Add More ~ing to Your Life: A Hip Guide to Happiness by Gabrielle Bernstein

Add More ~ing to Your Life: A Hip Guide to Happiness Reviews

• 
  Malarie

  ***Composed on my nook***
  
  I couldn't, for the life of me, finish this book. And I hate leaving books unread. I heard really good things about this book and wanted to like it, but I just can't. As others have said, Gabby, talks to the reader a though he or she is a teenager. I've read the concepts in this book a million times over, but the way she presents them in this book makes me want to, like, gag myself with a spoon. I'm super happy that the author has found the peace she needed in her life, but the amount of energy this book portrays her as having exceeds that of even the peppiest of cheerleaders.
  
  I also have a hard time taking advice or suggestion from someone who's only command on the topic is from the book she is so clearly coping from. It made sense to me that she would be SO energetic when I found out her degree is in theater. Not medicine, CBT. Not religion, or social work. And not psychology. Theater. Which makes wonder about the authenticity of her story. I also wonder what kind of training, if any, one needs to become a life coach and if that needs to change. And for that matter - really? The boy in sixth grade who called you stupid that one time a million years ago is what drove you to drugs? This may make me sound heartless, but get over it. I'm not saying bullying isn't a real proble, but as she said, I'm having a hard time buyin' what she's sellin'. I should have known I wouldn't by the tag like "A hip guide to happiness". Oy!
  
  In short, this book rubbed me in the wrong ways and left the worst kind of after taste imaginable. At least the first 35 pages did anyway. I'm not drinking the kool aid, so you go ahead and keep your unicycle. On the other hand, this could be a good book for a 14ish trying to find his or her way.
  
  I hinestly don't mean to bash Gabby, but the more I think about this book the more fed up I get. So I'm gonna stop now.
• 
  The Old Soul

  کتابای خودیاری زرد مثل این (و همه‌ی اینایی که پیرو مکتب شارلاتانیزمِ فلورانس اسکاول شین هستن) محتواشون فقط حول یک محوره: victim blaming ... و وقتی که میزان فروش آمازون یا نیویورک تایمزشون رو نگاه میکنی یه سوالِ جدی ذهنت رو درگیر میکنه: چرا آدمیزاد تشنه‌ی اینه که خودش رو انقدر سرزنش کنه، حتی توی شرایطی که خودش قربانیه یا هر چی رخ داده صرفن از شانس و تصادف بوده. 🤷🏾‍♀️
  
  درسته‌ که این مربی‌های انگیزشی و خودیاری‌نویس‌ها خیلی پررو هستن ولی این "گابریل برنستین" که کتاباشو احتمالن خیلی جاها دیدید پررویی و حماقت رو به حد اعلا رسونده و فکر میکنه یه پا درمانگر، روانپزشک، روان‌درمانگر، روانشناس، پزشک، معلم، رهبر و... است. مثلن معتقده که بیماری جسمی در نتیجه‌ی منفی‌اندیشی، نبخشیدن، حرف دل رو نزدن، راضی نبودن از زندگی و... ایجاد میشه.
  یه جایی میگه یه زنی میاد پیشش که سرطان دهانه رحم داشته و بعدش متوجه میشه این زن در گذشته مورد تجاوز قرار گرفته بوده و تا الان متجاوزش رو نبخشیده، پس به خاطر همین این کینه منجر به سرطانش شده😐
• 
  Torri

  I can read this book over and over. The way that Bernstein eases you into meditation and describes it is very simple and very effective.
  I found this book randomly and though it looked like something that could help me in my career.
  Little did I know, it helps in every aspect of my life, and she has become one of my role models.
  I highly recommend this book to anybody who needs a little pick me up and positive reinforcement added to their lives. It lifted me from a dark place, and I know it will help others as well.
• 
  Katjusa

