3.3 out of 4 stars.
I feel fairly certain that most of the people that pick up this book are surprised that it is based heavily on religious content. With a title like “positive thinking” it is easy for one to just assume it could be subjected around a million things; business, family, exercise, nutrition, etc. Yes, those topics are mentioned but the main stem is coming back to God in this book.
Is there anything wrong with that? Absolutely not. I was just caught off guard. Also, I read a few reviews on Goodreads and I saw a couple of other people felt the same way. This surprise left me pushing through the beginning pages just trying to get my footing.
Once I established a flow while reading and realized that all ideas would lead to God I started to understand how the general consensus that “The Power of Positive Thinking” is similar to that of the new age book called, “The Secret”.
Both are books that one should pick up every few months for gentle reminders that one can create their own destiny and confidence/strength is in all of us if we just picture it.
Here are a few of my favorite lines that I have committed to trying to apply to my everyday life:
“Don’t get the idea that you are Atlas carrying the world on your shoulders. Don’t strain so hard. Don’t take yourself so seriously.”
“Determine to like your work. Then it will become a pleasure, not drudgery. Perhaps you do not need to change your job. Change yourself and your work will seem different.”
“Remember people’s names.”
“Practice liking people until you genuinely do.”
The above are all small reminders that no one can make up an excuse of applying more CARING in their lives (for onself and others). I love that. Mostly because it is stern, direct, and obvious. Since I am so busy all the time that is exactly what the doctor orders for my lifestyle.
The reason why I give it a lower score than I would for something like “The Secret” is because this book’s success stories were all “jo-schmos” that I have never met before. While “The Secret” was based on Presidents, Scientists, Inventors, and people that I could further read up on to learn how the stories must be leaning more toward facts. I wouldn’t say I do not believe what Norman Vincent Peale was saying but with such an important topic like religion in his hands he didn’t do a lot of citing. It was all a lot of rolling ideas.
I would of liked him to focus on one big thing that happened in which he was the most shocked. I believe that would of made me feel that it had more footing/substance.
But hey! That is just me. Remember these are all my opinions and I am definitely not always right. I mean this book has sold MILLIONS all over the country, so it must be connecting to a lot more people that I can even imagine.
