A Manual for Life Series

Irrespective of our individual life goals, we all just want to be happy. But how can we get there? Fortunately, life contains inherent intelligence designed to guide us to our very dreams. This intelligence has been expressed by the world's wisdom traditions as a series of truths which David calls "universal life principles." He has assembled what he considers to be the most important life principles—in a series of books called A Manual for Life—which serve as a foundation for the life of greater meaning, joy, and happiness which we all desire and deserve.   Truth can be found anywhere, including Hollywood. What makes some of the films out of Hollywood so magical is that they contain these fundamental life principles. We are basically seeing the truth of ourselves on the big screen being reflected back to us, and then we become inspired—sometimes enough to change our lives for the better.   Drawing on his background in psychology and spirituality, David analyzes some of Hollywood's most beloved and popular films, extracting the wisdom contained within as it applies to these critical life principles, and explaining it all in an easy-to-understand manner. He then gives exercises so that we can internalize these truths, put them into practice, and make real strides in improving our lives.   In this first book titled Authentic Living, David dives into the excellent films The Truman Show (1998) and Troy (2004) to expound upon the wisdom they contain regarding the most important quality we can ever inhabit: authenticity. There is no more important endeavor than discovering and living from our true identity because once we do, everything else in our lives falls into place. David illustrates how to do exactly that through his analysis of, first, The Truman Show—a film which focuses on breaking free from the fearful beliefs and social conditioning we all have been subjected to—and, second, Troy—a film that highlights our self-concept called the ego as well as its selfish and destructive tendencies that can result when we identify with it.    Life is ultimately about learning, growing, and evolving. Why not do it in a fun, entertaining, and inspiring way?

Irrespective of our individual life goals, we all just want to be happy. But how can we get there? Fortunately, life contains inherent intelligence designed to guide us to our very dreams. This intelligence has been expressed by the world's wisdom traditions as a series of truths which David calls "universal life principles." He has assembled what he considers to be the most important life principles—in a series of books called A Manual for Life—which serve as a foundation for the life of greater meaning, joy, and happiness which we all desire and deserve.   Truth can be found anywhere, including Hollywood. What makes some of the films out of Hollywood so magical is that they contain these fundamental life principles. We are basically seeing the truth of ourselves on the big screen being reflected back to us, and then we become inspired—sometimes enough to change our lives for the better.   Drawing on his background in psychology and spirituality, David analyzes some of Hollywood's most beloved and popular films, extracting the wisdom contained within as it applies to these critical life principles, and explaining it all in an easy-to-understand manner. He then gives exercises so that we can internalize these truths, put them into practice, and make real strides in improving our lives.   In this second book titled Love Over Fear, David examines in depth three excellent films Forrest Gump (1994), It's a Wonderful Life (1946), and Chocolat (2000) to show that both love and fear are inextricably intertwined, playing invaluable roles in propelling us along our evolutionary paths back to our divine essence—our true identity. With Forrest Gump, David illustrates how love is the underlying motive behind all that we do, and how exactly we can expand the love in our lives. One way is to practice being grateful for all that we have and are, and deep gratitude is the subject David expounds upon in his analysis of It's a Wonderful Life. Finally, David uses the beautiful film Chocolat to demonstrate that, at any one moment, we always have only two choices—love or fear—and that it behooves us to live consciously and choose love again and again to live the life of our heart's desires.   Life is ultimately about learning, growing, and evolving. Why not do it in a fun, entertaining, and inspiring way?

Irrespective of our individual life goals, we all just want to be happy. But how can we get there? Fortunately, life contains inherent intelligence designed to guide us to our very dreams. This intelligence has been expressed by the world's wisdom traditions as a series of truths which David calls "universal life principles." He has assembled what he considers to be the most important life principles—in a series of books called A Manual for Life—which serve as a foundation for the life of greater meaning, joy, and happiness which we all desire and deserve.   Truth can be found anywhere, including Hollywood. What makes some of the films out of Hollywood so magical is that they contain these fundamental life principles. We are basically seeing the truth of ourselves on the big screen being reflected back to us, and then we become inspired—sometimes enough to change our lives for the better.   Drawing on his background in psychology and spirituality, David analyzes some of Hollywood's most beloved and popular films, extracting the wisdom contained within as it applies to these critical life principles, and explaining it all in an easy-to-understand manner. He then gives exercises so that we can internalize these truths, put them into practice, and make real strides in improving our lives.   In this third book titled Powerful Thoughts and Beliefs, David analyzes the classic film Groundhog Day (1993) and the profound movie Vanilla Sky (2001) regarding the most important tools at our disposal when it comes to fulfilling our desires: thoughts, emotions, and beliefs. The universe is designed to serve as a mirror, reflecting back to us what isn't working in our lives so that we can correct it and find improvement. This dynamic is referred to as the Law of Mirroring. While we can do nothing to change this universal law, we can follow it by converting our negative thinking and the negative beliefs behind them into positive ones. We all know about the power of our minds, but few know how to access and use it, especially because of the unhealed emotional wounds of our past that hold us back. This book shows how we can harness that power and break free from the vicious cycle of our mundane lives in order to create the very life of our dreams.   Life is ultimately about learning, growing, and evolving. Why not do it in a fun, entertaining, and inspiring way?

