Celebrated gymnast 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 how to grab hold of it. The seven gateways she presents--Family, Faith, Relationships, Attitude, Discipline, Health, and Laughter--are the tools we can use to improve our sense of contentment and well-being, whether it's by realizing our true dreams and ambitions, taking care of our bodies, incorporating spiritual faith into our daily routine, or devoting more time to the special people in our lives. For each gateway, Mary Lou provides concrete suggestions, action plans, and even recipes to help you embrace its principles and make it work for you. From visualization and communication exercises to time management, and spiritual practices, Mary Lou's warmhearted prescriptions and advice will help you discover your deepest needs, reduce stress, and open the door to a life filled with peace, prosperity, and love.

Flavored with inspiring stories from renowned athletes and celebrities, and brimming with the trademark enthusiasm and energy that have made her such a beloved American figure, Mary Lou Retton's Gateways to Happiness is a fresh and engaging collection of wisdom that will enable you to realize your true potential. The next time you look in the mirror, that winning smile will belong to you!

Gymnast Retton, a 1984 Olympic gold medalist, is now a marketing spokesperson and motivational speaker, wife and mother of two young daughters. Aiming to convey her energetic charm on the page, she shares her philosophy together with glimpses of her life and career, focusing especially on her great moment. Unfortunately, her artlessly written book fails to deliver much substance or excitement, leaving the promise of the subtitle unfulfilled. Despite her relentlessly upbeat attitude and deep religious faith, Retton tends to come off as preachy, smug (she always gives 110%) and lacking in depth--as when she blithely advises readers to find positivity in every life experience, including the death of a loved one. An impressively disciplined individual, who at 14 left her West Virginia family to train with world-famous coach Bela Karolyi in Houston, Retton earnestly believes in and urges on the kind of hard work, perseverance and determination that brought her fame. She also stresses the importance of friendship, teamwork, attitude, healthy habits and laughter. To fill out the health chapter, she offers a nutritional plan (including a plug for Lipton tea, for which she is a spokesperson). Though she doesn't urge her religious beliefs on her readers, the book will likely appeal to fans of Billy Graham and to the Christian market. Those looking for more secular or substantial self-help will find that this book misses the mark. Agent, Al Lowman. 12-city author tour. (Apr.)

The charming Olympic champion is now a mature motivational speaker with some heartwarming ideas about how to find happiness in life. Her seven keys are family, faith, relationships, attitude, discipline, health, and laughter, and she talks through each of these with a winner's confidence and an affectionate command of the listener's attention. The keys are illustrated with personal stories about her career and family. Growing up as a world-class athlete doesn't always lead to this kind of speaking skill, but here the classy Ms. Retton gives us a nicely done inspirational audio that will make every listener a fan and maybe a better person. T.W.

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