Customer Reviews

Dont Sweat The Small Stuff And Its All Small Stuff Unabridged : Simple Things To Keep The Little Things From Taking Over Your Life

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The cover of this book says it was a bestselling book of the year at one time. After opening it up and glancing through it, it't not hard to see why.

The pupose of the book is to get you to look at things, common situations we all come across everyday, like being criticized or being given more work than you can possibly finish, and see them a little differently. Believe it or not, it delivers- and in just a page or two at a time if you can believe that!

That's because the wisdom is definitely there, on every page, and it just plain makes sense. Many times I've read a chapter or two and thought, "Why didn't I think of that before?".

The other good thing about this tiny book is that you could either sit down and read it cover-to-cover, or just pick it up once in awhile and pick a random chapter to read. Either way, the mini-chapters are sure to quickly leave most readers wondering why they make such a big deal out of the things they do. Other short, inspiring books I liked include The Wishing Well Test: Take the Test - Get Your Wish!.

I love this book because it is so small that I can carry it with me in my purse. I like to get it out on a break at work and read a chapter on what I feel I need help with; it always picks me up and encourages me. What simple and brief yet wonderful advice! As I read I highlight the areas most applicable to me so that next time I read it I can read exactly what I most need to hear. Most chapters have a space that I use for notes and comments. Keep in mind that this is not a quick read. To make real changes in your life, I recommend this book should be read slowly, one to three chapters a day. When I first began, I tried to read straight through but it just goes in one ear and out the other. You have to read a chapter, stop, and think about it to best apply it to your life and make it work for you.

One of my favorite chapters is chapter six: REMIND YOURSELF THAT WHEN YOU DIE, YOUR "IN BASKET" WON'T BE EMPTY. I think the whole world should read this chapter! Here is an sample:

"SO MANY OF US LIVE OUR LIVES AS IF THE SECRET PURPOSE IS TO SOMEHOW GET EVERYTHING DONE....OFTEN WE CONVINCE OURSELVES THAT OUR OBSESSION WITH OUR "TO DO" LIST IS ONLY TEMPORARY--THAT ONCE WE GET THROUGHT THE LIST, WE'LL BE CALM, RELAXED AND HAPPY. BUT IN REALITY, THIS RARELY HAPPENS. AS ITEMS ARE CHECKED OFF, NEW ONES SIMPLY REPLACE THEM. THE NATURE OF YOUR "IN BASKET" IS THAT IT'S MEANT TO HAVE ITEMS TO BE COMPLETED IN IT--IT'S NOT MEANT TO BE EMPTY....REMEMBER THAT NOTHING IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN YOUR OWN SENSE OF HAPPINESS AND INNER PEACE AND THAT OF YOUR LOVED ONES. IF YOU ARE OBSESSED WITH GETTING EVERYTHING DONE, YOU'LL NEVER HAVE A SENSE OF WELL-BEING! IN REALITY, ALMOST EVERYTHING CAN WAIT...THE PURPOSE OF LIFE ISN'T TO GET IT ALL DONE BUT TO ENJOY EACH STEP ALONG THE WAY AND LIVE A LIFE FILLED WITH LOVE."

The book is organized, in my opinion, to be read in any order you want. Some chapters may be useful to you and some may not now but perhaps later on in your life. I find it very motivational. I think you will enjoy it also.

DON'T SWEAT THE SMALL STUFF...AND IT'S ALL SMALL STUFF--WORDS TO LIVE BY!

A highly-readable little paperback with a different perspective of the generations; your own, those before you, and those soon to follow. The book is enjoying a good run as a best-seller, living proof many among us must be anxiety-ridden and looking for answers.

Say to yourself: "Life isn't an emergency" advises Dr. Carlson, and admits this is his essential strategy on how to keep little things from taking over your life. Then, along with this, he confronts the reader with the realization (often unrecognized) that life is made up of "little things."

Each of the hundred short chapters contains ideas and true-life examples of how to work around the little things so life will be more livable and enjoyable minute-by-minute, hour-by-hour. It would seem that adopting even one of these sometimes profound, sometimes simplistic concepts of living, you can relieve stress in your life; more importantly, life will be a lot more fun.

Examples: Live in the present. When you look around, it's easy to see no one has a guarantee he or she will be here tomorrow; right now is the only time we have control over. When we focus on the present moment, fear of what might happen in the future (and most of these fearful events never happen) goes away so we are more relaxed.

