Working on Yourself Doesn't Work: A Book About Instantaneous Transformation 
asked by cannoli on November 1, 2006 9:02 PM
Instant gratification junkies seeking self-awareness are bound to find the title of Ariel and Shya Kane's book extremely attractive. And seductive it is: who wouldn't like to discover enlightenment in a moment? The key, explain the Kanes, is getting to the moment: being fully present in the here and now without trying to manipulate or change what you see. According to the Kanes, "all problems are a projection towards the future of possible realities based on the past." Consequently, inhibitors to living life directly include the inability to let go of one's history--to forgive people and events from the past--as well as resistance to the circumstances of one's life, and repetitive, mechanical thoughts and behaviors. The essence of transformation is "a non-judgmental witnessing, viewing, or seeing of yourself and how you interact with your life," which stands in direct opposition to therapy's approach of working on one's history to bring about change. Here, awareness of a prejudice or pattern of behavior is--simply and immediately--enough to transform it.
Principles of awareness, self-realization, and enlightenment, of course, are nothing new, and the Kanes are careful to point this out. Some readers may wonder, then, why the Kanes refer to themselves as pioneers of a "revolutionary new technology," and whether Instantaneous Transformation(R) really requires a trademark. Nevertheless, Working on Yourself Doesn't Work is warm, anecdotal, and conversationally written, and includes general suggestions and pointers for the reader rather than rules to memorize. All in all, it is a gentle and potentially powerful invitation to enter a new and liberating state of mind. --Svenja Soldovieri
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The title of this book may seem enigmatic, but it is the foundation of having a wonderful life. The reader may wonder, If I don't work on myself, won't I become complacent? Not at all! The reason that working on yourself doesn't work, the Kanes explain, is that it presupposes that there is something wrong with you. But, as their second principle states, you can only be exactly as you are in any given moment. As long as you imagine you are messed up and in need of repair you resist the way that your life is showing up. This leads to the first principle: anything that you resist persists and grows stronger. If you want to see a behavior stick around, resistance - the adding of oppositional energy - will do the trick.
Although working on yourself doesn't work, there is much you can discover about your mechanical ways of operating that can improve the quality of your life. Through awareness - defined by the Kanes as the non-judgmental seeing of anything - your experience of living can shift without your having to do anything else. This is encompassed by the Kanes' third principle: anything you see exactly as it is will complete itself.
Does it sound all too simple? It is, and it works. This is why I recommend this book, more than any other, to the people in my life. After years of searching for well being - attending workshops, reading numerous books, and even staying on a farm to find a better way of living - Working on Yourself Doesn't Work is the only thing that I have found that does work. Read again and again, the book makes life easy, magical, and effortless.
Although working on yourself doesn't work, there is much you can discover about your mechanical ways of operating that can improve the quality of your life. Through awareness - defined by the Kanes as the non-judgmental seeing of anything - your experience of living can shift without your having to do anything else. This is encompassed by the Kanes' third principle: anything you see exactly as it is will complete itself.
Does it sound all too simple? It is, and it works. This is why I recommend this book, more than any other, to the people in my life. After years of searching for well being - attending workshops, reading numerous books, and even staying on a farm to find a better way of living - Working on Yourself Doesn't Work is the only thing that I have found that does work. Read again and again, the book makes life easy, magical, and effortless.
reviewed by crafty1 on November 10, 2006 1:43 AM
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"Working on yourself doesn't work"- I have read this book over and over again for nearly two years. The interesting title initially got my attention, but ten minutes into reading it, I knew I had found a treasure!
There are many books out there that lift your spirits, but not often have I found something written with such clarity and wisdom. Beauty and simplicity shine through the core concept - Transformation. In reading this book I came to realize nothing produces happiness like the deep satisfication which comes from within: If I am true to myself, and not judging what I see, I can simply be me and be there for others. Powerful!I highly recommend anyone who is interesed in having a great life to read this book!
There are many books out there that lift your spirits, but not often have I found something written with such clarity and wisdom. Beauty and simplicity shine through the core concept - Transformation. In reading this book I came to realize nothing produces happiness like the deep satisfication which comes from within: If I am true to myself, and not judging what I see, I can simply be me and be there for others. Powerful!I highly recommend anyone who is interesed in having a great life to read this book!
reviewed by savvy on November 24, 2006 11:39 PM
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What a book, what a great concept and how deeply touching!
You want to change your life? Forget it.
You want to transform your life? Read this book!!!
They principles the Kanes offer to humanity are so profound, so easy, so outstanding and different from all you have ever heard, that it is almost difficult to understand. It may sound similar to...xyz...but if you go deeply into it, you will find it amazingly different and transforming.
I'll leave you with this: You want to be more satisfied, have more money, more success, more time, more everything? Okay:
Read this book!
reviewed by dignified1 on November 28, 2006 1:39 PM