Guilt trips and self-criticism don't motivate you to make meaningful changes; they just keep you stuck, dwelling on the past.

When I got into self-help books, I had two problems I wanted to solve: how to become likable and how to solve an addiction I'd had since I was 13-years-old. It must reveal something if I feel cagy about advertising that I've read a book subtitled "How to Stop Struggling and Start Living. The book explores a number of tools you can use to accept your experience of those things and make choices that will make you feel good long-term.My only critique is that I wish Harris had addressed how these theories may or may not apply to various minorities, as the studies examining ACT’s efficacy has mostly focused on white samples (though that is changing slowly, very slowly).

Over the weekend that followed I had many changes to indulge my addiction and I had the desire, but I was able to use ACT to make values-based choices.

There’s a lot of really easy-to-try (sometimes oversimplified) techniques that make sitting with unpleasant emotion a little easier and more accessible to folks who have spent a lot of time and energy trying to control emotion rather than accept it. But I'd like to start by saying that this book has made a significant impact on my motivation and overall quality of life.

I also believe that a fulfilling life is a joyful life--note that I do not say a "happy" or "ever-pleasant" life, as I think there is an important distinction.

Johnny is looking out the window playing "I spy" with mum, looking at the cars passing by, waving at the trains and the truck drivers. His way of trying to tell me happiness is not what (he thinks) I think it is made me very uncomfortable, because 1. That’s why you can drive your car on the interstate and not remember the last 15 miles because you’ve been thinking about something.

I’m not saying ACT is worthless, that all of it is stolen, or that it should be discarded in favor of more religiously and culturally traditional practices. It felt like Harris was putting all of us readers into this box “people who have unrealistic views on happiness”. Moreover, I believe that this also lies within ACT — when you have an unhelpful thought or urge and think about whether it brings you closer to your values, isn’t this a form of “helpful” arguing with yourself? El aprendizaje más destacado que haría de este libro es: si aceptamos los pensamientos o sentimientos negativos, dejamos que estén ahí y vayan y vengan a su antojo, a lo mejor no vamos a ser más felices, pero podremos conectar mejor con el presente.

Then our thinking mind can interpret that information if need be, or think about something else entirely. As it happens some of the exercises really got stuck in my head and I found myself doing them anyway! Must practice connection, like building muscles--the more you practice, the more strength you have to change your life.