Happiness Is Just a Bowl of Choices by Mike Rice, LISAC, CTRTC

Transcription

1 Happiness Is Just a Bowl of Choices by Mike Rice, LISAC, CTRTC Table of Contents Book summary... 1 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)... 1 What Makes This Book Unique?... 1 Why did you write this book?... 1 How does this book benefit the reader... 2 Author Biography... 2 Book Information Detail... 3 Press Release:... 4 Media requests contact... 5 Endorsement:... 5 Book summary In Happiness is Just a Bowl of Choices, Mike Rice applies Dr. William Glasser s Choice Theory to help us find and maintain happiness in life. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) What Makes This Book Unique? Talk to someone who is unhappy and they may give you an entire list of reasons as to why they are unhappy. It would seem that many unhappy people have an excuse for any and all of their unhappiness. They wish to blame their unhappiness on other people or external situations i.e. The market is down. I was told my suit would be ready at the cleaners today and it isn t. The rainy day makes me depressed. You made me angry. Don t make me mad! And the list goes on and on. If someone is truly unhappy, they are choosing to be unhappy by their belief in External Control Psychology. If I were to tell someone they are choosing to feel miserable, they would look at me as if I had lost my mind. This book explains the world s use of External Control Psychology and shows the reader how they choose all of their emotions as well as all of their behavior. The choice they make is their best attempt at the time to satisfy one or more of their genetic basic needs for happiness. It is also important to know that whatever is behind their unhappiness is something that is occurring right now and not because of anything that happened years ago. Why did you write this book? I wrote this book because it became apparent to me that the majority of people believe that others have the power to control their emotions and behavior and not having any control of their own over these things. All of the people who come to see me are unhappy. If they re happy, they don t want to see a therapist. Many unhappy people see 1

2 themselves as victims of the control of others. Seeing one s self as a victim keeps them locked in a mindset that keeps them from ever attaining the happiness they would like to have. Finding happiness is not as difficult as many might think. As soon as one stops believing that others control their emotions and behaviors, they take responsibility for their own happiness. How does this book benefit the reader By understanding that all we do from birth until death is behave and that most all behavior is chosen, the reader can begin to take more effective control of his/her life and acquire the happiness they claim to be seeking. Once the reader grasps all the things that motivates him/her and what they need to be happy, s/he can learn to directly control the things they can control, acting and behaving, instead of the things they can t control. The reader will also learn that if they are not born into poverty, suffer from a natural disaster, or live in a war torn country, most, if not all, of their unhappiness is the result of not having satisfying relationships with the people with whom they want to have satisfying relationships. Author Biography Mike grew up during the depression. He is quick to clarify that this was not the depression of 1929 and 1930 s but the depression of, My Mother. My Mother was our primary caregiver and she chose to depress because it served three specific needs in her life. When I lecture or tell people that my mother chose to depress, they look at me as if I was from a different planet. Mike s family life growing up was one of solitude, insecurity, and external control... a term created by Dr. William Glasser to describe the world s use of psychology that has been failing humanity since the beginning of life itself. And while our past does give meaning to who and what we are, it does not have to be all of who and what we are. Mike lived in a home where external control was used to get him and his siblings to do whatever their mother wanted them to do. And since she was the primary caregiver, her children learned how to use External Control as well. Mom s use of External Control was meant to keep all of her kids under her total control. She did it my manipulation and instilling shame and guilt. We were instilled with the concept that any behavior that was disapproving of our mother meant that we didn t love her. And along with that came more days of her being depressed than having days of happiness. Mike reports that he learned depression and unhappiness was to be the normal way of life. While Mike states he learned to depress from his mother, he did not choose to do so for the same reasons his mother chose. Mike looked at the dark side of things only because he thought that is what one had to do in dealing with life and to be ready for any and all negative things when they presented themselves. It wasn t until I was introduced to Dr. William Glasser s concept of Choice Theory that I learned that I had pretty much wasted over 40 years of my life that I learned and that Mom s choice to depress was not a natural way of life. Mom chose to depress because it was her best attempt at the time to satisfy her unmet genetic basic needs of Survival, Love and Belonging, Power, Freedom, and 2

