How many times have you thought about starting a diet or quitting smoking without doing anything about itOr lapsed back into bad habits after hitting a rough spot on the road to recoveryTo uncover the secret to successful personal change, three acclaimed psychologists studied more than 1,000 people who were able to positively and permanently alter their lives without psychotherapy. They discovered that change does not depend on luck or willpower. It is a process that can be successfully managed by anyone who understands how it works. Once you determine which stage of change you're in, you can: create a climate where positive change can occur maintain motivation turn setbacks into progress make your new benefifificial habits a permanent part of your life This groundbreaking book offers simple self-assessments, informative case histories, and concrete examples to help clarify each stage and process. Whether your goal is to start saving money, to stop drinking, or to end other self-defeating or addictive behaviors, this revolutionary program will help you implement positive personal change . . . for life.The National Cancer Institute Found this program more than twice as effective as standard programs in helping smokers quit for 18 months.

Unfortunately, in today's world many people fail to experience the freedom and healing power of God's grace. Even Christians too often experience judgement, rather than the love that is the vital essence of Christian life. A visionary guide in the spirit of Celebration of Discipline, Embracing the Love of God calls Christians back to the basics -- to understanding the promise of God's love to transform our most important relationships and fulfill our deepest spiritual needs.Here James Bryan Smith launches readers on a revitalizing spiritual journey. He distills the basic principles of Christian love and provides a new model for relationship with God, self, and others that is based not on fear and judgement, but rather on acceptance and care. Smith's moving insights illuminate the gentle nature of God's love and teach readers how to continue on the path of love by embracing it day by day. For both new Christians and those desiring renewal, Embracing the Love of God offers hope, peace, and guidance for spiritual growth.

Welcome to The Dance, the wise and practical book that expands on Oriah Mountain Dreamer's new moving prose poem. In this compelling book the acclaimed author of The Invitation challenges readers to live with passion, energy, and honesty. The key, says Oriah, is to savor the everyday world of family, friends, love, and work with clear minds and open hearts. When we are physically and emotionally stressed and our spirits are depleted, we must realize that happiness has not vanished but is buried beneath the clutter of our harried lives. With rare courage and honesty, Oriah unveils the challenge of her inspiring poem through compelling stories from her own experience, offering us tools to become fully the person we already are -- not ways to change.To dance -- to live in a way that is consistent with our longing" -- is to discover a gift that we can give ourselves again and again over a lifetime. To dance, alone or with others, is to be who we truly are as we fulfill our soul's desires. To do this, we must learn how to let go and slow down, returning to the sacred emptiness where we encounter our true self. Practical, inspiring, and profoundly illuminating, The Dance is an invitation to discover a place of connection, serenity, and joy that is uniquely our own.

The headlines are filled with the politics of Islam, but there is another side to the world's fastest-growing religion. Sufism is the poetry and mysticism of Islam. This mystical movement from the early ninth century rejects worship motivated by the desire for heavenly reward or the fear of punishment, insisting rather on the love of God as the only valid form of adoration. Sufism has made significant contributions to Islamic civilization in music and philosophy, dance and literature. The Sufi poet Rumi is the bestselling poet in America. But in recent centuries Sufism has been a target for some extremist Islamic movements as well as many modernists. The Garden of Truth presents the beliefs and vision of the mystical heart of Islam, along with a history of Sufi saints and schools of thought.In a world threatened by religious wars, depleting natural resources, a crumbling ecosystem, and alienation and isolation, what has happened to our humanityWho are we and what are we doing hereThe Sufi path offers a journey toward truth, to a knowledge that transcends our mundane concerns, selfish desires, and fears. In Sufism we find a wisdom that brings peace and a relationship with God that nurtures the best in us and in others.Noted scholar Seyyed Hossein Nasr helps you learn the secret wisdom tradition of Islam and enter what the ancient mystics call the "garden of truth." Here, liberate your mind, experience peace, discover your purpose, fall in love with the Divine, and find your true, best self.

