Because life doesnt have to be so hard the small changes that add up to a world of difference. The book is mostly a discussion of conversations that does not produce any significant insight. There are much better books out there all the author does is discuss things that many other authors have already discussed and the presentation isnt stellar. The book discusses things in typical self-help fashion but doesnt really help. For example, chapter five – The most basic choice of all: Its the decision we make every single day when we wake up about how to approach the day. Are we going to feel sorry for ourselves, or are we going to take responsibility for our own happiness? Are we going to look for whats wrong and find it? Or are we going to look for whats right and find that instead? Will we see problems or the opportunities? Will we be part of the problem or part of the solution? Will we be judgmental about life or accepting? The point the author makes is to change your attitude for a better life. Thats it. Nothing about the book will make a difference except a few interesting points: Chapter 14 – Focus on the blessings mentions an example the author heard about from a lady: She told me the day we met that she had devised an experiment to get rid of negativity. She wrote the words “Drop the negativity and focus on the blessings” on three-by-five index cards. She would carry one card in her purse, tape one to the visor in her car, and tape another to her refrigerator. Each time a negative thought crept into her mind, she would read the card.
Another interesting point in the book is a quote from Archbishop Desmond Tutu in Chapter 6 – Remember the power of hope: There is no situation that is not transformable. There is no set of circumstances that cannot be turned about by ordinary human beings and their natural capacity for love of the deepest sort.
What the book fails to do is take into account that present day conditions have changed and thoughts of prosperity have vanished, the middle class has been disregarded, and economic pressures are unfolding in a way that may not improve for many years. A positive attitude doesnt change the circumstances. When the problems are real, systemic, and large, none of the authors suggestions or discussion seems to help. What the author fails to address is that if there is a cure to the ailment of the unpleasantness of life, it is the power of love and brotherly love as a meaningful form of salvation and self-directed approach to existence. While this book, like any other of its kind are filled with anecdotes, mental tricks, reminders, or suggestions which are trivial and fail to address human nature in a psychological and biological concern, and may deepen our misunderstanding of existence. Prosperity and peace of mind has never been guaranteed, and the idea of “easier than you think” can easily be achieved by not wasting time with improvement, gurus, or thinking, but by simply removing all distractions and attachments, which isnt so simple since it can take an entire lifetime and doesnt seem to be a permanent state.