that's when you know you've found a friend.(less)

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Oct 10, 2010

David Buchan rated it

Shelves: 50-book-challenge-2010

This is a moment in time book. It will either be the right time for you to read it, or it won't. Little I say here will influence you unless you're already listening. And that is the crux of the book. Be open and the universe will provide. Myself and others I've spoken too agree much of our focus has been on the gap between our current situation and our desire rather than on the desire itself. The material in this book gels with everything else I've read on personal development and goal setting....more

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Sep 28, 2008

Abby rated it

Recommends it for: absolutely no one

Shelves: dnf, yoga, non-fiction

Today marked the beginning of the reading list for the 200-hour yoga certification. I started with the first book to come in from the library, figuring that one had a deadline so better get it read first.

Ask and It Is Given: Learning to Manifest Your Desires, by Esther and Jerry Hicks, is a recounting of many workshops and meditation-channeling sessions that the Hicks have had with a Non-Physical Being, identifying himself as Abraham. The book mostly covers topics relating to perso...more

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Aug 02, 2008

C.L. rated it

Recommends it for: Anyone with an adventurous spirit and open mind

Recommended to C.L. by: Marc Habern

A good friend gave me this book and it sat on my shelf for nearly two years until late in July '08. I received a strong intuitve prompting to read the book, and the timing was perfect (as always).

Manifesting our desires is one hot topic. Perhaps that's because we are so unhappy with our world and our personal situations.

The book does an excellent job of presenting its material in a cogent, compelling fashion. It offers practical exercises to help readers ease their emotio...more

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Apr 25, 2008

Chak rated it

Recommends it for: People who are metaphysically minded and need tools to reach their goals.

Recommended to Chak by: Karen - THANK YOU!!!

Shelves: metaphysical-spiritual, non-fiction

I learned:

* (p.40) - "The only way to consciously deactivate a thought is to activate another. Attention and focus are the invitation."

* "Attention must be on having, not on not having." (e.g., you shouldn't focus your thoughts on losing weight, you should focus your thoughts on and imagine yourself as healthy, feeling great, looking a certain way or whatever your actual goal is.)

* (p.48) - "All things that you ask for, large and sm...more

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Jan 31, 2010

eric rated it

This was given to me by someone that read a lot of spiritual books and described it as icing on a cake that you savor every word. Despite the horrific and cliche cover, I gave it a shot. It starts off by explaining about a couple who discovered meditation, and then starting talking to a person who can channel another person through his body, then the wife realize she had this ability too, and then a guy name abraham comes into the wifes body and talks through her. The book is written by Abraham....more

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Jan 12, 2011

Alexis rated it

Shelves: spirituality-health, my-reviews, scc

For the first few chapters I felt like everything I was reading in this book was bonkers, but I eventually hit a point where I realized that no matter how crazy it sounded, it wasn't a bad way to go about your life. So I let go of my feelings about the premise, and embraced the ideas it was giving me. If you can get past the first few chapters of explanation, there's a good chance this book will change the way you go about your life, for the better.

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Dec 07, 2010

Mark rated it

· review of another edition

This is a very interesting book. The first half of the book tries to explain emotional vibration and how that activates the Law of Attraction. The second half gives some very specific tips and techniques.

I'll tell you a quick story. One of the techniques is to take an old check book and write a check for something you want. The next day you double the amount. Well I had a closed out account but I still had the checks so I started at $1,000. 4 or 5 days into this my wife accidentally ...more

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Mar 21, 2010

Rowenda rated it

Currently reading and listening to book on tape...this book is changing my life each day! I am so excited about the new tools I have been given via the book. I am finally learning new tools to creatively use my thoughts and emotions in a positive and loving way to reach joy. It has become more of a tool to feel better than anything else....Receiving is the natural outcome.

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Aug 25, 2009

Trisha added it

Wonderful reminder to keep track of what you are thinking about.. think of joy and happy things, and get joy and happy things.. think of bad and unhappy things, and get that too... I have read this book about 12 times... and get something new out of it each time... And people wonder why I am in such a good mood all the time, and why my life is so great? HELLO????

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