Phil Stutz (psychiatrist) & Barry Michels (law practitioner turn psychotherapist) introduced 5 life-changing techniques to become a better version of ourselves.
The book guide us on how to overcome our own demons and to move forward in life.
The 5 tools are :-
Tool 1 -
Reversal of Desire.
How to overcome our fear of pain (failure). What steps needed for us to do to overcome them and reach out the vast opportunities lay in front of PAIN.
To me the failures were not so scary. I know everybody fails. Failure is part of success. It's either I feel embarrassed, demotivated or angry. Sometimes I just laughed at it or maybe I cried for few days or weeks or months. Until no more tears.Then came the scariest part. THE PICK-YOURSELF-UP JOURNEY. I don't know how long it's going be. Am I strong enough? Or am I going to give up easily? Am I ready to know that maybe my loved ones won't be with me throughout the long journey any more. Am I ready for that too? I don't know.
Tool 2 -
Active Love
To change from resentment to love.
When we face harsh situation with another person, sometimes we will become angry. So whenever we face with this difficulties, it is our choice whether we want to remain angry (the Maze) or we use Active Love approach.
This approach teaches us to accept all ideas including the ones that offend us most. Then we use the Active Love approach such as by telling ourselves we forgive them and feel the Outflow of energy(love) from deep in our heart.
Tool 3 -
Inner Authority
Find confidence and inner strength
Sometime when we face an overwhelming task for example public speaking, our brain and body freeze. According to the authors, freezing actually caused by an inner insecurity that we didn't want others to know.
To overcome this, we need to acknowledge our inner self that we're deeply ashamed of.
When we're in harmony with our inner self, it will give us a deep inner strength. We know who we really are. We are less concern with other people opinions.
I came from not well to do family. I was once feel ashamed and tried to hide it. The more I tried to hide my insecurities, the more I became restless. There was no peace of mind. I was afraid that one day people will know the truth. I tried to emulate others just to be accepted until one day my inner shadow won the battle between us. Through experiences and maturity, I found what I was looking for.- an inner peace mind and soul.
Tool 4 -
The Grateful Flow.
For peace of mind. When our mind full with negativities, we have been taken over by Black Cloud. To push away this black cloud, we need to inject into our mind some positivities. GRATEFULNESS is very important element in our life. We are so busy looking for something to make us happy until we forget the one we had. All the grateful things were given free and that's why we take it for granted. But once it's taken from us, we cannot get it back. Things like our health, able bodied, sound mind and love.
So the authors suggest that we state at least 5 things we're truly grateful for. Say it loud so we can hear ourselves. Say it slowly so we can feel the grateful flow from our deepest heart to outside. And do as often as we can until we truly mean every single things we say we're grateful for.
Tool 5 -
Jeopardy
Immense willpower.
The authors want us to use our creativity. Imagine ourselves in the future on our own DEATHBED. See our old selves raise and saying something to our present selves. What would that be? Do our old selves congratulate us or angry to us for what we have done or haven't done. Do our old selves praise us or berated us?
But for myself the most profound quotes is
That should remind us not to waste our precious life unwisely.
The tools doesn't end with the chapter. It is an ongoing process in our life.
"No matter how demoralized or lazy you are, if you're alive and conscious, you have enough energy to make some tiny effort on your own behalf even the most minuscule effort counts. The only real mistakes is to do nothing."
10/10
