Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
BOOK OF THE WEEK with Linda Jennings. HAPPY: FINDING JOY IN EVERY DAY AND LETTING GO OF PERFECT - Fearne Cotton - ISBN 9781409169413 (ORION) BD8.300 for Gulf Weekly Book Club members
‘This book is a way to release what’s going on inside your head and to keep heading towards the good stuff. The simple stuff. The stuff that’s going to really hit up that happiness on a deep and nourishing level. Whether you dip into these pages every now and then when you feel you need it, or use it daily as a positive exercise, I hope it brings you much relief, joy and calm. Amen to the pen,’ explains the author.
For many of us, life can feel like it’s moving too fast with pressure bearing down on us from all sides - whether that’s from school or work, family or social media. As a result, we find ourselves frazzled, lost and - too often - feeling blue.
It’s a subject close to Fearne’s heart. Drawing on her own experiences and including expert advice, HAPPY offers practical ways of finding joy each and every day. Happiness isn’t a mountain to climb, it’s just one foot in front of the other on the path of life, and here you’ll find little steps that will help make the differences that count.
With work-book elements to help you start and end the day well, get in touch with your creative side and find peace through written exercises, simple practical ideas and visualisations, these are daily tricks and reminders to help you unlock that inner happiness.
READ IT NOW
THE THINGS YOU CAN SEE ONLY WHEN YOU SLOW DOWN: HOW TO BE CALM IN A BUSY WORLD, Haemin Sunim, Isbn 9780241298190 (PENGUIN)
BD4.900 for Gulf Weekly Book Club members
THIS international bestseller asks the question: ‘Is it the world that’s busy, or my mind?’
The world moves fast, but that doesn’t mean we have to. In this timely guide to mindfulness, Haemin Sunim, a Buddhist monk born in Korea and educated in the US, offers advice on everything from handling setbacks to dealing with rest and relationships, in a beautiful book combining his teachings with calming full-colour illustrations.
Haemin Sunim’s simple messages - which he first wrote when he responded to requests for advice on social media - speak directly to the anxieties that have become part of modern life and remind us of the strength and joy that come from slowing down.
Hugely popular in Korea, Haemin Sunim is a Zen meditation teacher whose teachings transcend religions and borders and resonate with people of all ages. With insight and compassion drawn from a life full of change, the ‘mega-monk’ succeeds at encouraging all of us to notice that when you slow down, the world slows down with you.
My favourite
read of the week
TOGETHER IS BETTER: A LITTLE BOOK OF INSPIRATION, Simon Sinek, Isbn 9780241187296 (PENGUIN) BD5.500 for Gulf Weekly Book Club members
THE author’s recent video on ‘The Millennial Question’ went viral with over 150 million views and his TED Talk on the global bestseller Start with Why is the third most watched of all time.
Sinek’s latest work - Together is Better - is a little book of inspiration for the modern world. Most of us live our lives by accident and we live as it happens. Fulfillment comes when we live our lives on purpose.
‘What are you going to do with your life? What are you doing with your life now?’
‘Do you have goals? A vision? A clear sense of why you do what you do?’
Almost everyone knows someone who has grappled with at least one of these questions. The answers can often seem elusive or uncertain. Though there are many paths to follow into the unknown future, there is one way that dramatically increases the chances we will enjoy the journey. To travel with someone we trust.
We can try to build a successful career or a happy life alone, but why would we?
Together is better. This unique and delightful little book makes the point that together is better in a quite unexpected way. Simon Sinek blends the wisdom he has gathered from around the world with a heartwarming, richly illustrated original fable.
Working hard for something we don’t care about is called stress. Working hard for something we love is called passion.
