Negative Thinking: How To Transform Negative Thoughts And Self Talk Into Positive Thinking

Colin Smith asked me to read his book "Negative Thinking: How To Transform Negative Thoughts And Self Talk Into Positive Thinking". I decided previously to branch out a little into non-fiction so I took him up on it. The nutshell of this book is the importance of balanced optimism and provides a couple methods of developing such an attitude. Since this is non-fiction, I can't use my normal reviewing structure but I will still assign a grade at the end. As I was reading this book, I thought the term "Secular Zen" was appropriate. There's a lot of stuff about creating a peaceful state of mind and controlling one's perception of the world and the stuff that happens. Mr. Smith even shares a Buddhist maxim, "You become what you resist", suggesting tranquility in the face of problems. This is in the chapter called, "The Power of Accepting Reality".About a week or so ago, I read a book similar to this one that was written by a Buddhist monk. It covered much of the same ground (peaceful mind, optimism, gratitude for simple things, daily practices for developing these traits etc.) but at times I got the feeling that the author forgot that his audience wasn't clergy or Buddhist, and so they don't have time to meditate five times a day (and then again at night). This book, in contrast, is written for busy lay people. It is short, quick and provides a couple pointers in the right direction. It's not a high energy, super ambitious, go-getter thing. It's a low energy, peaceful and content thing. The logic goes that if you have a clear and positive mind, then you will be better able to achieve what you want to achieve, and be content with what you ultimately gain. Overall, I'm satisfied with this book, but there are a couple snags. At times, Mr.Smith will use weasel words like "studies show" without mentioning which studies. As an English major, this sort of thing bothers me, but on the other hand, it was for simple stuff that could be called common knowledge. Citing it would be like saying "studies show that dirt turns to mud in the rain". It would be silly. Also, Mr.Smith leans heavily on Zivorad Slavinski's "Return to Oneness". Other than the Buddha, this is the only person that he references and quotes. It happens so often that Mr. Smith's book sounds like it's, in part, a commentary on Slavinski's. The citations are flawless and there's plenty of original thought here so it's a minor thing.Trickster Eric Novels gives "Negative Thinking: How To Transform Negative Thoughts And Self Talk Into Positive Thinking" a B+

The message from Colin is pretty simple really, eliminate your little voices. You're the one spending the most time talking to yourself more than anyone else. So it's of utmost important to be saying the right things. If you've heard the saying IT'S ALL IN YOUR HEAD many times, this book will show you the true meaning of that.Most people operate based on that. In fact they are still doing what they do because they're in a habitual mode of feeding negative thoughts into their own subconscious thoughts, the only problem is that they're heading in the wrong direction and with the wrong mindset.Another key point here that i found from this book is Focus = Power, if you are also easily distracted by trivial things, then you need to read and master this book. Of course, it's Easier said than done, so i'd wish you read this first hand!If you are always very negative and lack positive thinking, this book is a great buy. Make sure you don't shelf this book, read it whenever you have some spare time.Just a few incredibly powerful pointers discussed here can make your life more productive, positive and happier. Avoid Negative people or use your positive energy and channel through them. Take action and open you mind to a bigger and better you.These types of books should be in the hands of thousands....

This self-help guide by Smith was both a great read and extremely enlightening, especially when it comes to learning how we think and what kinds of methods are useful in overcoming negative energy that can often lead to depression. Smith's tips promote healthy, positive thinking, like getting out stressful negative thoughts through writing it down--I can say that this is a great way to understand your thinking better and root out the source of the problem. Above all, Smith teaches that recognizing the endless possibilities of life in its ups and downs and embracing the positive aspects is the way to happiness. Great read, and I highly recommend it.

This is by no means a self help book for anyone serious about stopping negative thinking. The Book is a printed ebook that is barely 32 pages long. The text is huge and the writing is awful, the only reason this book exist is to make the author money off people thinking they are getting some sort of help. He has no opinion of his own and spends a good bit of the book quoting other books with out explaining how it fits into his ideology. His exercise in the book is a joke and by no means accomplishes what it sets out to do. Those wanting to truly help themselves stop negative thinking should look elsewhere to an actual doctor or author with legit experience in the field. Needless to say I was very disappointed with this book and with myself for not reading up more on it before buying.

I've been reading a lot of self-help e-books lately, and I have to say, this author's books always stand at the top. They're clear, concise, well written, and practical. This time, he's written about the importance of changing your thought patterns from negative to positive. Maybe that sounds a little woo-woo to some, but it's actually very sound and useful advice. As the book illustrates, we do things like filtering (who's not guilty of choosing to ignore good things so that they can concentrate on the bad ones and wallow in self-pity?) to our own detriment instead of seeing reality the way it is.I could say a lot more, but I don't want to spoil the book. Instead, I'll say go read it. Learn about habits you may unconsciously be doing that are sabotaging you, and find out ways to replace them with habits that serve you.

This well set-out and accessible book lays out stratagems for learning how to think positively when facing life's challenges and not succumb to negative thinking. There are some great techniques on how to avoid or mitigate anxiety and depression, and, even more importantly, escape from falling into a rut of failure and depression where you always expect things to go badly. The author teaches us how to use and instill optimism and gratitude in achieving this, as well as techniques that help us to accept reality and keep things in balance. He draws on some of the pioneering work of the Serbian author and mystic, Zivorad Slavinski, and describes fascinating methods and strategies to face down and alleviate problems. Check this out.

An excellent deconstruction of the Negative Thinking and Self-Talk subject by one of the new gurus of self-help. Colin Smith wastes no words, and summarises the state, the approach, and the execution to help change your life for the better. Whether you're a therapist or just a friend to someone with these issues, this book will give you a clear route to the heart of the problem, and a complete tool-kit for intervention and guidance. Good stuff, well written!

This is another excellent and highly focused workbook from Colin G Smith, who is skilled at distilling the modern techniques and thinking on therapeutic subjects into easy-to-follow practical solutions. The central thread here is that your internal negativity has a disproportionate effect on every aspect of your life. The exercises offer various tried and tested methods for changing your outlook, and reaping the benefits. An all-round solid contribution.

Good read

I've suffered from depression, to different degrees, throughout my life and have read much on the subject. This book offers some excellent techniques to deal with, and more importantly recognise, when negativity is about to take hold - making it easy to manage and stop the feelings becoming overwhelming. I highly recommend this book to help you gain control of your feeling and banish negativity!