Become more patient. Don't interrupt others or finish their sentences (a sign of impatience that says, "I'm waiting for you to finish so I can talk"). The more patient you are, the more you will accept how it really is, rather than insisting that life should be as you would like it to be. Patience adds ease and acceptance of life so essential for inner peace. Allowing the other person to finish speaking is a mark of patience which improves relationships. Those you are talking with feel more relaxed because they feel you are listening to what they have to say. Result; you enjoy conversations more and are more relaxed rather than rushing through them.

"One thing at a time." Admonishes Carlson. When you do too many things at once, it's impossible to concentrate on the present moment. Result: You cannot fully enjoy the moment because you are less effective and focused.

Here are some chapter titles that illustrate the broad range of anti-anxiety subject matter covered in the book: "Surrender to the Fact that Life Isn't Fair; "Allow Yourself to be Bored; "Seek First to Understand; "Become Aware of Your Moods and Don't Allow Yourself to be Fooled by the Low Ones; "Practice Random Acts of Kindness; "Choose Being Kind Over Being Right; "Every Day, Tell at Least One Person Something You Like, Admire or Appreciate About Them; "Resist The Urge to Criticize; "Write Down Your Five Most Stubborn Positions and See if You Can Soften Them; "Become a Less Aggressive Driver; "Think of What You Have Instead of What You Want; "Think of Your Problems as Potential Teachers; "Get Comfortable Not Knowing; "Remember, One Hundred Years from Now, All New People; "Mind Your Own Business; "Live This Day as if it Were Your Last. It Might Be!"

"Don't Sweat the Small Stuff" is a sprightly blend of old ideas and new ideas on how to how to cope with the fiendish pace of the Information Age. You won't recognize most of the old ideas though, because Author Carlson has dressed them up to fit today. In a gentle way, there's something rewarding here for almost everybody.

In "Don't Sweat the Small Stuff...and it's all small stuff!", Dr. Richard Carlson continues to share his infamous wisdom. I know what you're thinking, this book can't apply to you because you or your work are detail oriented by nature. This book, actually, has nothing to do with overlooking details, it merely shows you how to avoid letting little things from taking over your life and putting things in the right perspective. In fact one of the greatest things I read in the book was a little chapter called "Remind Yourself That When You Die, Your In-basket Won't be Empty". Some other thought provoking chapters are entitled "Ask Yourself the Question: Will This Matter a Year from Now?", "Search for the Grain of Truth in Others Opinions", "See the Glass as Already Broken", "When in Doubt About Who's Turn it is To Take Out the Trash, Go Ahead and Take it Out". These and most of the 100 mini-chapters in this book are really quite refreshing in their viewpoint, and quite easy to apply in your own life. As an example, I have learned not to let bad driver's upset me anymore, I simply expect everyone on the road to have a license issued from a "cracker jack box"... so when a near miss happens, I am no longer surprised or upset! This is just one simple way to apply the techniques in "Don't Sweat the Small Stuff". This is a book that the whole office should read, as it's benefits are real and tangible. Dr. Carlson has done it again... well maybe that's why it's still a best-seller.

"Don't Sweat the Small Stuff" is delightful in its conception and reads like a wonderful collection of wisdom vignettes. There are 100 short chapters in the book, each containing some insight on finding the keys to a satisfied, compassionate and enlightened life. The chapters can be read in any order. The soft and nurturing style is very appealing and makes this book a perfect companion to keep on hand when you are having a rough day and need a little support to put things into perspective. The simple and gentle wisdom of this book reminds me of another book Being Here: Modern Day Tales of Enlightenment by Ariel and Shya Kane. In this book, the Kanes reveal, through very engaging personal stories, how every moment is a life lesson and a gift, and they invite us to experience life directly, with compassion and in line with our true heart's desire. I heartily recommend both books to anyone interested in a soft and profound approach to enlightenment

This is marvelous magical book you hold in your hands in which every word written counts without being weighty. Richard Carlson has written a book packed with ideas that will uplift the spirit, open your mind and heart and free you in a delightful easy manner as he guides you into a clearer focusing of your life. He takes our lives and breaks our activities into bit-size pieces to savor and study easily without choking on our whole life all at once. His next book written "Don't Worry, Make Money" is just as direct and as enjoyable to read. Both books are filled with ideas that just make so much sense, you wonder why it wasn't clear to you before, yet somehow you sensed you've know these things all along. Never mind that you couldn't see them before, Richard Carlson is helping you to see them now! Carlson is a real intelligent pied piper who feeds the mind with seemingly simple words but which form profound concepts and ideas without boring or "spoonfeeding" the reader. You'll find that you won't mind sharing these books with others, in fact you may find yourself encouraging others to take a look at them while you are together; but you won't want to loan them overnight you'll rather wish to keep them nearby for easy reference, they become valuable comrades to you. One of the best things about both his books is that that you can start at the beginning, or just pick up a chapter at random, each chapter stands alone, yet works within the framework of the whole work. Kudos to Carlson, thank you for your enlightened writing.

