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Focus on the Good Stuff
Book

Focus on the Good Stuff

The Power of Appreciation

Mike Robbins
Jossey-Bass, 2007
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Editorial Rating

5

Qualities

  • Inspiring

Recommendation

Mike Robbins is a former professional baseball player. In 1997, he blew out his arm, thus ending his career. A minister’s locker room sermon about staying positive inspired Robbins, who now is a busy motivational speaker. Robbins’ basic message: People should appreciate what they have and not dwell on the negative. Though Robbins’ proclamation that it is better to concentrate on the good rather than the bad makes sense, many of his concepts are just that obvious. This fluffy book is a compilation of feel-good reminders of reliable verities, like the need for gratitude. getAbstract recommends it as a warm, comfortable overview for newcomers to this upbeat self-help genre.

Summary

Why Be So Negative?

Television creates the impression that the world is quickly going to hell. It’s all doom and gloom, and the sky is falling. TV news stories focus on war, crime, terrorism, pestilence, layoffs, economic collapse and horrific accidents. Nothing is good. Everything is bad. Commercials remind viewers, over and over, that people are too fat, unattractive and embarrassingly incontinent. Considering all this, is it any wonder that people are incessantly negative? Unfortunately, negativity affects people in many harmful ways. They become inordinately fearful. They complain endlessly and they routinely obsess about their individual problems, stresses and challenges. They become mean and judgmental, and viciously compete with one another. They constantly gossip behind each other’s backs and must be right no matter what. They are all unhappy.

Negativity is incredibly corrosive to your well-being and sense of self-worth. It affects your outlook not only on the world and the people in it, but also toward yourself. On a personal level, negativity directly translates to harsh self-criticism, even self-loathing. People who constantly criticize themselves are their...

About the Author

Mike Robbins, a former professional baseball player, is a motivational speaker and life coach. He is the author of Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff.

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