Irrespective of our individual life goals, we all just want to be happy. But how can we get there? Fortunately, life contains inherent intelligence designed to guide us to our very dreams. This intelligence has been expressed by the world's wisdom traditions as a series of truths which David calls "universal life principles." He has assembled what he considers to be the most important life principles—in a series of books called A Manual for Life—which serve as a foundation for the life of greater meaning, joy, and happiness which we all desire and deserve.   Truth can be found anywhere, including Hollywood. What makes some of the films out of Hollywood so magical is that they contain these fundamental life principles. We are basically seeing the truth of ourselves on the big screen being reflected back to us, and then we become inspired—sometimes enough to change our lives for the better.   Drawing on his background in psychology and spirituality, David analyzes some of Hollywood's most beloved and popular films, extracting the wisdom contained within as it applies to these critical life principles, and explaining it all in an easy-to-understand manner. He then gives exercises so that we can internalize these truths, put them into practice, and make real strides in improving our lives.   In this fourth book titled Success through Unity, David explores in depth two unforgettable films, Dances with Wolves (1990) and Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971), to illustrate that true success cannot be experienced without recognizing and living from our inherent unity as well as embracing our Godlike nature. Dances with Wolves is an epic film that David believes is calling us to appreciate our diversity while focusing on the underlying commonalties that unite us. The storyline beautifully shows the ultimate Truth: that we are all one—and that as we live from this Truth, we find the harmony and bliss we all desire deep down. Willy Wonka is a gem in its own right, having a vital message that is often missed: that we are all Godlike, and that paradise is a place created right here, right now through the highest values and level of consciousness we uphold in our daily lives.    Life is ultimately about learning, growing, and evolving. Why not do it in a fun, entertaining, and inspiring way?

Irrespective of our individual life goals, we all just want to be happy. But how can we get there? Fortunately, life contains inherent intelligence designed to guide us to our very dreams. This intelligence has been expressed by the world's wisdom traditions as a series of truths which David calls "universal life principles." He has assembled what he considers to be the most important life principles—in a series of books called A Manual for Life—which serve as a foundation for the life of greater meaning, joy, and happiness which we all desire and deserve.   Truth can be found anywhere, including Hollywood. What makes some of the films out of Hollywood so magical is that they contain these fundamental life principles. We are basically seeing the truth of ourselves on the big screen being reflected back to us, and then we become inspired—sometimes enough to change our lives for the better.   Drawing on his background in psychology and spirituality, David analyzes some of Hollywood's most beloved and popular films, extracting the wisdom contained within as it applies to these critical life principles, and explaining it all in an easy-to-understand manner. He then gives exercises so that we can internalize these truths, put them into practice, and make real strides in improving our lives.   In this fifth book titled Karma, Giving, and Non-Attachment, David examines three critical life principles as reflected in three more excellent Hollywood films. In chapter one, he dives into the poignant movie Pay It Forward (2000) in order to help us understand a universal law that is often misunderstood: karma. Instead of being reward and punishment doled out by a demanding deity, karma is nothing other than the cause-and-effect dynamic built into the universe designed to reflect back to us all that is and is not working in our lives in terms of our evolutinary path to self-realization. To this end, giving generously and living from our inherent innocence become paramount because this life approach ensures that what comes back to us is our heart's desires. This is the Law of Circulation in action and it is beautifully demonstrated by the main characters in the endearing film It Could Happen to You (1994) featured in chapter two. But without the Law of Non-attachment, which is explored in chapter three in connection to the dark film House of Sand and Fog (2003), anything we gain through the first two laws is meaningless. Join David on a memorable journey that will help you achieve greater levels of joy and happiness by following these three laws.    Life is ultimately about learning, growing, and evolving. Why not do it in a fun, entertaining, and inspiring way?

Irrespective of our individual life goals, we all just want to be happy. But how can we get there? Fortunately, life contains inherent intelligence designed to guide us to our very dreams. This intelligence has been expressed by the world's wisdom traditions as a series of truths which David calls "universal life principles." He has assembled what he considers to be the most important life principles—in a series of books called A Manual for Life—which serve as a foundation for the life of greater meaning, joy, and happiness which we all desire and deserve.   Truth can be found anywhere, including Hollywood. What makes some of the films out of Hollywood so magical is that they contain these fundamental life principles. We are basically seeing the truth of ourselves on the big screen being reflected back to us, and then we become inspired—sometimes enough to change our lives for the better.   Drawing on his background in psychology and spirituality, David analyzes some of Hollywood's most beloved and popular films, extracting the wisdom contained within as it applies to these critical life principles, and explaining it all in an easy-to-understand manner. He then gives exercises so that we can internalize these truths, put them into practice, and make real strides in improving our lives.   This sixth and final book of the series is dedicated to what brings us our greatest life satisfaction: the fulfillment of our dreams and life purpose. In chapter one David examines October Sky (1999) to show that nothing is more visceral, transformative, or inspiring than embarking upon the journey that leads to the manifestation of our most cherished dreams. As we do so, we discover our life purpose or calling, the work we came here to do that utilizes our talents, skills, and abilities in the service of humanity. This is the subject of chapter two and the poignant film Mr. Holland's Opus (1995). But none of this would matter without the context of meaning and purpose that makes life so majestic and worthwhile. In chapter three, David sums up the entire book series by exploring the meaning of life through the excellent mystery thriller The Game (1997) and how it is designed to guide us to the joy, love, and happiness that exist as our destiny.   Life is ultimately about learning, growing, and evolving. Why not do it in a fun, entertaining, and inspiring way?