Laws in the US

US: Transforming Ourselves and the Relationships that Matter Most

Description

"The key to real and lasting change lies somewhere between what you know and what you do. It’s what you think." —Lisa OzBeing social creatures, we yearn for connection but often fall into bad habits that interfere with our ability to have rewarding relationships. We begin to see ourselves as alone, isolated, or at odds with the rest of the universe. How can we learn to live in relationship in a more enlightened way? In US: Transforming Ourselves and the Relationships That Matter Most, Lisa Oz, the bestselling coauthor of the YOU: The Owner’s Manual series, takes readers on a transformational journey as she explores the three relationships that matter most: with the self, with others, and with the Divine. Interrelated and inseparable, these fundamental relationships determine the quality and the measure of our emotional and spiritual lives. Drawing from ancient traditions, spiritual and holistic thinkers, and personal insights, Lisa Oz guides you on an engaging, thought-provoking, and ultimately inspirational path toward changing your self, your relationships, and your life. With remarkable candor and humor, Lisa offers personal anecdotes that highlight the truth and consequences of familiar interactions. She also includes imaginative exercises meant to help you gain new insight into old behavior patterns and to encourage you to be an active, empowered agent for positive change in your relationships. Lisa’s writing on topics such as personal well-being, identifying your authentic self, conscious parenting, marital bonding, and truly compassionate living are persuasive because they are suggestive rather than prescriptive. By holding a mirror to her relationships, Lisa hopes to inspire you to reflect on your own, observing that we are all works in progress, living in relationship together.Informative and transformative, US offers an enriched and fulfilling vision of friendship, marriage, family, and spiritual progress. In these pages, the evolution of YOU blossoms into the community of US.

Reviews

Rating: 4 / 5
Date: 2010-08-19
Summary: "Us Transforming Ourselves"

Wow! this book is fun to read and inspiring to see that we can make adjustments in our own relations. Entertaining and practicle It has lots of parenting and relationship stories to chuckle about and identify with... I do like the way Lisa gets you to see that change is possible with guidance and understanding that all things are possible. A great book to read together.

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Rating: 4 / 5
Date: 2010-08-03
Summary: "Heartfelt & Serious book"

This is an easy to read guide that is not condescending or too full of psycho-babble. This is really just a simple guide to try to improve the person you are, and hence the relationships that revolve around you. It touches on the cores of self-respect, change, sex and family.
I found it full of practical exercises that aren't difficult to implement.
Most people would probably benefit from this if the enacted even a third of what is offered here.

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Rating: 5 / 5
Date: 2010-07-23
Summary: "Best of 2010?"

This might be my favorite book of 2010 so far. Lots of stuff was clicking for me. I listened to the audio book - Lisa narrates it. Good voice for reading.

This book definitely made me think about what I truly value in life and how I treat those around me. I picked up countless tips that I've already applied to my daily life.

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Rating: 5 / 5
Date: 2010-07-22
Summary: "Wisdom and Humor"

It was pure pleasure to read "US," Lisa Oz's book on relationships. The prose is sharp, funny and assessible. Imagine sitting down in your kitchen with a very wise friend and having her answer all your questions about life, love, sex, happiness and relationships. In her answers she will stimulate you, challenge you and definitely make you rethink your priorities and pasttimes.

This is quintesentially a spiritual book. God floats throughout the pages. Oz gets her life priorities straight from the very beginning. Her inspiration is Emanuel Swedenborg, a Swedish scientist, mystic and quirky philosopher who lived not too long after Shakespeare died.
Know this going in and you will be alert to appreciating the insightful ideas Oz quotes as well as some more confusing, even baffling ideas that you can just leave on the page. None of these ideas, however, will make you run sceaming from the room, your fingers held up in a cross.

I've seldom read a book with such a light touch even when it's going to a great depth. Here's Oz giving us a cure for unhappiness in three sentences: "We all play a role in our conflicts. At some point we need to take responsibility for that. Once we do, we give ourselves the power to break the pattern." She intersperses these plain and pithy observations with her own personal failings -- and we love her the more for it. A very worthwhile read.

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Rating: 5 / 5
Date: 2010-07-12
Summary: ""God is. We are always becoming.""

I admit it - my first thought upon seeing that Lisa Oz had written a book was that she was attempting to capitalize upon her husband's celebrity. Her husband, of course, being Dr. Oz - the whirlwind physician first made famous by Oprah. I probably even rolled my eyes (bad habit) as I turned away. But then I started hearing positive comments. Stories that suggested this WASN'T one of those "he's-famous-now-look-at-me" books. Curiosity got the better of me, and I decided to take a look for myself. I'm glad I did.

Lisa Oz has created a self-help book that actually makes sense. She's very honest in saying that, while the book is full of things she tries to live by, she also fails. Frequently. She speaks of God often, but also does not hesitate to say that she believes that God is something different for everyone - that "he...uses varied language and a different voice..." in order to reach different people. In fact, she herself is a believer in the writings of Emanuel Swedenborg. So while I was initially hesitant that much of the book is tied up in a relationship with God, I also understood her point that God is many things to many people - and if picturing a "swirling universe" works better for some, then so be it.

The main goal behind this book is to help people better themselves, and by extension, their relationships. Relationships with themselves, with their significant others, with their communities, their earth and with their God. There are no simple answers presented in this book - rather, there are ways to learn new thinking and new behaviors. There are exercises that can be completed (or not) as you please. But most of all, there is just a voice of common sense and reason - something that has, sadly, become endangered in today's world.

I finished reading the book. Now, I am working on reading through it again - not in order, but in places where I feel the need to pay more attention. I'm not a huge fan of self-help books, because I tend to feel that few of them are worth more than a token glance. They are designed for a very small, specific audience. This is one of the few that has the potential to be helpful to EVERYONE who takes the time to read it. I urge you to give this book a shot - it might surprise you just as much as it did me.