This book may be Stephanie Dowrick's most accessible and useful so far, because it is about changing the way we relate to other people so we can be happier. Most importantly, it's about changing the way we relate to ourselves. Regardless of our circumstances, happiness and gratitude really can be a choice. Life can be challenging and still precious. It doesn't have to be frightening to learn more about ourselves, in fact, the insights will often bring peace of mind, greater security and many more choices.

This is a book you can read from front to back or dip into at any point. Each chapter consists of many short sections, each of which discusses an aspect of the topic and sets an exercise or asks some questions which you can use for reflection. The chapter headings are:

Trust who you are.
Let your values and goals work for you.
Choose your attitudes and responses.
Build self-respect.
Consider others.
Honour the people you love.
Think and act positively.

There are no quick fix solutions here, but plenty of material which, if considered in relation to your own experience, can give you a much greater understanding of how you choose unhappiness and the changes you could make to reverse that.

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