Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff- Book Summary

by Richard Carlson PhD

"Don't Sweat the Small Stuff has the power to change our individual and collective lives. I am deeply grateful to Dr. Richard Carlson and his beloved wife Kristine for their wisdom and compassion in bringing transformational practices and perspectives to millions of readers."
—Shauna Shapiro, author of The Art and Science of Mindfulness

"Richard Carlson caused a revolution in all our thinking with his Don't Sweat the Small Stuff books. He was like a Zen master in disguise, taking almost an aw-shucks attitude toward shifting the culture."
—Marianne Williamson, New York Times bestselling author of A Return to Love

“The greatest discovery of my generation is that a human being can alter his life by altering his attitude.
-WILLIAM JAMES”

The book advice us to think positive and proactive and is structured with 100 life advices. Bellow are some that I really liked.

• Don't Sweat the Small Stuff.
  Get comfortable not knowing
  Most of the time, the things that we feel are important, they actually aren’t. "Often we make a big deal out of something. We blow up scenarios in our minds about all the terrible things that are going to happen. Most of the time we are wrong.”
• Make Peace with the Imperfection
  Stop getting stressed about getting everything perfect.
• Be Aware of the Snowball Effect of Your Thinking
  Sometimes  when we think about a problem we start to spin around on the same idea/solution. Try to take a break and a step back.
• Learn to Live in the Present Moment
  When we think too much about our past or we worry about the future, we do not live in the present moment. Mark Twain said, "I have been through some terrible things in my life, some of which actually happened."
• Let Others be “Right” Most of the Time.
  “One of the most important questions you can ever ask yourself is, "Do I want to be 'right' - or do I want to be happy?" Many times, the two are mutually exclusive!”
• Ask Yourself “Will this Matter a Year from Now?”
• Allow Yourself to be Bored
  “The beauty of doing nothing is that it teaches you to clear your mind and relax”.
• Lower Your Tolerance of Stress
  Do one thing at the time
  Notice when something starts to get out of hand, when you’ re moving too quickly. Don’t take more than you can handle- it will stress your body and mind. “When your mind is clear and peaceful and your stress level is reduced, you'll be more effective and you'll have more fun”.
• Resists the Urge to Criticise
• Be Grateful when You’re Feeling Good and Graceful When You’re Feeling Bad
  “One of the happiest people I know is someone who also gets quite low from time to time. The difference, it seems, is that he has become comfortable with his low moods. It's almost as though he doesn't really care because he knows that, in due time, he will be happy again. To him, it's no big deal.”
  

“Treasure Yourself”

Note: Some pieces of information are left out of the book.
Get the full experience by reading it! ❤