The statistics on suicide are staggering. According to the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention, in 1997 in the USA more teenagers and young adults died from suicide than from cancer, heart disease, AIDS, birth defects, stroke, pneumonia, influenza and chronic lung disease combined. It is also an international epidemic.Susan Blauner is the perfect emissary for a message of hope and a program of action for these millions of people. She's been though it, and speaks and writes eloquently about feelings and fantasies surrounding suicide.

Advice and step-by-step guidelines for those seeking to recover from addictive relationships.

How do you finally break free from a fair-weather bud who flees the scene as soon as a new guy comes aroundHow do you know which friends make it into your framilyWith tips for making and breaking, maintaining and sustaining your friendships, plus stories from real women, Friend or Frenemyexplores how great friends get us through hard times and dishes out advice about dumping the users, losers, and abusers. In this era of instant communication, relationships are not necessarily easier. Friend or Frenemyalso looks at how texting, MySpacing, and other modes of instant communication are oh-so-convenient but sometimes make it harder to make meaningful connections.With tons of wit and loads of charm, Lavinthal and Rozler are sure to get you thinking about friendship as if for the first time reminding us why our BFFs are often the most important people in our lives.

Rather than chronicling the well-reported sexual abuse scandal or advocating a particular reform agenda, David Gibson shows how the crisis in the church is unleashing forces that will change American Catholicism forever.

From the author of The Monogamy Myth, an essential guide written specifically for married couples to strengthen their relationship and prevent affairs.Based on Peggy Vaughan's 30 years of work with married couples and the issue of affairs, this new handbook challenges the assumption that monogamy can be taken for granted, and provides the tools for building a strong marriage and preventing affairs.Explaining the need to focus on preventing affairs before there is any threat to a marriage, she draws on her survey of 755 people regarding their beliefs to present "What Won't Work" and "What Will Work" to prevent affairs.Throughout To Have and to Hold, Vaughan details specific strategies and techniques, emphasizing that: Relying on attitudes and beliefs is not sufficient to maintain a monogamous relationship over a lifetime. Focusing on actions and behaviors is far more significant to strengthen a relationship. Responsible honesty is the single most important factor in preventing affairs. Everybody (society as a whole) plays a role in supporting couples' efforts to maintain monogamy. Parents have a special responsibility to break the pattern for future generations. Four appendices present Vaughan's survey questionnaire along with detailed breakdowns of responses.

Beyond talent, what factors have determined and defined the careers of well-known individualsTrainingRisk-takingLuckEmmy Award-winning interviewer Bill Boggs shares success secrets he uncovered in candid conversations with 44 leaders in entertainment and the arts, sports, fashion, the business world, and more, including: Mark Burnett, Craig Newmark (Craigslist.com), Matt Lauer, Anna Quindlen, Rene Zellweger, Sir Richard Branson, Bobby Flay, Brooke Shields, Diane von Furstenberg, Norman Lear, Donald Trump, and Joe Torre, among others. They reveal crucial influences, how they deal with adversity and stress, and the choices they made that helped them to prevail in their careers and in their lives. This is an inside view of what makes the most successful people tick and a lessons-in-life career guide from accomplished stars at the top of their game.

One father, his children, and the loving life they share as a family. . . .Like all parents, Jorge Ramos is concerned about how his two children are absorbing the world around them. A loving and thoughtful father though he is, he wonders if he has done enough to prepare them for the future. He questions if they know enough about him as a person, and the family to which they belong. The Gift of Time is a moving and personal book in which one father reflects upon the world we live in and shares his love for his children in a series of letters that touch on everything from love and divorce to soccer and e-mail. Through his experience as a journalist who has seen both the horrors and the greatness that people are capable of, he offers his children the sound advice they need not only to live but to thrive in today's world.In a heartfelt and direct tone that has gained him the love and admiration of millions of fans across the country, Ramos writes about the issues that plague every parent's mind. In The Gift of Time, Ramos speaks both to his children and to the future generations of Americans on what they can expect, and what is expected of them, as they embark on their journey toward adulthood.

