Focus on the Good Stuff: The Power of Appreciation [Hardcover]

Mike Robbins (Author), Richard Carlson (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 24, 2007 | ISBN-10: 0787988790 | ISBN-13: 978-0787988791 | Edition: 1

Written by a former professional baseball player whose career was ended with an injury to his pitching arm in the middle of his third season, Focus on the Good Stuff is filled with passion, authenticity, and humor. Author Mike Robbins offers a step-by-step program with exercises for overcoming negative influence and obstacles, creating a truly grateful approach to life, and establishing an environment that can support success and peace of mind.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Motivational speaker and professional coach Robbins sets out for well-worn territory, turning out a useful but unsurprising exploration of the power of positive thinking and the art of appreciation. Like self-help titles such as The Secret, Robbins insists that like attracts like, and to get what we want in life we must focus on what we want (rather than what we don't). In this never preachy three-part primer, Robbins explains how the simple act of appreciation can change our lives, making up in empathy, anecdote and readability what he lacks in fresh ideas. In part one, Robbins analyzes the effects of living in a culture of negativity and fear, which keeps individuals from connecting with others, and from seeing the good in both people and life. Part two elucidates his Five Principles of Appreciation ("be grateful," "use positive words," etc.) and part three is about putting the principles into action ("it's not what we know, but what we do that matters"); exercises and "positive practices" throughout give readers further steps to put appreciation's power to work in daily life.
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Review

Motivational speaker and professional coach Robbins sets out for well-worn territory, turning out a useful but unsurprising exploration of the power of positive thinking and the art of appreciation. Like self-help titles such as "The Secret," Robbins insists that like attracts like, and to get what we want in life we must focus on what we want (rather than what we don't). In this never preachy three-part primer, Robbins explains how the simple act of appreciation can change our lives, making up in empathy, anecdote and readability what he lacks in fresh ideas. In part one, Robbins analyzes the effects of living in a culture of negativity and fear, which keeps individuals from connecting with others, and from seeing the good in both people and life. Part two elucidates his Five Principles of Appreciation ("be grateful," "use positive words," etc.) and part three is about putting the principles into action ("it's not what we know, but what we do that matters"); exercises and "positive practices" throughout give readers further steps to put appreciation's power to work in daily life. "(Aug.)" ("Publishers Weekly," September 3, 2007)

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Jossey-Bass; 1 edition (August 24, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0787988790
• ISBN-13: 978-0787988791
• Product Dimensions: 5.8 x 1 x 8.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (32 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #87,943 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Mike Robbins is the author of Focus on the Good Stuff: The Power of Appreciation. As a well-known keynote speaker and personal development expert, Mike has inspired thousands through his speaking, workshops, coaching, and writing. He empowers people to appreciate themselves, acknowledge others, and be grateful for their lives.

Prior to becoming an author, speaker, and coach, Mike played baseball at Stanford University and then was drafted by the Kansas City Royals. He played three seasons of professional baseball in the Royals organization before arm injuries ended his playing career.

After his athletic career was cut short by injuries, Mike worked in sales and business development for two Internet start-up companies. He has extensively studied many disciplines of both personal and professional development, and received training from the nationally acclaimed Coaches Training Institute. Mike uses this background, knowledge, and training to impact the individuals and groups with whom he works.

Mike has worked with some of America's top organizations and institutions such as AT&T, Apple Computer, UC Berkeley, the U.S. Department of Labor, New York Life Insurance, Stanford University, and many others. He is a member of the National Speakers Association and is one of less than 10% of the professional speakers in the world to have earned the prestigious Certified Speaking Professional (CSP) designation. Mike has been featured in the San Francisco Chronicle, USA Today, and on Fox Sports Television.

He is also the author of the successful audio program, The Power of Appreciation and a contributing author of Chicken Soup for the Single Parent's Soul. Mike is a member of the board of directors for two non-profit organizations, Challenge Day (a powerful youth organization that focuses on peace, healing, and personal development for teens) and The Peace Alliance (an organization focused on creating a culture of peace here in America and around the world, as well as a grassroots political campaign to create a cabinet level U.S. Department of Peace).

Mike lives in Concord, CA (in the San Francisco Bay Area, where he grew up) with his wife Michelle and their daughter Samantha.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

44 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Read this book!!, August 15, 2007

By 

Jessica Bart-Williams (Bay Area, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Focus on the Good Stuff: The Power of Appreciation (Hardcover)

This book - perhaps better identified as a work book - is a simple journey, using several practices in appreciation and acknowledgement that become a portal out of a cynical and resigned way of life into a world worth living in. Ask yourself, "if there was nothing wrong with me, and nothing to fix or change, who would I be and what would I do with my life?" By the end of this book, you will be that person, living that life.

Mike Robbins has written this book with a genuine approach. Instead of browbeating the reader with his expertise (which he could very well have done), he joins with the reader on this journey, sharing delicate and intimate moments of his life along the way. In so doing, he creates the space for taking this simple and elegant process very seriously.

Before reading "Focus on the Good Stuff", I considered myself highly trained in positive thinking, transformational process, etc. However, I can say beyond a shadow of a doubt that I never thought I could impact how I thought. I knew I could sound good, I knew I could do good things, and I knew I could turn situations around on a dime; but I never thought those knee-jerk negative thoughts would ever go away. And if they didn't go away, I would always be compensating for them somehow. Those days are gone. Inside the space created by Robbins' process, I was able to retrain my thinking. Now, by simply shifting my attention outside myself, my experience of life has expanded. I'm regaining the passion in my life by focusing on what's out there and what's available to me, rather than what's wrong. I highly recommend this book.

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A BOOK THAT SHOULD BE READ BY EVERYONE!, August 28, 2007

By 

John E. Welshons (Northern New Jersey) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Focus on the Good Stuff: The Power of Appreciation (Hardcover)

In today's world where civility, kindness, and generosity have often been replaced by rudeness, cynicism, conflict, and self-absorption, Mike Robbins offers us a delicious and refreshing reminder of the power of appreciation. This book is both beautifully written, and easy to read. It reminds us that happiness is difficult to come by in a "culture of complaint." But the simple act of consciously focusing on what is good, noticing what we have to be grateful for, and offering appreciation to others can magically transform our lives and our hearts. The Power of Appreciation offers a much-needed reminder of the spiritually uplifting experience gained by simply cultivating an enduring sense of gratitude. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT!

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Focus on the Good Stuff hits the mark!, August 18, 2007

By 

Gerald Benoit (Walnut Creek, CA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Focus on the Good Stuff: The Power of Appreciation (Hardcover)

Do self-help books really help? The best answer to this question is probably that some hit their mark with a select few, while others hit home with practically everyone who reads it. I believe that Focus on the Good Stuff is the latter - it will be of value to all who read it.

There have been a lot of books written about positive thinking, but author Mike Robbins' book takes the reader into a unique look at the power of appreciation.

Mike shows how negativity will influence our lives unless we consciously undertake actions to move toward a more positive life. Negativity - about things around us and of our own selves - can be replaced by appreciation. And it is a set of simple acts that reaps a world of good for all.

It's actually both a book and a workbook, allowing the reader to take action.

I come away from the experience finding it easier to appreciate those around me as well as a deeper appreciation of myself.

Wouldn't the world be a better place if everyone could find a little more happiness this way?

I give the book a five star rating.