Peggy Northrop - Life...The Readers Digest Version: Great Advice, Simply Put

Life...

Great Advice, Simply Put

Edited by Peggy Northrop, Global Editor-in-Chief, and the staff of R EADERS D IGEST magazine

The Readers Digest Association, Inc.
New York, NY/Montreal

Copyright 2011 The Readers Digest Association, Inc.

All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction, in any manner, is prohibited.

Readers Digest is a registered trademark of The Readers Digest Association, Inc.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Northrop, Peggy

Life : the Readers Digest version : great advice, simply put / Peggy Northrop.

p. cm.

Summary: The book is a collection of anecdotal tips and advice, from wealth to health, love to loss, the sublime to the profound. Divided into two inspirational sections, Do Better and Be Better, it will show you that a happy, successful life doesnt have to be hard to put together. Youll laugh, youll cry, youll ponder, and youll highlight-- Provided by publisher.

ISBN 9781606523025

1. Life skills. 2. Conduct of life--Anecdotes. I. Title.

HQ2037.N67 2011

646.7--dc22

2011010789

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The healthiest response to life is joy.

D EEPAK C HOPRA

Take life with a grain of salt... a slice of lime and a shot of tequila.

U NKNOWN

Life is meant to be lived.

E LEANOR R OOSEVELT

Contents

INTRODUCTION

Life seems to get more overwhelming every dayso much so that change is the new normal. Complexity is expected (along with 24/7 tech support), and everything happens at supersonic speed and comes in a dozen different flavors. No wonder so many people feel lost or just left behind by it all.

Thats why the editors at Readers Digest decided to step in and make this vast, sprawling adventure we call life a bit more manageable and lots more enjoyable. We think its time to regain an element of controlto sit comfortably once again in the drivers seat and decide when to speed up, slow down, turn left, turn rightall while remembering to enjoy the scenery.

At Readers Digest weve been sifting through the wisdom of the world for nearly a century to publish a magazine so robust yet elegantly handy that it fits into a pocket. Now weve applied that same strategy to Life... The Readers Digest Version, the handbook they never distributed in school. Its the heart-to-heart talk you should have had with your mother. Its the commonsense advice you were supposed to gather along the way but didnt know where to look. Its the digested insight of seasoned men and women whove been there and done that and are now willing to share the road signs and directions to a life well lived.

On the pages that follow, youll find succinct advice on some of the most essential facets of life, organized around ways you can BE BETTER and ways you can DO BETTER. You will discover clever workarounds, smart solutions to sticky problems, and practical approaches to everyday challenges.

... You will unearth nuggets of life-changing truths that run the gamut from health and wealth to loss and love, and from the sublime to the just plain smart.

When youre done, youll know how to think big, score great seats, worry less, do more, find a mentor, and get a good nights sleep. Youll be able to mix a perfect martini, talk your way out of a traffic ticket, and say whats on your mind. And all while wearing the perfectly ironed white shirt!

You may want to read this book straight through, or put it on a shelf and use it like a cookbook, reaching for a special recipe whenever the occasion calls for it. Either way, we invite you to scribble notes to yourself and capture memories and wisdom of your own in the margins. (Look for the write-in boxes scattered through the chaptersand think about how much fun it will be for youand your childrento encounter your own Readers Digest Version of life in later years. )

We believe that a happy, successful life isnt hard to pull off. All thats needed are clear, practical, well-thought-out instructions and the ability to take a few minutes to pay attention to them. Life... The Readers Digest Version is your GPS. It tells you where you are and lets you know whether to turn, back up, or keep on going straight ahead. Its simple, reliable, and ready for immediate use.

May it make your journey a little easier, brighter, and more fun along the way.

PEGGY NORTHROP

GLOBAL EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Be better...

Think big

H ow do you reach a goal, change your life, realize a dream? If you delve into the backstories of successful people, a common theme emerges: They think big. Take former corporate executive Mary Lou Quinlan, who took time off in 1998 to ponder what she really wanted to do. She put up a folding screen in her home office and tacked index cards on which shed written her goals at the top of each panel. What was she looking for? She wanted her own business, she wanted to be a paid public speaker, she wanted to write books, and she wanted to be on television. For the next few months, she brainstormed with friends, clipped news articles, showed up at conferences, and shook hands. In 1999, she launched Just Ask a Woman, a marketing company, and has since written several books, delivered hundreds of lectures, and judged the TV competition American Inventor. I didnt do everything from day one, she says. But the picture was there 12 years ago. Heres how to turn your own dreams into big-time success.

Be persistent

People who are successful know themselves, and that means knowing what their talents are, knowing their ambition and their capacity for work, says Quinlan. Fear of failure? Big thinkers know nothing about it. Stubbornness? Big thinkers know a lot about that. Youre going to stumble; youre going to run out of money; people are going to try to talk you out of what you want to do, says Quinlan. And you have to be willing to push through.

Tell the world

Write down your goals, then say them out loud to yourself and to anyone else wholl listen. That makes it harder to back out, says Quinlan. Making it public also increases the chances that youll find other people who can help you make your big idea a big reality.