Recently I started reading a new book by British writer Geoff Thompson, Fear: the friend of exceptional people. I especially like one thing he recommends that we should tell ourselves more often when we encounter difficulty. Simply, that we say to ourselves “I can handle it.”
As I read, it got me thinking about the whole genre of self-development. There are literally THOUSANDS of books out there which pretty much say the same thing!
To my mind, it all started with Napolean Hill’s classic Think and Grow Rich. Since then the message itself hasn’t changed much – but how it’s delivered has. If you go through dating and pick up materials, for example, a lot of what the top ‘experts’ say has in fact been ‘translated’ from 1930’s American English to today’s lingo.
Usually at a significantly higher price too, I might add. Napolean Hill’s book now sells for about $10 – but a lot of guys out there would rather invest $100-400 or more for their fave present-day PUA to tell them the same thing.
So what makes this blog any different?
Simply that for many of us, self-development seems so easy and such common sense, yet most people who pick up a self-help book either don’t finish it or barely implement its ideas. Others just don’t get it until it’s communicated in a way that connects. Maybe this web-magazine will be the one that gets you saying ‘ah-ah’. Those ah-ah moments are truly amazing. You can read a book and seem to understand it, but sometimes it takes a few more books and personal journeys for you to finally get it.
I’m the same. I read some things and seem to get it, but then one day it truly begins to make sense. Once it makes sense, I take action.
When Geoff Thompson talks about how we should tell ourselves “I can handle it” there are a number of underlying issues here. First, what do you really tell yourself in the morning as you wake up? Do you see your life in a positive light? Do you talk yourself up or down? We all have different fears but our time is limited – if you walk around at work all day or at home telling yourself you can’t handle it, then how happy will you be in life?
Second, there is the importance of having a positive mindset. Whatever you say to yourself will affect your mindset. So if you’ve been putting off doing something important, why wait any longer?
NOW. Let’s do it now.
I can handle it.
David (at) bouncebackfromabreakup.com
originally published on menslifestyledesign.com May 4, 2010
