The Next Happy: Let Go of the Life You Planned and Find a New Way Forward - Softcover

Cleantis, Tracey

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1616495723 ISBN 13: 9781616495725

Publisher: Hazelden Publishing, 2015

Synopsis

When the best option is to let go of the life you planned for yourself and find a new path, a world of possibilities can surprisingly open up. Learn whether it is time to let go, and if so, how to move through your grief and find your way forward in The Next Happy.

If you believe, you can do anything. Although well-meaning, these intended words of inspiration can make us feel like failures. The reality is that no matter how positive our outlook or how tenacious our approach, our dreams simply do not always come true--and there is nothing we can do about it.

After multiple fertility treatments and years of hardship in her pursuit to have a child, Tracey Cleantis was forced to face this reality head-on. Yet, through this process and her work counseling hundreds of clients through the loss of their goals and aspirations, she discovered one simple truth: Sometimes there comes a time when the smartest, healthiest, and sanest thing to do is to let go of the original plan in order to find a new way forward toward happiness. And with this critical shift, a world of possibilities opens up to us. New, tangible dreams take shape.

In The Next Happy, Cleantis offers a roadmap for that journey, teaching you how to: face the possibility of letting go of a dream that isn’t working; accept and face sadness, anger, and shame; understand the true reasons why you wanted what you wanted and the real-life causes for why you didn’t get it; and ask the questions that will let you move on and set realistic goals for finding a new way forward.

With down-to-earth wisdom and humor, this enlightening counterpoint to the popular self-help notion to “follow your dream, no matter what it takes” provides the guidance and support to help you make the decision of whether it is time to give up an impossible dream, and if so, move through your grief, and discover the next happy.

About this title

About the Author

Tracey Cleantis is a licensed marriage and family therapist in Southern California and the author of the critically acclaimed book The Next Happy: Let Go of the Life You Planned and Find a New Way Forward. Whether she’s writing, speaking at conferences and retreats, engaging with clients, or contributing to Huffington Post, she’s a happiness warrior. She has been featured in, among others, Psychology Today, Redbook, Aeon, Maclean’s, Sojourner, Mode magazine, Yahoo News, Salon.com, Psychologies magazine, The Daily Mail, The Daily News, YourTango.com, NPR Wisconsin, and on Fox News Boston.

Review

Finalist in the psychology category, 2016 Books for Better Life Awards.

"Lovingly supportive yet realistic, it is written with honesty and humor."
--Anna Jedrziewski, Retailing Insight

"...a must-read for anyone who’s had enough of platitudes and is ready for a self-help manual with a dose of reality."
--Publishers Weekly Starred Review

A bold, brave and incredibly relevant book.”
--Lee Woodruff, New York Times bestselling author of Perfectly Imperfect--a Life in Progress, with her husband, Bob Woodruff, a CBS This Morning” contributor.

An antidote for the supposed-to-be’s which plague so many of us. If you have dashed dreams, if you live in a world of hurt, if you can’t see your way out, read The Next Happy and finally heal! I wish I’d had this book on my bed-side table long ago ”
--Laura Munson, New York Times best-selling author of This Is Not The Story You Think It Is: A Season of Unlikely Happiness; Founder of Haven Retreats.

"Tracey delivers a much needed injection of nuance and reality into the otherwise overly cheerful conversation about following dreams. You'll be happier if you read this book!"
--Cal Newport, author of So Good They Can't Ignore You

"The Next Happy is like the friend you call when your car is stuck in a ditch on a journey you never expected to take. From the moment you open this book, you'll begin to feel unstuck, and by the end, you'll find yourself moving forward in the right direction, toward your new happiness."
--Melanie Notkin, bestselling author of Savvy Auntie and Otherhood: Modern Women Finding a New Kind of Happiness

"In a world where we have been taught to chase our dreams no matter what, The Next Happy will gently tap you on the shoulder, turn you around and take you in a whole new and more joyful direction. Author Tracey Cleantis is generous, wise and compassionate. When it comes to self-help books on finding happiness, The Next Happy is truly a game changer."
--Jamie Cat Callan, author of Bonjour, Happiness!

About this edition

• Publisher: Hazelden Publishing
• Publication date: 2015
• ISBN 10: 1616495723
• ISBN 13: 9781616495725
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 232