How Full Is Your Bucket? by Tom Rath

7 stars

• Hardcover: 128 pages
• Publisher: Gallup Press; 1 edition (August 10, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1595620036
• ISBN-13: 978-1595620033
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.6 x 0.8 inches

At first glance, you would have thought this thin book has little substance. 128 pages with almost every alternate page of a quote with a picture of a bucket, you might think you have been ripped off. However, happiness in life often lies in simplicity and one does not have to find all ways and means to be happy. This book is about that. Just a simple theory about a life that is a bucket and how happy you are depends on how full is your bucket.

The theory originated from Don Clifton, a psychologist who focused on the positivities in life to to promote happiness. The theory of the Dipper and the Bucket centralizes on the fact we have buckets to fill but often, we use our dippers to empty them. The book is split into 6 main chapters and their summaries are as follows:

Chapter 1: Negativity Kills
The chapter begins with history on how American POWs were treated in North Korean camps. Deaths were not caused by torture but an emotionally draining experience of killing relationships. Prisoners were infused with so much negativity that they lost the meaning to live.

Chapter 2: Positivity, Negativity and Productivity
Productivity is powered by positivity. Lack of appreciation, disengagement, unproductiveness can be caused by negativity. And this can spread from one person to another. Hence the dipper theory.

Chapter 3: Every Moment Matters
A good relationship should have a 5:1 positive-to-negative interaction ratio. It's always better to have more positives but an upper limit exists. This is because positivity must be grounded in reality.

Chapter 4: Tom's Story - an overflowing bucket
This part is a short autobiography of the author on his trials and how positivity helped him weather them.

Chapter 5: Making it Personal
There is no one single way to impart positivity to others. You must individualize each attempt,, catering to the target person's character.

Chapter 6: 5 strategies for increasing positive emotions
1. Prevent Bucket Dipping
2. Shine a Light on What is Right - instead of focusing on what went wrong, see what went right
3. Make best friends - have great relationships
4. Give unexpectedly
5. Reverse the golden rule

You can visit www.bucketbook.com for questions, tests and other reading material.