of.
2. Don’t become too entrenched in your position to start with. If you do, be willing to agree in principle that you will compromise or change your view if the arguments are compelling.
3. Imagine you are a prosecutor in a courtroom challenging your original hypothesis; give it everything you can. As the prosecutor, you don’t need to be fair; you need to make the best case possible. Don’t put up a defense as you go along but assemble all the arguments against your original view first.
4. Is there a case for the prosecution? If so, accept this without necessarily launching a counterattack.
5. Search for alternative explanations. There is almost always more than one reason. We tend to overemphasize the examples that support our beliefs and underplay any counterexamples that suggest alternative causes.
6. Try to find the right path between firm and supportive: too lenient and your views won’t change; too aggressive and you won’t want to change.
7. Challenge your assumptions about the importance of your view. So what if you can’t play a musical instrument or master all the functions on your mobile phone?
8. The ultimate fallback is to decide whether your view is helping or hindering. Even if, in your opinion, your view is true, that isn’t enough of a reason to hold on to it. If the belief is getting in the way, then it’s best to put it to one side.
9. The hardest part of arguing with yourself is being willing to be swayed. Ask yourself if you are being obstinate.
PART TWO
Take Control
H OW MUCH CONTROL do you have over your life? It’s a question that has puzzled philosophers, great academics, and people stuck at airport gates waiting for delayed flights.
The truth is that you have much more control over your life than first meets the eye. Rather than being a pawn, pushed around in some great game of existential chess, you have the ability to choose what you do, how you do it, and when you do it.
As wonderful as this choice is, it also has disadvantages. Are you procrastinating about a big project? Are you timid about asking that special person out on a date because you assume they’ll reject you? Are you frustrated by a situation at work that could actually open a door to a new opportunity? Why?
The chapters in this part of the book are filled with techniques to help you think differently, react differently, and regain control of your life.
This section starts with a chapter titled “Take Charge.” In it, you’ll learn ways to approach everyday challenges, such as being more proactive so things get done rather than hang over you like a cartoon rain cloud. You’ll learn how to take charge of your thinking when circumstances seem like they’re out of your control. And you’ll discover tools that not only allow you to choose how you think, feel, and react to situations but also give you control of those situations.
Next, in “Start a New Chapter” you’ll explore bigger issues, like Where’s my life going? The tools in this chapter will help you answer the big burning questions: Am I doing the right things to get what I want in life? Am I at least headed in the right direction? You’ll quickly learn how to clear your most common hurdles. You’ll better understand many of the things that may have held you back in the past. What’s more, you’ll almost immediately discover how to re-chart your future course.
Finally, the last chapter in this section, “End Procrastination Now,” will help those who want to change but don’t know where, how, or when to begin the process. In this chapter, you’ll examine why you procrastinate. Are you trying to avoid uncomfortable situations? Are you complacent? Are you an “action illusionist”? You’ll find out. And you’ll gain all the tools you need to stop procrastinating and start living, working, and building stronger relationships today.
No, you can’t control every situation in your life. But you can choose to take control of your
2. Don’t become too entrenched in your position to start with. If you do, be willing to agree in principle that you will compromise or change your view if the arguments are compelling.
3. Imagine you are a prosecutor in a courtroom challenging your original hypothesis; give it everything you can. As the prosecutor, you don’t need to be fair; you need to make the best case possible. Don’t put up a defense as you go along but assemble all the arguments against your original view first.
4. Is there a case for the prosecution? If so, accept this without necessarily launching a counterattack.
5. Search for alternative explanations. There is almost always more than one reason. We tend to overemphasize the examples that support our beliefs and underplay any counterexamples that suggest alternative causes.
6. Try to find the right path between firm and supportive: too lenient and your views won’t change; too aggressive and you won’t want to change.
7. Challenge your assumptions about the importance of your view. So what if you can’t play a musical instrument or master all the functions on your mobile phone?
8. The ultimate fallback is to decide whether your view is helping or hindering. Even if, in your opinion, your view is true, that isn’t enough of a reason to hold on to it. If the belief is getting in the way, then it’s best to put it to one side.
9. The hardest part of arguing with yourself is being willing to be swayed. Ask yourself if you are being obstinate.
PART TWO
Take Control
H OW MUCH CONTROL do you have over your life? It’s a question that has puzzled philosophers, great academics, and people stuck at airport gates waiting for delayed flights.
The truth is that you have much more control over your life than first meets the eye. Rather than being a pawn, pushed around in some great game of existential chess, you have the ability to choose what you do, how you do it, and when you do it.
As wonderful as this choice is, it also has disadvantages. Are you procrastinating about a big project? Are you timid about asking that special person out on a date because you assume they’ll reject you? Are you frustrated by a situation at work that could actually open a door to a new opportunity? Why?
The chapters in this part of the book are filled with techniques to help you think differently, react differently, and regain control of your life.
This section starts with a chapter titled “Take Charge.” In it, you’ll learn ways to approach everyday challenges, such as being more proactive so things get done rather than hang over you like a cartoon rain cloud. You’ll learn how to take charge of your thinking when circumstances seem like they’re out of your control. And you’ll discover tools that not only allow you to choose how you think, feel, and react to situations but also give you control of those situations.
Next, in “Start a New Chapter” you’ll explore bigger issues, like Where’s my life going? The tools in this chapter will help you answer the big burning questions: Am I doing the right things to get what I want in life? Am I at least headed in the right direction? You’ll quickly learn how to clear your most common hurdles. You’ll better understand many of the things that may have held you back in the past. What’s more, you’ll almost immediately discover how to re-chart your future course.
Finally, the last chapter in this section, “End Procrastination Now,” will help those who want to change but don’t know where, how, or when to begin the process. In this chapter, you’ll examine why you procrastinate. Are you trying to avoid uncomfortable situations? Are you complacent? Are you an “action illusionist”? You’ll find out. And you’ll gain all the tools you need to stop procrastinating and start living, working, and building stronger relationships today.
No, you can’t control every situation in your life. But you can choose to take control of your
Similar Books
