Always Change a Losing Game: Winning Strategies for Work, Home and Health

by David Posen

If what you're doing now is not producing the results you want -- you are playing a losing game. If you want things to get better you've got to change that losing game. This book will show you how.

Now updated for our times, Always Change a Losing Game has been published on four continents and continues to be popular and useful. Whether you're dealing with compulsive eating, addiction, struggling with kids, stuck in an unhappy relationship or a dead-end job, Dr. Posen provides practical guidelines that will help you change your losing habits and become more successful.

This is a book for people struggling to be successful and feeling a lack of control. The book gives hope and encouragement because it focuses on all the things we can control -- primarily the way we think, the way we behave and the lifestyle choices we make. It illustrates the author's belief that "we have more control than we think."

The book was purposely written in everyday language to make it both easy to read and reassuring. The connection to sports provides a fresh approach for many people who need to think about their health, relationships, problem solving, self-esteem and productivity in a new way. Always Change a Losing Game explains how to make changes in your life when work or relationships are not working out.

At times, changing a losing game requires vision and risk taking. But just continuing in a rut guarantees that things won't get better. If what you're doing and how you are living are not producing the results you want, you are playing a losing game and if you want things to get better you've got to change that losing game. This book is your key to success.

Genres: Self Help

304 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1994

Reviews

[Rey]

Loved it. Some well balanced sound advise. Addresses the negative behavioural patterns that everyone falls into (which he simply refers to as a losing game) and what to do to snap out of it to get back to things we find fulfilling. Deals with everything from people being pleasers to those extraordinarily successful individuals with the all or nothing mentality. The brilliance of this is in its simplicity. Divides into book into 3 stages:

awareness of a problem,

understanding you have the agency and choice to tackle it,

giving yourself permission to now change this pattern. i.e taking action.

Besides the calm way he provides counsel, its organised and written in a simplified easy-to-read manner. Breaks down concepts into steps to get over the emotional blocks or dysfunctions that people may have fallen into but don’t really realise it.

Examples that everyone can relate to can include quitting smoking or similar addictive habit, sleeping on time to have more energy or even spending more time with family without feeling guilty about work.

Personally found a lot of value in this and surprised this isn’t as popular.

Quite recommendable.

[Fiona]

This is the second self help book I've ever read and I think it was pretty good. Life isn't fair and other people aren't going to change s it means I have to change. I don't have time to be stressed anymore and this book is subtle. The examples are achievable.

[Jonathan McCormick]

Excellent advice for many emotional and physical challenges.

[Pamela]

This was the first self help book I read many years ago which started my journey to figure out Me and change any patterns that weren't pro-active for my life. Dr. Posen was my physician for many years and always believed in treating the whole person, not just the physical. I moved from Oakville in 1985 and lost Him as my Doctor and to this day, still value and appreciate what He did for me.


Pamela McNally (formerly Greene/Ramsay)

[Scott Williams]

I read this as an assignment for a course I'm taking. I think there's some valuable stuff here but it's not a good read -- at least it wasn't for me. I think the same material could have been covered more effectively and efficiently in about half the page count. I was bothered by the constant sports references and general folksy nature of the writing -- things that probably account for the book's popularity with most people. I'll take what I can from it but I wouldn't probably recommend it.

[Swami]

awesome book...!!!!i may not call it a stress buster but a medium to burst out your stress..!!!

[Rachel]

This was a nice read. Easy to follow and kept me engaged. Will definitely reference some of David’s charts and tips to change my habits.

[Cathy]

I've read this book before and found it really helpful. Dr. Posen has much wisdom to impart and he does it in a really engaging way.