Synopses & Reviews
With more than a quarter million copies sold, award-winning teacher Hal Urban outlines twenty lessons that answer timeless questions about how to make the most of your life.
Life’s Greatest Lessons is a wise, wonderful book. In it, Hal Urban, a parent and an award-winning teacher, presents twenty principles that are as deeply rooted in common sense as they are in compassion. The topics, gathered from a lifetime of teaching both children and adults, span a wide range of readily understood concepts, including attitudes about money, understanding the real meaning of “success,” and the importance of having fun. The book will help you find the best—in the world, in others, and in yourself. Classic in its simplicity and enduring in its appeal, Life’s Greatest Lessons helps us all rediscover that the desire to live a good life is timeless.
Review
"A wise and wonderful book. It will enrich anyone who reads it." Rabbi Harold Kushner
Review
"Urban is...awash in good lessons; his prose, though, tends toward the bland and platitudinous, which may make the lessons hard for some to swallow." Publishers Weekly
Synopsis
Hal Urban originally wrote Life's Greatest Lessons to help parents teach their children about "how life works." But when the book became a sensational success with adults as well, Urban realized that no one is ever too old to learn life's most valuable lessons.
Synopsis
Includes bibliographical references (p. [164]-165).
About the Author
Hal Urban was a high school teacher for many years and also taught at the University of San Francisco. He is a well-known leader in the Character Education movement and is in constant demand as a speaker at national conferences and school and community events. He raised three sons as a single father and now lives in Redwood City, California, with his wife, Cathy.
Table of Contents
ContentsPreface
If Someone Gave You This Book
Introduction: I Wrote This Book for Four Reasons
1. Success Is More Than Making Money
2. Life Is Hard...and Not Always Fair
3. Life Is Also Fun...and Incredibly Funny
4. We Live by Choice, Not by Chance
5. Attitude Is a Choice -- the Most Important One You'll Ever Make
6. Habits Are the Key to All Success
7. Being Thankful Is a Habit -- the Best One You'll Ever Have
8. Good People Build Their Lives on a Foundation of Respect
9. Honesty Is Still the Best Policy
10. Kind Words Cost Little but Accomplish Much
11. Real Motivation Comes from Within
12. Goals Are Dreams with Deadlines
13. There's No Substitute for Hard Work
14. You Have to Give Up Something to Get Something
15. Successful People Don't Find Time -- They Make Time
16. No One Else Can Raise Your Self-esteem
17. The Body Needs Nutrition and Exercise -- So Do the Mind and Spirit
18. It's OK to Fail -- Everyone Else Has
19. Life Is Simpler When We Know What's Essential
20. Essential #1 Is Being a Good Person
Conclusion
A Few Books That Have Shaped My Thinking and My Life
Thank You