Gateways to Happiness: 7 Ways to a More Peaceful, More Prosperous, More Satisfying Life - Hardcover

Retton, Mary Lou; Bender, David

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0767904397 ISBN 13: 9780767904391

Verlag: Broadway Books (A Division of Bantam Doubleday Del, 2000

Inhaltsangabe

Using her successful motivational seminars as the basis for a new book, the former Olympic athlete points readers down the path to a life filled with joy and personal accomplishment. 100,000 first printing.

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Mary Lou Retton vaulted to fame in 1984 when she became the first American woman to win an Olympic gold medal in gymnastics. Since then she has become one of the country's most popular motivational speakers, working with major corporations such as IBM and Wal-Mart. The 1995 recipient of the Flo Hyman Award for athletic excellence, she has been a regular commentator on network television as well as a columnist for USA Today during the 1992 and 1996 Summer Olympics. She lives in Houston, Texas, with her husband, Shannon Kelley, and their two daughters.

David Bender is a writer and editor. He lives in California.

Aus dem Klappentext

ymnast Mary Lou Retton shares the inspiring philosophies behind her success--and offers seven practical gateways to finding happiness in your own life.

Who can forget Mary Lou Retton's perfect vault and winning smile? Fifteen years after her Olympic triumph, Mary Lou is no longer the little girl on the Wheaties box--she's a dynamic, accomplished mother of two who has become one of America's most sought-after motivational speakers and an inspiration to people everywhere. Now, in Mary Lou Retton's Gateways to Happiness, she shares her secrets for achieving a balanced, fulfilling career and life and presents seven gateways that can guide you in cultivating lasting happiness every day.

Based on her remarkable experiences as an Olympic athlete, professional speaker and spokesperson, wife, and mother, Mary Lou Retton's Gateways to Happiness shows that, even with life's challenges and obstacles, happiness is always within our reach--you just have to know ho

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Our journey toward happiness begins the moment we are born, when we enter the world, innocent and wide-eyed, and hungry for what life has to teach us. You may wonder, what does a child, or newborn, know about what it takes to be happy? But let me assure you: Very young children intuitively reach for the first gateway each time they hold out their arms to be loved, nestle into their mother's lap, or look up, searching, into the faces of the brothers and sisters gathered around their crib or playpen. They instinctively know that the warmth, comfort, love, and security they crave can all be found with the members of their family.

Family is the first gateway to happiness, and it's the only one of the seven gateways that's open to us right from birth, from that magic moment when we first open our eyes as infants and see two (or more) much bigger eyes looking back at us--eyes that are filled with hope and joy, with tenderness and love. These eyes tell us instantly that we are not alone and begin to form the boundaries of our fragile world. Families give our lives a history and context; we are an inextricable part of a larger unit complete with its own unique challenges and gifts. Families play an incredibly important role in shaping the person we ultimately become--and, if we let them, they can be an invaluable source of support and stability in our often unpredictable lives.

It is frequently said that the strongest, most unshakable bond between humans is the love of a mother for her child. And it is this special closeness that forms the heart of the family unit. The love our parents have for us usually creates one of the most enduring and rewarding relationships we'll ever have. In the best of circumstances, the unconditional love we receive from our parents and, if we have them, from our siblings, provides us with a kind of acceptance and security we can always rely on to help us over life's stumbling blocks and bring us happiness throughout our lives.

This certainly doesn't mean that your family has to be the picture of storybook perfection in order to bring something valuable to your life. In fact, very few families are perfect. They are comprised of human beings, after all, and no matter how good our intentions, there are always going to be bumps along the path. You may be an only child, or have a strained relationship with your parents, or feel infinitely closer to your group of friends than you actually do to your family members. But no matter what your situation, the gateway of family is always open to you, and you can share in the tremendous joy it brings if you are willing to make the effort.

The bond we share with our family members stands out among the rest of our relationships, because, often, our families know us better than just about anyone else. Our parents have watched us grow and change; they know how we respond when we are hurt or scared; they know and accept our strengths and weaknesses. Our siblings share some of our most cherished memories: the silly games we invented as children or the wonderful holiday foods that Mom always prepared. Shared history, although not always pleasant, creates a special kind of intimacy. And as we grow older, we come to appreciate more and more what it means to have people in our lives who know us so completely.

