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All about Nick's book
and how to buy a copy Learning from Wonderful Lives
lessons from the study of well-being brought to life by the personal stories of some much admired individuals by Dr Nick Baylis Cambridge University Psychologist and former Times Columnist |
More about Nick... |
By wonderful lives, I mean lives that are happy and healthy, helpful and good-hearted.
A wonderful life doesn't mean a life that's trouble-free or without fault or flaw. It means it's wonderful that the person is still smiling and going strong after all they've been through. Inspired by such individuals, I've set out to explore how good life can get, and how good we can get at living it. It's not that there's a right way to live, or some sure-fire formula for success, it's just that some particular approaches, skills and experiences do undoubtedly increase the likelihood of things working out rather well. These suggestions are only meant as general principles, not specific rules or the only way to do things. It's an opportunity to compare notes. Each idea is simply a tool that we can adjust to fit our own circumstances. Science has no monopoly on how we should proceed. Film and literature, art and philosophy and all the many disciplines through which we explore the world, can equally well serve as ways to understand life and to shape it for the better. My hope is that Wonderful Lives could be...- for sharing with someone we care about, whether age 16 or 106
- a book to go travelling with, and a book to read in bed
- helpful when starting a new chapter in life
- a companion to anyone in the teaching and healing professions
Kind Words
I've been very touched by the kind words about Wonderful Lives that I've already received from two people I greatly respect:
Claire Rayner, OBE, is Britain's best-loved voice on matters of health and well-being. Throughout her astonishing career of more than 60 years, Claire has cared for, informed, encouraged and campaigned. Married for 47 years, she is a mother of three.
"Nick's book provides an enormous amount of commonsense, wisdom, and practical advice, that's as readable as a novel but infinitely more satisfying in the long term. I really do commend it to anyone who seeks for 'a wonderful life'." Emeritus Professor Philip Zimbardo, the elected President of the American Psychological Association's 150,000 members in 2002. Professor Zimbardo has taught, researched and practiced psychology mostly at Stanford University, for almost 50 years.
"Rarely have I experienced a better blend of wit, wisdom and compassion presented in an engagingly refreshing writing style, as in Nick's fine book. Wonderful Lives is gamely authentic in its positive messages about how to make our lives work well for us. I am sure you will enjoy it and benefit fully from its 'spot-on' relevance to contemporary life."
Wonderful lives thrive even in the face of adversity - and this new field of research reveals how.
50 remarkable individuals bring the science to life as they share with us the lessons they've personally learned:
Dawn French • Nelson Mandela • Oprah Winfrey • Claire Rayner • Tom Cruise • Céline Dion • Jamie Oliver • Muhammad Ali • Alan Titchmarsh • Betty Boothroyd • Bruce Springsteen • Cathy Freeman • Eileen Collins • Ellen Degeneres • Bill Bryson • Mia Hamm • Madeleine Albright • Eleanor Roosevelt • Steven Spielberg • Kelly Holmes • Joanne K. Rowling
Here, for the very first time, Nick explains some fundamental principles which have shown themselves to be guiding lights for lives that go well. He also describes the everyday skills that can put these principles into practice.
The chapters can be enjoyed in any order, exploring 4 key themes:
Partnering-Up with Good People
Passion for life, lasting companionship, and a special sense of rapport Becoming an Expert in Our Favourite Pursuits
Getting really good at something, and performing under pressure Helping Mind and Body to Thrive and Flourish
Self-motivation, self-control, and tackling stubborn problems Choosing and Changing our Journeys and Life Directions
Career decisions, re-inventing ourselves, and making real progress
This exuberant book celebrates life and is meant for sharing with our loved ones. Having taught for many years in a whole host of settings, Nick has also written this for teachers, team-leaders, home-makers and mentors, just as much as for nurses, doctors, counsellors and psychologists. In fact, wherever we find ourselves...in full-time study or the working world, raising a family or taking retirement...the ideas within these pages can help our wings unfold.
My 100th column for The Times Magazine explains why I wrote this book.
When I was seven, happiness was a piece of cake, rocket shaped.
And who needs to cope with life on Earth...
when you're going to be an astronaut
Published by Cambridge Well-Being Books, Wonderful Lives is printed on forest-friendly paper in a large and very readable font to ensure it's a pleasure to read. And beneath its dust-jacket, this beautiful first-edition hardback is bound in sky blue and dove grey. Better still, because its pages are sewn together rather than glued, it should prove to be a lasting companion.
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To order the book FOR AUSTRALIA and for other NON-UK addresses, please visit Amazon UK where it retails for £20 and airmail P&P. Click here to buy online for the UK or Buy over the phone: 01278 722 888 9-5, Mon-Fri |
IMPORTANT
Please consider carefully the address to which our courier should deliver your book for a signature-of-receipt:
Will this be to your home, your place of work, your friend or neighbour?
Your book might arrive any day Monday to Friday, 9am-5pm.
Choosing the best address will ensure a swift and hassle-free delivery. 512 pages. 240mm x 158mm x 45mm
ISBN: 0-9550503-0-8 If you experience any problems with buying by internet or phone, please accept my apologies and drop me a line or two explaining this. We'll try to put things right for you. Thank you! 10% of the proceeds from this book will go to the Wonderful Lives Benevolent Fund to encourage well-being far beyond these pages.
Please consider carefully the address to which our courier should deliver your book for a signature-of-receipt:
Will this be to your home, your place of work, your friend or neighbour?
Your book might arrive any day Monday to Friday, 9am-5pm.
Choosing the best address will ensure a swift and hassle-free delivery. 512 pages. 240mm x 158mm x 45mm
ISBN: 0-9550503-0-8 If you experience any problems with buying by internet or phone, please accept my apologies and drop me a line or two explaining this. We'll try to put things right for you. Thank you! 10% of the proceeds from this book will go to the Wonderful Lives Benevolent Fund to encourage well-being far beyond these pages.
..:.:.:: Design By Claude Schneider ::.:.:..