A Gift of Hope: 52 Ways to Live a Better Life

by Shadonna Richards

A Gift of Hope: 52 Ways to Live a Better Life is a gift book filled with pearls of wisdom, inspirational stories and practical tips to living a fulfilling life?one for each week of the year. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0741451670
• ISBN13: 9780741451675
• Release Date: December 2008
• Publisher: Infinity Publishing
• Length: 166 Pages
• Weight: 0.46 lbs.
• Dimensions: 5.3" x 0.3" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

52 Positive Thoughts

In the authors introduction she writes, "Words can move you to change. The choice is often up to how you internalize them and on what you choose to dwell." Shadonna Richard's book, A Gift of Hope, can move you to change if you so choose to do so. Fifty-two positive thoughts and inspirational quotes are provided - one for each week of the year. In addition, the reader will find the weeks content summarized at the end of the writing in "this week's hope initiative" which offers food for thought. Plus, there is a space for the reader to write their hopes for this week. So, in fact the author has not only provided real life stories, actual experiences, and shared her knowledge but she has provided the questions to challenge our thinking and is encouraging us to document our thoughts. We have all heard that writing your challenges helps you deal with the issues facing you; well this book helps people do just that. Some of our favorite quotes from the book: "Leave yesterday in the past. Get rid of that rewind button in your memory of bad situations." "Your life is whatever you focus on." "Believe in the power of possibilities. Believe you can accomplish anything you put your mind to." "Life can be simple, so why make it harder?" "One of the hardest things to do is to train our minds to always focus on good thoughts, even if our world around us is crumbling." "Money isn't everything." "Beginning today, make it a habit to count your blessings everyday." "It's not about what happens to us but our reaction to it that matters." A Gift of Hope is a wonderful companion to be read each week, and it is a great way to start your week on a positive note. The stories and thoughts shared by the author are full of common sense and contain words of wisdom that everyone can benefit from. We do recommend this book for all ages

Great book! Uplifting...

This stuff really works. Richards has written a collection of inspiring true stories and anecdotes designed to uplift your spirits and awaken your soul. The 52 lessons are followed by motivational exercises to apply to your own life. Reading the first few pages has enabled me to improve my outlook on life. Hope is something we all need during these times of gloom. What a great book!

Simple & Concise

Reviewed by Irene Watson for Reader Views (10/08) Shadonna Richards, a Canadian registered nurse, freelance writer and former newspaper columnist, has put together a simple but concise book on how to live a better life. As a nurse working with terminally ill cancer patients, who are told they have only six months to live, she was inspired to write empowering words of wisdom. Richards also interviewed many individuals for her newspaper columns, thus compiling inspirational stories to encourage us to look at our own lives, makes changes as necessary, and to live a fulfilled life. Although her resources are Canadian, the concept of her book is global and I'm sure readers will find similar resources in their respective countries and areas. "A Gift of Hope" is designed to be used as a workbook, with each week having an exercise to be done daily. For example, the first week starts with "Stay Mentally Fit." The text talks about the stresses in our lives and then gives exercises. The first exercise for the first week is to "Identify, then rectify." Richards says "A crucial part of any solution is locating the problem. Do worries keep you up at night? Go directly to the source of your tension." The second exercise for the first week is "Detox Your Mind." Richards says "We always have a choice. We can choose to dwell on being hopeless in situations or dwell on having hope." The second week covers "Dare to Dream: Believe that Anything is Possible" and captures president-elect Barrack Obama's "Yes We Can" powerful slogan. Using his story and his dreams, Richards iterates that our dreams can become reality if we persist and believe. Other weeks cover topics like: Understand That Money Isn't Everything, Reach out to those in Need, and Be the Friend You Desire to Have. For the purpose of this review I didn't have the opportunity to test the system for a full 52 weeks; however, being a student and teacher of transformation, I know it works. Shadonna Richards has provided a book, "A Gift of Hope," to take us to a higher level of consciousness, a place where we can manage our personal lives with ease and contentment.