  Beware of anyone who is self-proclaimed "hip." Started this book at home and discovered I couldn't justify reading it all the way through so I skimmed the rest during downtime at work. I've been on a self-help kick for a while and got "Add More -Ing" at the recommendation of Gala Darling, but I just couldn't get into it. It's written — as other reviewers have mentioned — at a very basic level that felt like an insult to my intelligence and life experience (I'm Gabrielle's age). She tries hard to be "hip," mostly by chopping the g's off verbs ("I dug what she was sayin'"), so that was annoying. But my biggest problem with the book is that it's not very warm, frank or personal. It feels calculated. Gabrielle only talks in vague, generic terms about her past and what led her to turn her life around. The advice itself is good but you could get the same advice any number of places, and better written. As it is, the book is simply a vehicle for Gabrielle to sell herself and her services. I'm not very familiar with her other work, to be fair, but my guess is that's where her real talent lies, anyway — in counseling, speeches, video, meditation guides, marketing, etc. — not in book-writing.
• 
  Mamey

  Fantastic!! If you do the work in this book, you're life will change! She puts her principles of A Course of Miracles in a comprehensive manner which I found spoke to me.
• 
  Maria Paulina Chica

  Sabiduría pura.
  Un libro que no leí, no saborié páginas, sin embargo escuché palabra a palabra, me devolví varias veces para parafrasear, anotar, grabar sus mensajes.
  Mensajes que hemos escuchado probablemente cientos de veces, pero es en esa ciento y pico que hace click. Es precisamente ese día que lo debías escuchar.
  Es ese día que te despertaste confiando en el presente, valorando el presente, que escuchas el último capítulo de este libro donde habla de confiar, en la luz que somos, en entregar el miedo a la luz y a tu guía interior para ver todo desde el amor.
  Es a las 11:11 que termino este libro con una lágrima en los ojos porque soy luz, soy amor, y porque hoy me he levantado entregando mis miedos a mi guía interior para ver toda través del Amor.
  - Estoy dispuesto a entregar todos mis miedos al cuidado de mi guía interior-
• 
  Lindsay

  This book is the very first book written by Gabby. And right from the beginning you get introduced to her coaching business. I know a lot of writers use their books as a funnel but I'm speechless by the fact she has been doing this with all the books she has ever written. I mean, sure, why pay for expensive marketing if you can hide advertisements in books. The thing is, it's very clear she has been a master in marketing every since she became an entrepreneur. She is popular, famous and has a thriving business.... why the heck is subliminal advertising in books even needed?
  
  So with that in mind, the free content in the book (meditations) are actually a funnel trick to send you the newsletter. But by the time I write this review the book is 11 years old and the -ing website no longer exist. Which means the meditations are no longer available. Later books a similar story: new meditations to use with the book but once you go to the website you'll find only a few are free and the rest is for sale. Of course you'll get notified of deeper dives like programs and memberships.
  
  About the book....
  I'm a bit confused about the program in general. Every chapter talks about a 30-day program but if you do every 30-day program in the book, this will keep you busy for years unless you decide to spend hours each day to do them all simultaneously. Basically every subject or theme has their own 30 days of commitment but they all come back to the same things: Rethinking, movement, meditation and prayer, writing. In my opinion the program could be explained once, with examples for different themes but in that case it would simply be a blogpost and not a book which can be sold as an unique 'equation'.
  
  This book might be helpful for people who are new to self-help, those who think it's 'hip' to start dancing or unicycling for the sake of self growth. Those born with a golden spoon who simply need a few meditations to change their life and appreciate their golden spoon a bit more. Those who have a crisis because they believe there is more to life than partying every weekend in their designer clothes. Sure, there is a niche out there who might think this book may cause miracles, especially if they are new in the world of self development. But I'm not one of them.
• 
  Alyssa Strong

  This has been my favorite Gabby book so far. I’ve read The Universe has Your Back, Spirit Junkie, and May Cause Miracles and loved them all. I’m totally hooked on Gabby. I really didn’t know what to expect from this book since it was her very first one, but it was everything I need in my life right now, as I’m deepening my spiritual practice (thanks to the help of Gabby and her books).
  
  It seems that some people don’t love how she talks and the words she uses, but honestly I love it! Her words have such a fun-loving vibe and I totally dig it (and clearly she’s rubbing off on me, lol).
  
  The tools that she gives in this book are helpful and important for someone who is really diving into a brand new spiritual journey. Because each chapter has its own equation I do think it’s hard to make all of the changes at once, but what I think is cool is that you can choose where you want your focus to be and follow that equation for that day or for thirty days. Then when you’re ready for a different focus you can change equations.
  