The ties among family members are often so strong that we can't escape them, even if we want to. The familiar saying "Blood is thicker than water" refers to the incredible strength of familial relationships. You may not get along perfectly with one of your siblings--perhaps you were competitive as children, or perhaps you felt as though your parents always spoiled your younger brother without taking your feelings into account--but chances are, he or she is going to be a part of your life for the long haul. And for that reason, we need to learn to view all of our family ties as budding opportunities that, with care and attention, can flower into wonderful, mutually satisfying relationships. You may think that you have nothing in common with your siblings, or be critical of the choices they have made, but you will be surprised by the good feeling that comes from extending yourself to them and rekindling the connection among you. In the end, families not only offer us memories and a warm bed to sleep in when we pass through town--they provide us with a chance to learn to love others unconditionally, and to discover more about who we are.


Let Your Family Be Your Best Support System

I firmly believe that everything I've achieved in my life thus far is due, in no small part, to the fact that I was born into a strong, stable family. Over the years, whether I was competing in the Olympics or working to build my career as a motivational speaker, my father, mother, brothers, and sister have been an incredible support system for me. They have been there, offering love and encouragement, in my darkest hours and my brightest. And although all of our lives have changed significantly since the days when we sat together regularly at our dinner table in Fairmont, West Virginia, almost twenty years ago, the members of my family have been a constant source of strength that I rely on time and time again.

I'm the youngest of five children, and the baby of the family. I have three brothers, Ronnie, Donnie, and Jerry, and a sister, Shari. There's a seven-year difference between me and Ronnie, who's the oldest, but the five of us had a terrific time together growing up. Oh sure, we squabbled over things just like any other siblings--we fought over the favorite toys and over who got the last piece of Mom's chocolate cake. And of course, being the kid sister, I always wanted to tag along with the older kids. I was a real tomboy back then, and I was constantly trying to get my brothers to include me in their games and adventures.

Around the time I turned seven years old, my parents began exposing me to a wide range of activities, just as they'd done with my brothers and my sister before me. Having grown up running around the West Virginia outdoors, we were an athletic bunch. In addition to taking gymnastics classes, I ran track, swam on the swim team, and was even a cheerleader. It seemed as if all of us were constantly being shuttled back and forth from one practice to another, but my parents never complained. They were just pleased that we were all so active, participating in healthy activities and developing real confidence in ourselves and in our abilities. But when I was twelve, I went to my mother and said, "I want to stop everything else and concentrate only on gymnastics." By that time, I knew two things: Gymnastics was what I loved the most and, clearly, it was what I did best. I had begun competing in competitions and I loved the rush of energy I got after putting on a great performance. My parents agreed that it was a good idea, and my mother was thrilled--from that point on, she only had to take me to one place after school!

As many opportunities as my parents gave us, they never pushed us into anything, and they never tried to live their lives through us. They let me discover my passion for gymnastics and then let me follow it as far as it would take me. Because of their generosity and unselfish love, I had the extraordinary experience of not only participating in the 1984 Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles but of ultimately going all the way to win the gold medal in gymnastics as well. Only now, looking back, do I fully realize what an incredible gift my parents gave me when they allowed me to leave home, at the age of fourteen, and move to Houston to train with Bela Karolyi, the greatest women's gymnastics coach in the world--the man who'd trained my athletic role model, Nadia Comaneci.
I had patterned my athletic training after Nadia's ever since, as an eight-year-old stretched out in front of the...

Details zur Ausgabe

• Verlag: Broadway Books (A Division of Bantam Doubleday Del
• Erscheinungsdatum: 2000
• Sprache: Englisch
• ISBN 10: 0767904397
• ISBN 13: 9780767904391
• Einband: Gebundene Ausgabe
• Anzahl der Seiten: 239
• Kontakt zum Hersteller: Nicht verfügbar
• Verantwortliche Person: Nicht verfügbar