It's hard to give any self-help book a 5-star rating. They just aren't all that thrilling. This one probably deserves it. It is not the usual with a little bit of meat said over and over again to fill the pages. This book contains a lot of information on self-destructive behavior. I can't see that any one person would have all of the various types of behavior described. The idea is to see these many possibilities and perhaps find yourself in it somewhere. With the sections there are also exercises. If you have bad habits to overcome, I recommend this book as a help. If you don't, but know people who do, it could be enlightening. ( )

I have a lot of bad habits. Lots. I am usually running late, I eat too much sugar and salt, I am unorganized, I drink too much coffee, I apologize way too much, I giggle when I’m nervous. I could go on, but……you get the idea. So, I snapped up this book on Audible hoping to overcome at least one or two of these habits this year.

This book was much more than I expected. I didn’t read the details too closely (or at all) when I saw it listed on Audible. I read the front cover, and thought it would be a good tool for conquering some of my bad habits. Honestly, I got more than I expected. The book is deeper and more detailed than a series of shallow tips for making better choices.

O’Connor, a psychotherapist, focuses on recent research that shows your brain is always growing new cells. This happens even in adults, therefore, we all can build new connections. I found this information highly encouraging, and I was eager to learn HOW to do this.

The author repeatedly emphasizes the importance of mindfulness and being honest in all your interactions (especially with yourself). He also stresses you have to PRACTICE consistently to develop mindfulness and honesty. Therefore he recommends at least 20-30 minutes of daily meditation. This was the most helpful advice in the whole book (for me!). If you cannot recognize your patterns and habits, you are powerless to form new ones.

He also provides information about different personality traits and types, the bad habits associated with them, and ways for overcoming them. Because there is so much information to absorb, I think I would have found the print version more useful than audio for this type of book. I had a hard time remembering everything, and had to rewind (A LOT!) to take notes. So while I do recommend this book, I suggest getting the print version if you are really ready to change some bad habits. Definitely a good book for the start of a new year. ( )

I really ought to stop reading self-help books. This one, like almost all of the rest, is chock full of evo-psych, heterosexism and crappy "science." The author is also hardcore into the 12 steps, which has been proven not to work for everyone. That said, there's still a little bit of utility in here, which is why it gets any stars at all... ( )

It’s been a while since I read such a conventional source for advice (e.g., everyone has sexual desires, some people are just repressing them; engaging in BDSM as your first sexual activity is a sign that something’s wrong with you). Other than that, this contains a lot of the usual behavioral psych stuff—we’re influenced by social proof, we’re vulnerable to various cognitive errors, etc.—and advocates mindfulness and compassionate self-awareness. Those sound like good ideas for sure, though I do wonder how much reading a book can help a person in need of serious change. ( )