3 Fun. It was a way of getting attention and help from others without having to ask for help. It kept her anger in check. And it also was the cause of her not taking certain actions that she knew were necessary to do but didn t want to do them or that she didn t know how to do them. After becoming certified in Reality Therapy and Choice Theory by Dr. Glasser, Mike s life suddenly took a one hundred and eighty degree turn. He has learned that there are only two things he can control in life and not the things that most other people try to control that causes their unhappiness. Mike uses Reality Therapy and Choice Theory in is work in his private practice as well as his personal life. Happiness is Just A Bowl of Choices is Mike s knowledge of Choice Theory and his desire to pass this information to as many people as he can. All we do from birth until death is behave and most behavior is chosen with the purpose of satisfying our basic needs to result in happiness or pleasure. Book Information Detail Title: Happiness is Just a Bowl of Choices Author(s): Mike Rice, LISAC, CTRTC Publisher: Madeira Publishing Distributor: Amazon (call publicist for quantity purchases*) ISBN: Format: Paperback Number of Pages: 188 Interior Type: Black and White Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.4 inches Binding: US Trade Paper Paper Color: White Bar Coded: Yes Format: Paperback Language: English Primary Category: Self-Help / Keywords: Choice Theory, Glasser, happiness, self help, self-help, relationship, happiness, external control, therapy, therapist, treatment, psychologist, psychology Price: $12.95 Also available electronically: Format: Kindle Edition File Size: 221 KB Publisher: Madeira Publishing Sold by: Amazon Digital Services Language: English ASIN: B0036FTZDE Price for electronic download: $9.95 3

4 Press Release: Happiness Is Just a Bowl of Choices by Michael Rice, LISAC, RTC Mike Rice applies Dr. Glasser s Choice Theory to help us find and maintain happiness in life. Mesa, AZ (PRWEB) February 1, Mike Rice of Mesa, AZ. has captured the value of Dr. William Glasser s Choice Theory to address the means of finding and maintaining happiness in life. Happiness is a state of mind that everyone seeks to attain and maintain each and every day of their life. All of our daily behavior serves the purpose of acquiring that happiness. We have certain basic genetic psychological needs and in order to achieve happiness, we are hard-wired to seek to have these needs met. If not achieved, a person will develop any number of creative behaviors in an attempt to get these needs met or to compensate for their absence. It could be stated that the struggle for happiness is the driving force behind what may be considered to be normal, as well as abnormal, behavior. Happiness Is Just a Bowl of Choices explains how we process information; how External Control Psychology is behind the majority of all unhappiness; the Seven Deadly Habits that destroys relationships; Our Quality World; Our Five Basic and Genetic Needs that motivate all of our behavior; the Creative Mind; our Behavior Systems; Total Behavior; and finally, the three ways to resolve all unhappiness and conflict in one s life. Everyone wants to be happy but all too often, we don t know how to maintain it once we find it. Besides the obvious trials and tribulations of unhappiness that is brought on by virtue of earthquakes, tsunamis, floods, and war, the majority of unhappiness is the result of the lack of meaningful relationships in one s life or, of not having a particular relationship with someone important to us in our life. Too often energy and effort is spent trying to get someone else to behave in a manner that is more acceptable to our preference (External Control Psychology) but it doesn t work. Consequently, we choose to frustrate, depress, worry, as well have physical and emotional problems that manifest themselves in the form of lack of sleep or constantly being tired, loss of appetite or binge eating, substance abuse, even aches and pains including fibromyalgia and/or mental illness. Interestingly enough, there happens to be no pathology for any of the so called mental illnesses and above-named behaviors. People choose the behaviors in which they live in an unhappy existence or condition because not to do so would seem to make them feel worse than they currently do. This book helps us to understand and break the cycle of unhappiness. 4

5 About the Author: Mike Rice is a certified Reality Therapy and Choice Theory therapist whose work is solidly based upon Dr. William Glasser s world renowned Choice Theory. Mr. Rice has been in private practice for several years and also writes and lectures throughout the Western Region of the U.S. on alcohol and drug abuse/dependence as well as finding and maintaining happiness in one s life. More information about Mike can be found on his web site at: His books are available via Amazon.com, or by ordering them through your local bookstore. ### Media requests contact Requests for interviews and/or review copies of this book as well as quantity discounts may be addressed to: Lynn K. Busby, Publicist Madeira Publishing 5510 E. University Suite J-1 Mesa, AZ Phone: lbusby@madeirapublishing.com Endorsement: Recent comment about this book: "I read it on the train last week and loved it. I found it very readable and it held my attention to the end. I especially enjoyed your direct style in the counseling excerpts, and your discussion on mental health. Your explanations of Choice Theory were clear and enlightening." Ivan Honey, Ivan Honey & Associates P/L (Australia) 5