Customer Reviews

Do It! Let's Get Off Our But's (The Life 101 Series)

5 star:		(27)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
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During my last battle with procrastination, lethargy and anger at not making headway upon my goals, I purchased Peter McWilliams book "Do It!". I had reached a point where I was stagnant, and hoped that this book might do like the title suggest and get me off my butt. The book looks huge, clocking in at over 500 pages, but don't let that fool you. It is barely half of that because there must be 300 quotes blocked out throughout the text. I read the introduction and became interested in what McWilliams had to say.

McWilliams breaks the book up into six larger sections full of small chapters. He tackles his topic quickly and abundantly. The book begins by explaining the reasons why we procrastinate, working through finding a goal, achieving that goal, and what to do after the goal has been achieved. The most helpful section to me was the first as he explains the reasons why many of us do not achieve our goals. His belief is that going against our comfort zone is the hardest thing to do, and it is this comfort zone that prefers us to procrastinate.

I think that the book is above average in motivating you. McWilliams has a way of writing that excites you to the point where you think you can do what you need to accomplish your goals (even if finding a goal is your goal). He provides tips to help you achieve your goal, like needing to work on your goal two hours a day. He uses a handful of exercises to help you identify your goal, but otherwise there is not much interaction for the reader. He also provides a lot of quotes. Some may find quotes motivational. I found them entertaining. There are more quotes than just those that appear in boxes. McWilliams tends to write by using a quote, and then interpreting it and expanding on it to get his point across. So, you need to like quotes before reading this book.

I feel like I got something out of this book. It's not the best motivational book, as it didn't make me dive into achieving my goal, but it did get me to think about my goal and what I need to do about it. It also gave me ways to combat the comfort zone. Overall, I think if you have strayed slightly from your goal this book will help you get back on track, or if you are looking for a goal to pursue it may help you identify one.

I have read a lot of self-help books, but this is the first one that actually helped.

First off, I would say 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 doen't mean you cvan'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.

I spend a lot more time reading about how I should go about achieving my dreams, rather than actually achieving them. I have read a disgusting amount of self-help books in the area of motivation and realising and making dreams come true. And here I am, in the process, but perhaps taking more time to make them come true than is really necessary.

This is the be all and end all of motivation books. The research that has gone into this piece, the endless and inpsiring quotes, the humour of the authors and the fabulous and down-to-earth method in which the book is written make it the finest of thousands of books on the same topic. Perhaps there is nothing really new in this book that you won't find elsewhere, but the authors work to make the readers realise their power, and the possiblity of their dreams.

Granted, I am not one to carry out time consuming exercises in discovering my true passion, which this book contains a few of. I personally have never had the patience for them (perhaps the very reason my dreams are not yet a reality) but I believe they are important, and the authors present them in a way that simplifies the process of motivation.

I found this book to be astonishingly good, wonderfully presented and researched, simple, and inspiring, much like 'You can't afford the luxury of a negative thought', another of their impassioned and humourous pieces. I feel like going out there and doing it right now; working to make my dreams come true, and after reading Do It!, I know it is not as hard as I have been led to believe. I cannot recommend this book enough.

Life was pretty bad for me at the time I read this book. A friend loaned it to me on a whim, he said his mother had sent it to him and he didn't hadn't had the chance to read it. So I took it home and I was transformed over night. I started it and couldn't put it down. Four years later, I have to write a paper for a college class and I keep thinking about the book, wishing I still had it so I could quote from it. I figured I'd try searching for it on Amazon.com and amazingly it was there! Thank God, this book is still in print. I highly recommend it to anyone that is feeling "lost" and needing a little direction. Good Luck!

I first read this book when I borrowed it from a friend. Since that time, I have bought it for myself, as well as at least 5 of my friends! What I lvoe most of all about it is that you don't have to read it from beginning to end. You can skim the table of contents and find what you need! Just flip to the fear section, for example, and get over it! I am an actor and bring the book to my auditions sometimes. I think it's really great and I highly recommend it.

I read this book when I was in my mid-twenties and loved it so much I bought the hard back version. The inspirational quotes, the undeniable logic "we were taught we could have anything we wanted. What we weren't taught is that we couldn't have EVERYTHING we wanted." This is so true, and the book is just filled cover to cover with ideas and points-of-view that are easy to accept or easy to dismiss. Since each person has their own beliefs, this book easily covers everyone without offending anyone. I can not emphasize this enough: As a motivational wake up call, buy this book and read it every six months. Drill what he says into your head (only the parts you like, not the whole book is necessary) and you will be happier and more successful. Just reading the book won't do it. But it certainly should help with motivating you to move forward.

I've read many "self help" books, but this one takes the cake. It was not only easy to read, but extremely insightful as well. I have recommended this book to every one I know, including a boss (who also loved the book). If this book is any indication of the authors other books, I'm ready to purchase them all!!!

I read this book many years ago when I was in college and would recommend the paperback version to anyone who is looking for some answers in life. The overall theme of the book is how to deal with procrastination. Many of the questions that we face on a daily basis are easily answered if we just make the effort to look within. This book is light hearted but not for the faint of heart. Be prepared to make changes in your life and be open to facing some hard truths that you may not have known about yourself. Don't be intimidated by the size of the book --close to half of it is really one page motivational quotes. Most of the content is common knowledge but the goal of reading the book should be how to apply the knowledge. Perfect for any age and an excellent gift for those into self improvement. Take a look at the excepts and contents listed on Amazon and you'll see that it's never too late to just Do It !!!!!!

It was just a few days before the day where either I made my dream come true or I didn't. Because I'd failed before, I figured I would do anything in my power and leave my expectations of others behind. Instead of asking myself "Why should I?" I started asking, "Why SHOULDN'T I?" I found this book on someone's desk and just opened it, sat there reading the first 100 or so pages, and by the time I had to leave it, I knew in my heart that I deserved to live my dream, that EVERYONE deserves to live their dreams; if you LOVE your dream, that is enough to use your fear, anger, and guilt as positive TOOLS that are GIFTS to you and will help you make your dream your experience. Don't let your fear paralyze you; don't let your mind to work against you. USE your tools. Leave you comfort zone and jump off into the unknown realm of your dreams. And when discouragement rolls around, you know what to do. Get out the "big guns," and scream "I love you!" And, guess what? 48 hours later, I was in heaven, living my dream.

This book was great! I am a total procrastinator and I have put things off for so long and this book got to the root of why!! It was like a huge wake up call that this life is the only one you have and if you don't do what you want to do now...there is no next time! I would recommend this book to anyone who is ready to make a big change in there life and start feeling good about themselves. It is great. Author is great!! Quotes are motivational!!