Hot Chick: A confident, passionate, honest woman. . . . You want to be around her to soak up those good vibes. The duo that taught you to embrace your body and indulge without guilt in How to Eat Like a Hot Chick is back to remind you of something that will transform your love life forever you are a Hot Chick! With their feisty humor and uplifting message, Jodi Lipper and Cerina Vincent will help you figure out what you want, how to get it, and why you shouldn't settle for anything less. Most important, they'll make the entire process a lot more fun with their advice on the hidden joys of being single, how to send out magical Hot Chick vibes and interpret your date's vibes, falling in love without freaking out, tactful dumping procedures, survival techniques for heart-wrenching breakups, and much more.Whether you're single, dating, in a relationship, or so confused you don't know what your status even is, How to Love Like a Hot Chick will have you laughing your way through dating and relationship issues and tackling them like the sexy, fabulous woman you deserve to be.

The critically acclaimed author of Good-bye and Amen, Leeway Cottage, and More Than You Know returns with a sharply perceptive and emotionally resonant novel about all the ways we talk about one another, the sometimes fine line between showing concern and doing damage, and the difficulty of knowing the true obligations of friendshipGossipBeth Gutcheon "Did you know that the origin of the word gossip in English is 'god-sibling'It's the talk between people who are godparents to the same child, people who have a legitimate loving interest in the person they talk about. It's talk that weaves a net of support and connection beneath the people you want to protect."Loviah "Lovie" French owns a small, high-end dress shop on Manhattan's Upper East Side. Renowned for her taste and discretion, Lovie is the one to whom certain women turn when they need "just the thing" for major life events baptisms and balls, weddings and funerals or when they just want to dish in the dressing room. Among the people who depend on Lovie's confidence are her two best friends since boarding school: Dinah Wainwright and Avis Metcalf. Outspoken and brimming with confidence, Dinah made a name for herself as a columnist covering the doings of New York's wealthiest and most fabulous. Shy, proper Avis, in many ways Dinah's opposite, rose to prominence in the art world with her quiet manners, hard work, and precise judgment. Despite the deep affection they both feel for Lovie, they have been more or less allergic to each other since a minor incident decades earlier that has been remembered and resented with what will prove to be unimaginable consequences. These uneasy acquaintances become unwillingly bound to each other when Dinah's favorite son and Avis's only daughter fall in love and marry. On the surface, Nick and Grace are the perfect match a playful, romantic, buoyant, and beautiful pair. But their commitment will be strained by time and change: career setbacks, reckless choices, the birth of a child, jealousies, and rumor. At the center of their orbit is Lovie, who knows everyone's secrets and manages them as wisely as she can. Which is not wisely enough, as things turn out a fact that will have a shattering effect on all their lives.An astute chronicler of everything that makes us human, Beth Gutcheon delivers her most powerful and emotionally devastating novel to date. Gossip is a tale of intimacy and betrayal, trust and fidelity, friendship, competition, and motherhood that explores the myriad ways we use and abuse "information" about others be it true, false, or imagined to sustain, and occasionally destroy, one another.

Newly revised and updated! The tenth anniversary edition of the inspirational book that has brought countless mothers and daughters closer together! The Mother-Daughter Book Club is the story of a group of mothers and their daughters, and how their relationships were strengthened and changed by starting a monthly reading club. But it is also a practical step-by-step guide filled with stories, anecdotes, and reading lists that will inspire parents to start reading clubs of their own.Shireen Dodson's message is a powerful one: Reading, learning, and sharing ideas can help nourish a daughter's confidence, strength, spirit, and independence. A reading club offers a mother the opportunity to enjoy her daughter's burgeoning mind as she moves toward womanhood. The Mother-Daughter Book Club is not merely about books. It is about mothers and daughters, girls and women, and how reading and talking enriches our relationships with one another.