It's not so much a book about helping you handle more stress better, but about making your life better so there won't be so much stress. Nearly all of the little "chapters" contain behavior-altering suggestions that are not easy to do--but that's the hard truth of self improvement. You cannot change behavior overnight, it's the kind of thing that requires day-to-day concentration. Benjamin Franklin discovered his, and wrote about it in his autobiography. He chose a handful of things he wanted to change about himself, and set out to practice one thing each day until he got it down--and it often took him much longer than he anticipated. If you don't want to put forth the effort of self-improvement, especially where stress is concerned, don't buy this book.

This book is easy to read, the suggestions being one to two pages. It may seem like he's "watering" down the facts of stressors and behavior, when in fact this material *must* be simplified in order to be at a level that is concise, direct, and understandable. Some of the 100 suggestions seem to overlap, but in my opinion, it is necessary. There are many aspects to human behavior. For example: Is patience really as simple as we think it is? Or is Mr. Carlson right in helping us with different aspects of it by overlapping the "patience" theme in several chapters? You may just need to decide for yourself.

So, when you're feeling bad about yourself and want to improve, this is a good place for ideas/reminders that can help you from the inside-out. You will have to read it slowly and re-read it again and again, using it as a reference for years to come in order to benefit from its potential effect on your life.

In the 1950s two American scientists studying coronary-prone personalities defined what they called Type A and Type B personalities; in the 1980s the study of cancer-prone personalities yielded an additional Type C. Extreme Type A personalities are characterized by a free-floating hostility, aggressiveness, competitiveness, a constant sense of time-urgency, impatience and a constant striving for ill-defined goals. Just think of a choleric person you know. Extreme Type C personalities, on the other hand, suppress strong emotions, comply with the wishes of others, lack assertiveness, avoid conflict and behavior that might offend others, they obey conventional norms of behavior and maintain an appearance of niceness; stoicism and self-sacrifice appeal to them, their approach to life is outwardly calm and unemotional, and they have a tendency to feelings of helplessness and hopelessness. Richard Carlson has something to tell both of these types. His message is: become more sanguine, more forgiving and accepting of yourself, more laid-back, unaggressive, and easy-going; be the driver, not the driven; in short, become more like a typical Type B personality.

Richard Carlson's 100 suggestions how to slow down to the speed of life (incidentally, the title of another of his books) and how to focus on what is important are valuable reminders and great common-sense advice sprinkled with small bits of Eastern wisdom. Carlson does not push any theories or New Age stuff at the reader; he simply says, here are some things you might try and see if they work. If they do, practice them. Practice makes the master.

To give an example of a typical suggestion by Carlson: if you face an angry, aggressive person, imagine the person as a tiny infant and as a 100-year old adult; it will give you some needed perspective and compassion. That's true. When I underwent military training, the recommendation was that whenever the drill-sergeant yelled at me, I should picture him naked instead of resorting to some typical Type A or Type C behavior. It worked quite well. The yelling usually stopped with the comment "get that smirk off your face".

This is a nice lightweight little book that has a lot of commonsense advice in it, but the title is a bit misleading; it's ALL small stuff? Hardly. It might be easy to tell someone that they need to not worry about certain things and take things easy, but in practice it's not so easy. And some of the advie given can be just plain bad if followed too closely. I mean, really . . . "Regard everyone s enlightened but you"? How can anybody POSSIBLY do that? It seems a sort ot "Tao" Living for the new age; go with the flow; don't let anything get to you. Give way to others even when they are wrong. It might sound nice, and I am sure it makes for good sleep, but it would be a boon for dictators anywhere! Life is not easy; it cannot be watered down so that it is all small stuff. This material may be useful to a degree, but for one to really go about changing their life, an internal transfromation needs to occur; otherwise it is all just a crash course in how to be a mouse.

I learned quite a few things from this little book. For a small book, it is full of alot of useful information. Most people don't see things in their relationships or even work that could be improved on. I learned that you don't have to have serious problems to improve them a little. Improving with little things can make a big difference. This would be a good book for anyone. Whether you are a workaholic or just need time for yourself. We make a big deal out of the little things because there are so many little things. Would be worth it to read again and again.