  I also decided to purchase the meditations that go along with this book and I AM OBSESSED. I really struggle with silent meditations, so having guided meditations has been such an important addition to my morning routine. And Gabby’s guided meditations are the best ones I’ve done. I literally want to purchase all of her meditations now.
  
  Now that I’ve finished this book I’ll be moving onto my next Gabby book, but this one will be staying out for me to grab each morning and decide which equation I need that day. I plan on it being like my little bible. Can’t wait to keep adding more ~ing to my life!
• 
  Rachel

  I failed to read this all the way through. I'm a bit of a self help junkie and had heard good things about this book, but was very disappointed. I did not like being spoken to like a teenager with no grammatical skills. To make old ideas more modern does not mean it is necessary to add the words "rockin!" to every other sentence and to purposely miss the letters off the end of words to make them sound more "straight talking" like - "Hanna dug my metaphor but I could tell she wasn't totally buyin' what I was sellin'"
  
  This would have been a good idea for a book- someone young and fresh taking old ideas and putting them to the test in the modern world, but this just turns out to be a marketing ploy- put a half naked stereotypically beautiful blonde woman on the front of a book cover- read this and you could look like me!..... obviously it worked enough for me to pick it up off the library shelf, just not for long enough for me to read it all the way through.
  
  I should have been put off by the tag line "A Hip guide to happiness!"
  
  Not to be negative towards Gabrielle Bernstein, I'm sure she is a lovely woman and if it worked for her then that's great, but I won't be riding a unicycle to work through my feelings any time soon.
• 
  Beverley

  I found this book by accident at Barnes and Noble. Gabrielle's new release "May Cause Miracles" was on display, but I didn't want to shell out money for a hardcover book, not knowing if I would be in to the material. I decided to check the shelves for other books by Gabrielle to see what she was about. I found this book - the only book by Gabrielle on the shelf. After flipping through it for a few minutes, I knew I had to get this book. I have been reading through the book slowly, as some of the concepts were tough to deal with on a personal level. But working through the book has helped me so much. I really enjoyed the last three chapters - the messages really made an impact on me.
  
  I had the pleasure of meeting Gabrielle at a seminar in Western Massachusetts. She is really amazing and gave me some good advice that I did not understand at first. I am going to keep this book forever, since she did take time to sign it for me :-)
• 
  Marjanne

  Another book I don’t know exactly why I finished, other than I just have a compulsion to finish books I start, even if they really aren’t that good. The author had a very little bit of good advice in the first couple of chapters in this book. But there was just so much that I can’t overlook. First of all I am not at all a believer in the whole ‘law of attraction’ thing or hijacking quantum physics for new age explanations. Honestly, there’s a load of crap here. There is always some scapegoat to be blamed, usually because the person actually has a rational thought and doubts the ‘law of attraction’ or because of not living up to the ‘-ing’ plan full time. The author quotes tons from other similar books, yet there is no bibliography. I doubt that a reader could find a self-help book that uses the word rockin’, or an author more full of themselves.
  
  
• 
  Vanessa

  I am very glad I read spirit junkie first. The writing and message came across much more maturely than in add more ~ing. I still liked it, I really just love the message and that Gabrielle Bernstein is trying in many ways to bring it to the younger generation. In some ways it can seem a bit condescending or like trying too hard when the concepts keep getting referred to in a way that makes you feel like you're reading Cosmo for teens -- but if you're truly on the path... None of that matters and I can respect gb for her efforts. The recommendation I stand behind is to read spirit junkie first. If you didn't, don't give up on GB just yet and try that book instead.
• 
  Kat Jacobi

  Well... where do I start? I guess I'll start with something nice. The author seems to be very sweet and driven, she read a lot about self-help and - that's what she tells the reader - changed her life for the better.
  But... how? I had an enormous laughing fit when she mentions angels and how they help us. I am really not into religion but can absolutely tolerate other people's beliefs, this was too much. I felt as if trapped in a slapstick comedy or some tv show with hidden cameras. Everything seemed so... off. This book may be a good choice for people who believe in the healing magic of angels but not for the average woman willing to change habits.
• 
  Omar Taufik

