Amazon.com Review
Walter Anderson is the editor of
Parade, the magazine insert that appears in many U.S. Sunday newspapers;
Parade's optimistic, all-American style is echoed in
The Confidence Course. In addition to becoming more confident, Anderson wants to teach you how to win friends, influence people, and become an overall better person. His advice is deceptively simple: take responsibility for your behavior, do things rather than "try" to do them, act in spite of your fear, and practice tolerance of others. Anderson's confidence is catching; when he discusses how to speak in public both courageously and entertainingly, you might just forget your fears and go out and rent a lecture hall.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Anderson, the editor of
Parade since 1980, is also an appointee to the National Commission of Libraries and Information Services and a board member for the Literacy Volunteers of America and the National Center for Family Literacy, generous activities that reflect one of his seven steps to self-fulfillment: "Believe in something big. Your life is worth a noble motive." Simple on the surface, profoundly resonant upon reflection, this statement exemplifies Anderson's positive, no-nonsense new book, his third, the fruit of a course on self-confidence he created and taught at the New School for Social Research in New York City. The class was a resounding success, an indication that lack of confidence is endemic and that Anderson's pragmatic program, rooted in the teachings of his friend, Dr. Norman Vincent Peale, works. Anderson is blunt and to the point. "No, life is not fair," he declares. He, too, has struggled all his life against "the most painful feelings of inferiority," until he discovered that adversity can become inspiration, fear can be transformed into courage, and dreams can be realized. Wasting no time on psychobabble, Anderson offers concrete suggestions for how to learn from your mistakes, how to hold people's attention and earn respect, how to define success in a meaningful way, and how to live a full and fulfilling life. A tall order? Absolutely, but Anderson is so specific and experienced, so focused on strengths instead of weaknesses, he generates a palpable aura of reasonableness, and readers can't help but feel hopeful.
Donna Seaman
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
