It's How You Play the Game

It's How You Play the Gameteaches concrete and practical skills for creating great results in any area of life. It focuses squarely on what and how, with just enough why to satisfy the intellectually curious. Drawing on their combined 70 years of college teaching experience and a friendship spanning more than 30 years, the authors offer a wealth of field-tested data, personal insights, and exercises that show, step by step, how to achieve outstanding results. In It's How You Play the Game, Professors Ernie Williams and Robert Levine use brisk, down-to-earth language to marshal simple but surprisingly powerful concepts - starting with life's basic operating principle, "I get what I think", to increase the reader's self-awareness and point the way toward real life improvement. It's How You Play the Gameshows how every aspect of our lives, large and small¿from washing the car to being married¿can be approached like a game. The authors explore three areas crucial to success in these life-games: Acquiring self-knowledge Understanding the rules of the game being played Mastering the skills needed to play the game well One of the book's key points is that if we can identify our "style of play" in the smaller, nonthreatening games, it can explain the way we play the big, important games, and how we can play them better. In addition to college students of any age, It's How You Play the Gameis an excellent resource for anyone interested in personal growth or adjustment - either as a student or an instructor. In its pages, professionals in fields ranging from mental health to human resources and business consulting, as well as education, will find empowering interpersonal strategies that will benefit their students, clients, and employees.

ROBERT LEVINE received his B.A., M.Ed., and Ed.S from the University of Florida. He is a Professor of Psychology at Hillsborough Community College, specializing in personal growth. He is a state-certified counselor and family mediator, serves as life-coach to organizations and individuals, has presented workshops extensively in the US and Europe, and is the author of It’s Practice That Makes Perfect. He is President and CEO of “I Negotiate 4 You” (inegotiate4you.com). Robert plays washtub bass with the New Sand Mountain Wildcats and has won the Florida State Rhythm Instrument Championship.

 

ERNIE WILLIAMS received his B.A. from Auburn University and his M.A. and Ph.D. from the Florida State University. He is a Professor of Philosophy at Saint Leo University, specializing in personal responsibility. He is a member of the American Society for Philosophy, Counseling, and Psychotherapy and the American Philosophical Practitioners Association. He is the author of The Examination of Belief: An Introduction to Philosophy and Clawhammer Banjo: It’s Not Just for Breakfast Anymore. Ernie plays clawhammer banjo with the New Sand Mountain Wildcats and has won the Florida State Banjo Championship and the Tennessee Valley Old Time Banjo Championship.

Introduction
1. Working on Life
2. Examining Life-Games
3. Recognizing your Style of Play
4. Becoming a 100% Player
5. Exposing your Saboteur
6. Understanding Life's Basic Operation Principle
7. Discovering your Choices
8. Taking Responsibility for your Life
9. Using Responsible Language
10. Setting Goals
11. Asking for What you Want
12. Saying "No" Happily
13. Acknowledging Yourself and Others
14. Avoiding Negos
15. Releasing Emotions
16. Communicating Effectively
17. Taking Care of Unfinished Business
18. Making Agreements that Work
19. Conclusion

APPENDIXES
A. Parameters for Creating Great Results in Your Life
B. Responsible Language
C. Accusatory "Emotion Words"
D. "Love or Luv?"