  This is the first book written by the author, but is the third book of her's that I read after reading The Universe has your Back & Spirit Junkie ..
  The book was great full of inspiration but after reading " Spirit Junkie" it served more of a very useful simple toolkit with the greater depth and insight in Spirit Junkie.
  The main idea of the book is what the author calls The ING Equation where ING stands for Inner Guide.This equation is a tool to be applied to the various aspects of life in order to live in the light instead of the darkness of the ego and fear. The equation is made up of three components or steps; rethinking, moving, receiving.
  The author with talent throughout the chapters of book applies the idea of this equation to all sorts of areas starting with feelings and forgiveness to finally reach knowing the universe has your back and manifesting, with a highly inspiring and touching final chapter in order to align the reader at the end with the commitment to the ING and happiness over the ego and fear.
  This book can be a help to many people and I would recommend reading it after reading Spirit Junkie to get the maximum benefit.
• 
  weege hill

  i loved this book.. what Gabby calls ~ing, is what i call my MUCHNESS.. i'm a believer in what Gabby is saying, but i've been so unorganized lately.. so i grabbed an empty journal and began reading this book.. using her practices is a good way to organize what i'm doing.. concentrating my meditations on more specific areas.. and she helped me see that where i thought i was not being judgemental, i was.. it's nice to see other peoples personal ways, hear their mantras and techniques, so i can tweak mine and figure out what works better for me..
  i've always had a hard time with keeping my thoughts centered on the positive aspect of things.. so many of my prayers stem from fear.. i can see so many ways to improve my MUCHNESS.. yeah, i'm adding more ~ing to my life..
  thanks Gabby!!!
  moving on to "may cause miracles" next..
• 
  Stephanie Thoma

  After reading "The Universe Has Your Back," I decided to embark upon all of Gabrielle's books, and this one delivered. The themes of choosing love vs. fear and honing and owning a desire before letting it go, to then receive it are still present with some meditations that lend a new way to frame things. I appreciate how candid she gets about her own not-so-zen moments and how she bounced back from them.
  
  A couple of the takeaways:
  - Exploring any limiting beliefs you have through meditation, acknowledging and feeling the feelings, then choosing an affirmation that is the reverse
  - Be wary of a "special relationship" that is nothing other than two people filling each other's voids- does this person add to your already full life, or is the connection driven by external/ego sources?
• 
  Kayla Littleton

  This book came out when I was a freshman in high school. Usually when a self-help style book is that old I struggle to connect to it the way someone may have in 2010, but this book was different! If 15 year old Kayla had picked up this book she would’ve seen no purpose to it, but now it feels like kismet that I picked up this book that has so many lessons I wish my 15 year old self could have learned. I can’t wait to jump into some of the -ings and really focus in on beING the best me I can be.
  
  I love Gabrielle’s work so much, and this book just reinforced that!
• 
  Sue Bridehead (A Pseudonym)

  Four stars to all living authors in theory, but my reservations remain the same as with the previous self-help book I read, thus three. Law of attraction stuff should probably come with a warning label. For a random library book read, it was fine. I like the idea of using physical challenges to help grow one’s focus and confidence. The constant use of “girl” and “hip” in this book were turn-offs. Nothing is less hip than calling yourself hip.
• 
  Kasia Mroz

  I have read all of Gabrielle’s books and they’ve all inspired me in some way, but I can tell that this was her first book she’s ever written as I felt it was written at a lower level of writing and it felt more like I was reading an argumentative essay than a book. Don’t really recommend this book but you should give her other books a try!
• 
  Ally

  This was one of my very first "self-help" books in my early twenties. I loved it! I do remember flagging and highlighting the whole damn thing. If you are early in your spiritual journey, this is for you!
• 
  Amanda

  “Add more ~ing to your life” was an inspiring read. Reading other people’s stories about manifesting and guides for how to make manifesting work for you was informative and filled with great practices to apply to your daily life. Another great book by Gabrielle Bernstein!
• 
  Ash

  When I started reading it it was enjoyable and fun
  Later on it getting boring because it is kinda repeating the same ideas with lots of long stories unneeded. Overall is fine to apply each chapter from time to time . Hopefully gonna apply it
• 
  Jessica

  Love this book!!
• 
  Melanie Josephine

  This book is for a young reader- I really enjoyed it!
• 
  Ashley

  loved it
• 
  Steph

  A good book but more fluffy than her others