Sunday, January 25, 2009

Think and Make It Happen

The full title of this book is Think and Make It Happen: The Breakthrough Program for Conquering Anxiety, Overcoming Negative Thoughts, and Discovering Your True Potential. Boy that is a mouthful. But I do have to say that if you picked up this book at a book store, there would be no question as to what is is about.

That said, it took me a little longer than usual to read this one. There are 12 different principles to live by, and each one has it's own full chapter. The Author suggests three different ways to read the book.
...listed below in increasing order of effectiveness:
1. Read it as you would any other book, with a view to increasing your intelligence and wisdom.
2. Read one chapter per week, with a view toward incorporating and living each principle, and then review the principles continually as a lifelong program for change.
3. Work through the twelve principles (one per week) as part of a small group, benefiting from the experiences and interactions of others and the synergy that results...


I personally chose to read it like I would any other book. The Author talks a lot about his studies of the psychology of some of history's greatest men. The one he focuses on in this book is Jesus Christ. However, this is not at all a Religious book, nor does it preach that you must believe in Jesus in order to achieve the results promised. Instead, he looks at Jesus as what he was, a man, and focuses on his actions in that sense. On the negative side, I did feel like The Author was a bit redundant at times. However, in a self-help book such as this one, sometimes it takes reading the same thing several times before your mind actually processes it.

All in all, I think this is a great book. The main message that I seem to get from it is "mind over matter." While, it's never an instant fix, I think this book is a great stepping block for anyone who is in need of a more positive outlook on life. And honestly, the greatest thing about this book is that is can really help anyone, regardless of what your personal problems may be.

Thomas Nelson Publishers provided me with a free copy of this book to review. All opinions are solely mine and are not influenced in any way.