It is too early to conclude that vitamin E has all the beneficial effects attributed to it, but even if only 25% of current expectations were to be fulfilled, vitamin E would become an important weapon against a range of chronic diseases.The book is not simply scientific and education but also a please to read.

A call for parents to take responsibility for their children and give them what they truly need in order to grow, thrive, and love.Take a good look around you: you can't go into stores or restaurants without seeing joyless children screaming and sulking while their parents ignore them. According to esteemed child psychiatrist Robert Shaw, this epidemic has become so much the norm that we often don't recognize its warning signs. This bold and timely book tells you how to save your child and your family with a commonsense approach that cuts to the core of the problem and shows us the cure. The Epidemic covers: Developing your child's ability to love Managing child care and minimizing the damage Raising cooperative, joyful, and creative children Promoting self-esteem and confidence rather than self-centeredness Avoiding the harmful effects of electronic media Healing angry, contemptuous, withdrawn, and out-of-control children

Millions of viewers of Tony Brown's Journal, the longest-running series on PBS, know Tony Brown as an advocate for self-reliance and self-enrichment. Now, in his most personal book yet, he introduces us to the woman who brought him up and taught him the seven core values he lives by to this day: reality, knowledge, race, history, truth, patience, and love. What Mama Taught Me states that only by understanding one's place in the world can one become free in mind and spirit, which is the path to true success. Brown argues that by following other people's rules, we betray ourselves and our desires, resulting in a vicious cycle of disconnection, unhappiness, and spiritual death. Enhanced by the homespun storytelling he heard as a child, this is Brown's personal recipe for achievement, imparting values that provide a blueprint for reaching success and happiness -- on one's own terms.

From bra shopping to babysitting, from making close friends to making great grades, Girltalk has all the answers Upbeat and up-to-date, honest and hip, Girltalk is an "indispensable guide" (Working Mother) for girls ages eleven to eighteen. This Fourth Edition is the ultimate preteen and teen source for advice on: Body: looking and feeling your best Friendship: you don't like everybody -- why should everybody like youLove: falling in, falling out Sex: what you should know before saying yes Family: making the best of your nest Education: getting through school, getting into college Money: making it, saving it, spending it Smoking, Drinking, and Drugs: advice without lectures Quizzes: getting to know yourself

Offers clear and practical techniques for couples and families who have faced the issue of addiction and are now striving to bring health and vitality to their relationships.

For more than a decade Letting Go has provided hundreds of thousands of parents with valuable insights, information, comfort, and guidance throughout the emotional and social changes of their children's college years from the senior year in high school through college graduation. Based on real-life experience and recommended by colleges and universities around the country, this indispensable book has been updated and revised, offering even more compassionate, practical, and up-to-the-minute information. When should parents encourage independenceWhen should they interveneWhat issues of identity and intimacy await studentsWhat are normal feelings of disorientation and loneliness for students and for parentsWhat is different about today's college environmentWhat new concerns about safety, health and wellness, and stress will affect incoming classes?

Chocolate cake for breakfast and a pound of spinach for dinnerLooking and feeling your best has never been so easy, so guiltless or so much fun!Let's be honest, ladies, are you tired of hearing about the eating habits of airbrushed celebritiesDo you want to feel sexy as you slide into your favorite jeans, but you're too confused by the complicated diet plans out thereWell, here is the antidote to all of that nonsense!With saucy wit and goodwill to spare, Lipper and Vincent reveal their tricks for how you can overcome any food obstacle, from which cocktails will keep you light on your feet past midnight to how you can stay on track when you're down in the dumps (or if you just got dumped). They'll teach you how to eat the foods you love with confidence, make smarter choices, and wake up your inner Hot Chick once and for all.It's time to end the vicious dieting cycle with this straightforward and hilarious guide to enjoying your food, embracing your body and celebrating yourself like only a true Hot Chick can.