Not Another Self-Help Book - Summary and best quotes by IfuM

This summary was made by me for myself so that I don't have to re-read the book again and again because I have lousy memory and usually keep forgetting things.

Also this blog is for those of you who think self-help books are a "waste of your precious time" - so this is a summary for all save your time read my hand picked and hand typed points.

I love this book because this book has great sense of humor and comic-type cartoons, and I love both of them. I am eternally thankful for the one who gifted it to me.


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Is your life going to be a gripping bestseller or a resignation letter?

(This is the Chapter 1 title which I found the most inspiring when I began to read this book)

The only qualifications you need to read this book are:

A sense of humor

(LOL)

As every parent will testify, parenting is without question the hardest job on the face of the Earth - and children don't come with instruction manuals.


Responsibility is not a burden. Obligation is not a martyrdom . OK?
(I love how the author asks us"OK" in the end)


An employee is having a review. Her boss does not mention her performance.
Mind reading: "He doesnt rate me", or "Nobody gives me the praise I deserve."
Shoulds, musts and ougths: I should work harder", or "He should notice me more; he doesn't respect me"
Actual reason for event: Boss is an idiot.
:D


The language of change is hopeful, optimistic and gentle.

Communication is not trying to win an argument.
Communication is being honest, respectful and seeking a compromise.

Relationships need better communication the same way plants need water and light.

For people who dont know Mohammad Ali.

Assertive people don't cross their arms, clench their jaws and their fists and look like they're about to go in the ring with Muhammad Ali.


You can be sad, but you can allow yourself to hope. You can mourn but allow yourself to laugh.

Retirement and unemployment-
Now that our lives have changed do we look on it as an ending or a beginning?



Take your time but dont procrastinate-
How many times do we really need to sharpen that pencil before we actually start writing a letter?

Lets go a bit crazy-
I dont expect you to do anything too dramatic, like running off to Australia and be a sheepherder.

While I wouldnt argue with the fact that "stable and happy" is a good thing, I think that the benefits of going a bit crazy and being happy too are always undersold.
(Dr House says Normal is overrated - and I feel thats true)

Now it wasnt as if I'd decided to become a brain surgeon and spent five years working on the docks to pay for it, or anything particularly heroic.

Now there are limits to what we can and cannot do, dont get me wrong - at 5ft 4ins, I'm never going to play professional basketball, for example.

Experimentation can be seen as a practical application of creativity.
(This quote help me realise that experimentation and creativity go hand in hand.)


*"*  Which album would you prefer to listen to: Life is Grim by the Unfortunates, with songs such as Tough Times Ahead, Its Gonna Get Worse, How will I Cope? and Misery - or, Dreaming by The Happy Weekends which includes their hit songs Everything is Possible, It All Starts Now, Happy To Be Mad and Welcome To The World? *"*
(My all time favorite one)