Construct the Life You Need: The Artwork and Science of Getting Happier

The pursuit of “happier”
You don’t need to change your circumstances to become happier. This book offers a refreshing perspective on happiness as a direction, not a destination, rooted in purpose, satisfaction, and enjoyment. Brooks and Winfrey provide practical strategies for navigating life’s challenges and turning pain and setbacks into opportunities for growth and deeper meaning.

Practical wisdom for everyday life.
I loved the conversational style of this book. I felt like Arthur and Oprah were speaking directly with me. They are mentoring us as their readers based upon their collective “crystallized intelligence” (a term of art in the book). I love books that provide a conceptual framework for understanding something that often defies meaningful explanation – here it’s happiness or “happierness.” The breakdown of happierness into its components makes it accessible and livable. What a gift. I recommend this book to anyone who is a life long learner and is looking for simple ways to build the pillars of happierness ~ faith, friends, family and work that serves.

Nuggets of wisdom glittering at the bottom of a shallow sea
There were philosophical claims in this work that I agreed with, and many I did not. I constantly found myself saying, “Why did you jump to this conclusion? What makes this obvious? You can’t be serious. That’s not what Poe was about at all!”It’s not that I found the book reprehensible or dangerous; more that I thought it was, for me, often incoherent, absurd, or downright wrong. Usually I thought it just didn’t dig deep enough to satisfy the rigor I look for in a philosophical text. Perhaps that depth was not what this book was going for. Maybe it was seeking a fast-food fix for the layman who has never had the thought, “What is best in life? What is truly within my control? What should my desires be? Why?”Where I wish the book had started was from establishing that the desire for a person would be happiness to begin with. Why? For what reason is it beneficial or even desirable to be happy? To be a person of worth or virtue or value? We often operate under a tacit acceptance that happiness and virtue is something we all should desire. I suppose it is true, but why? I have my own assumptions, but I’d like the author to establish his own ideas at the outset. How do we know where we’re going unless we have a destination to aim for? How do we know if we are getting there quickly, poorly, or well, if we can’t have some end goal in mind, and a basis of measurement to measure our progress and effectiveness against.If you thought the same as me, then I’d invite you to read some works that really did connect for me:1. Plato – Dialogues (not the statutory rape of young men, or the being a sententious dick, the parts about being a virtuous person, and whether such a thing can be taught.)2. 7 habits of highly effective people3. Ayn Rand – Atlas Shrugged4. Speed of Trust5. Epictetus – Dialogues and Selected Writings6. A Farewell to Alms – Gregory ClarkThese to name a few were the most impactful works upon my current philosophies. I understand I am probably far out of my depth, as I have only read very little compared to what I assume this author has read. But if you think like me, and haven’t read these, I’d highly encourage you to.If this book genuinely, truly helped you, then I am glad. But it did not do so for me. And if you’re like me, you’re not alone. Good luck to all out there seeking better in life!

Not Great, But Still Okay
For frequent self-help readers, it’s a nice review. However, I expected much more after all the hype.

I absolutely love this book!! It’s been on my list of books to read for 2024 and I’m so glad I’ve read it (more than once)!In summary, Build The Life You Want is really a feel good book on life and happiness, using examples from Oprah’s show and personal experiences over the years, as well as Arthur C Brooks research, insights and data. It really puts things (life, happiness, your moral compass and value system) into perspective. I have gifted this book to friends, family and work colleagues. It’s one of those books like The Four Agreements- it makes you want to be a better human. This is a book to be read often, in fact, I suggest to read it quarterly. Fantastic book! 📕

Great book, order came quickly… pretty good present idea for people who are a bit lost and don’t know it