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Peter McWilliams
Do It! Let's Get Off Our But's
(The Life 101 Series)
Amazon UK Price: £4.29
Amazon.com Price: $6.95
[Please check availability before ordering]
Amazon UK
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A book that can change your life
If you have read many self-help books then read this
one; if you haven't read any self-help books and you
want to read only one then read this one; if you haven't
read any self-help books and you don't want to read
any then seriously consider changing your mind... This
book is full of good advise, brimmimg with excellent
quotations and conveys its ideas in an utterly non-didactic
and humorous way.
However, if you want to make it work DO THE EXCERCISES!
There aren't many of them, they are simple - though
not easy. They force you to focus, to confront yourself
and your assumptions about your life.
The main thing I took away from
this book was a more realistic outlook. The world does
not owe you a thing. As Mark Twain said, "The world
doesn't owe you anything; it was here first." I
think a lot of people are like me - it's not that we
don't have any dreams -- it's that we have too many.
this leads to a sense of not having enough time. It's
like being in the perfect library - there are so many
books you want to read, you have a hard time decding
which one to start with. Our dreams are often like that.
What is needed is a plan. What do you really want to
read. Not, I want to read Moby Dick, and then Madame
Bovary... the trick, when confronted with too many choices,
is to find a more overarching dream - I want to have
read the best American Novels of the 19th Century. Then,
as sad as it may make you feel, you drop Madame Bovary.
BUT that doesn't mean you can't come back later.
The trick is to START! Often you
will find that when you pursue one dream, other dreams
you had take care of themselves in the process.
Buy this book. It's a quick read
- even with the excercises, and you will come away with
a sense that it really is never too late, and that with
work, your dreams are possible.
EXCERPTS
Part One: WHY WE'RE NOT LIVING
OUR DREAMS
"Let's go."
"Yes, let's go."
STAGE DIRECTION: They do not move.
LAST LINES OF WAITING FOR GODOT
SAMUEL BECKETT
You may find this first part of the book depressing.
I'm going to explain why most people aren't living their
dreams--and I'm not going to pull any punches.
It's not a pretty picture.
The reason we aren't living our
dreams is inside ourselves. We pretend it's people,
things, and situations outside ourselves that are to
blame. On the other hand, you may find this an uplifting
section. You may say, "So that's why that happens!"
Further, when we know that the
cause of something is in ourselves, and that we (ourselves)
are one of the few things in this universe that we have
the right and the ability to change, we begin to get
a sense of the choices we really do have, an inkling
of the power we have, a feeling of being in charge--of
our lives, of our future, of our dreams.
This Was Going to Be a Truly Great
Opening Chapter, But . . .
Pithy quote to come.
This was going to be the best opening chapter you could
possibly imagine, but so many things got in the way. I
was going to spend lots of time writing it, but, well,
you know how time goes!
note: find quote
I was going to get lots of touching and poignant and humorous
examples of people not getting things done, but I never
got around to interviewing the people.
I was going to gather lots of wonderful
quotes to illustrate my points, but I left the quote
book at home, and this chapter is being written at a
lecture hall outside Carmel, California. (Besides, I
think the dog ate it.)
If this page goes to press without
a quote, it will be most embarrassing.
I was going to make sure that this chapter was so informative,
so readable, and so wonderful that if you were reading
it in a bookstore, you'd buy the book, or, if you were
reading it in a library, you'd check it out, or, if you
were reading it at home, you'd decide, "Boy, I'm
certainly going to enjoy reading this book!" but
I decided to watch this movie on TV last night, and I
was going to work on the chapter afterward, but then I
went out for ice cream, and I was tired, and decided to
start fresh in the morning, but then I slept late, and
then I went out for breakfast and took a drive past an
aquarium and decided to stop in, then I went for lunch,
and then thought I'd take a nap and start fresh in the
evening, but then I started watching a documentary on
TV, then, of course, it was time for dinner, then I was
invited to the movies, and I don't want to be rude to
my friends, and besides I sort-of wanted to see the movie
anyway, then I was going to go right back and work on
this chapter, but then I remembered how good the ice cream
was the night before . . .
But
Do or do not. There is no try. YODA
But. ——that three-letter, four-letter word. It permeates
our language. It's a nasty little word. It allows us to
lie to ourselves and to severely limit ourselves without
even knowing it. Let's look at a typical sentence containing
"but."
"I want to visit my sick
grandmother, but it's too cold outside."
"But" usually means:
"Ignore all that good-sounding stuff that went
before—here comes the truth." You might even consider
BUT as an acronym for Behold the Underlying Truth. (And
Buts can be shortened to BS.)
The truth is that grandma is not
getting a visit. The lie is that I care so much about
my sick grandmother that I really want to pay her a
visit. (Note my sensitivity to her need for visitation,
and my compassion for wanting to visit her.)
At this point, entering stage right,
are two of but's dearest friends--if only and try.
"If only it were a fine spring
day, I'd be into the woods and on my way to Grandmother's
house. If only it weren't so darn cold, I'd be at Granny's
side right now. I'm going to try to get there tomorrow!"
Unless, of course, we are too busy,
too poor, too tired, too ____________ (please fill in
the blank with one of your favorites), or perhaps not
feeling all that good ourselves.
But even if we and everything else
were fine and dandy, let's not forget the about the
wolves . . .
Yes-But
Success is simply a matter of luck. Ask any failure.
EARL WILSON
The naked "but" is what we use when ignoring
our own good advice. When ignoring the unbearably good
advice of others, we use the hyphenated version: "yes-but."
"You really should pay your
car insurance."
"Yes-but, I don't get paid
until next week."
"You could get an advance
on your credit card."
"Yes-but, I owe so much already."
"You have no insurance!"
"Yes-but, I'll drive real
careful."
And on and on. When we argue for
our limitations, we get to keep them. Yes-but means,
"Here come the arguments for my limitations."
Or, if you favor acronyms, YES-BUT = "Your Evaluation
is Superb--Behold the Underlying Truth."
The only activity more foolish
than a person pouring forth a stream of "yes-buts"
is the person who continues to give good advice in the
face of obvious indifference.
"Yes-but, I thought if I tried
just once more, it might be the bit of wisdom that would
make the difference.
Uh huh. As Jesus of Nazareth said,
"Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither
cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample
them under their feet, and turn again and rend you"
(Matthew 7:6).
"Ouch."
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