Occasionally, I review books that I think are relevant to the site. While this one isnt specifically about creating a healthier environment or finances, I thought it was an interesting book about creating a great state of mental health. Being mentally healthy will help you be happier and more productive, and who doesnt want that, right?
If you’re interested, you can buy the book on amazon in hardcover or for your kindle.
The book was based on a popular course at amazon designed make the lives (and work) of all googlers better by increasing the mindfulness and emotional intelligence of googlers by focusing on 3 steps. The Three steps are:
- Attention Training
- Self Awareness and Self Mastery
- Creating Useful Mental Habits
The book relies heavily on scientifically proven concepts that will help you get ahead in your life and business – which im a big fan of. Using scientific data will hook me no matter the process, because if science says it works, then it probably will work.
Much of this book is focusing on habits, which I know are huge parts of your life, as they essentially take over when you’re in a new situation. Knowing your habits (self awareness) is key. A great example from my life is that I occasionally dont know when to quit – H brought me 2 bags of candy for my birthday, which was really nice, but something I never would have done for myself, because I know what will happen. I’d eat all the candy too quickly and get a stomachache. Sure enough, I ate about a pound of candy in 2 or so days, and I didnt feel right for a day or so after that. For me, a better treat would have been 1 pack of candy. That way, I could have eaten the whole thing and not felt like crap for 3 or so days. This is a habit of mine that i’m fully aware of, so the place where I avoid it is at the store – I just dont buy candy at all, and when I do, I dont buy the giant bags of it. Knowing habits like that (and avoiding them, if they are as bad as mine) is key to creating a happier life, as the book says.
Another big theme is meditation, which I’ll admit i’ve never really tried – it seem kind of new-agey and a waste of time – I feel like i’ve got better things to do, but the book makes a pretty convincing case for meditation. You slowly breathe, which turns into a distraction of some sort, regain your focus and breath again, repeating the cycle. This can help you reduce stress and develop a better attitude – something I know that I could use from time to time. While I cant say that I’ll surely meditate after reading this book, It’s something that I’d like to consider after finishing doing the work that H and I are doing on the new house (hopefully I’ll be able to put pictures up soon).
Finally, you want to create “desireable mental habits” - in the words of buddha, what we think, we become. So think more about what you want, and keep thinking about it. Try not to get distracted by the day to day and focus on what’s really important. That way, you should be able to do more soul searching.
Overall, this was a really interesting book and if youre interested at all in self improvement, I’d give it a look.
I like your analogy about the candy because I relate to it so much. If I don’t have sweets in the house, I don’t eat them. If I do, I eat too much and get sick. So for me, too, I just avoid them or buy one smalll bag for an occassional treat when I’m out.
Sounds liek a great ‘pull yourself up by the bootstraps’ kind of book! The candy thing is a great example because (A) it’s so true, and (B) you know how to deal wtih that tendency of yours!
I like the idea of creating positive mental habits – it makes a lot of sense!
Thanks for taking the time to read and review this book for the tour. I’m glad to see that you found it helpful!
This does sound interesting, particularly the attention training. It is pretty important to be able to focus and quickly AND efficiently maneuver between complex and/or sometimes competing tasks.
I found myself distracted while working at home in the evening so I found a great coffee shop where I can focus. Email and twitter can be a big distraction for me so I try to check those accounts when I am finished.
I’m just like you with the candy – I’ll eat it all in a single sitting. If I do get large food gifts, I’ll try to separate it into single serving bags as soon as I receive it! Doesn’t always help, though…
Meditation is far from a waste of time. I think if you tried it and put your heart into it for a bit you would agree.