I’m alway sceptical of books that tell you how to be happy and transform your life with some magic formula.
However having seen one of the authors, Andy Cope, speak at an event a few years ago I had an idea The Art of Being Brilliant might be a good read.
The book, also written by Andy Whitaker, challenges the reader to look at life in a slightly different, more positive way.
It introduces the reader to ‘mood hoovers’ the people we’ve all met who just see the negative in absolutely everything or ‘someone who has a problem for every solution’.
And at the other end of the scale the ‘two percenters’ who are truly positive about everything and in doing so get much more out of life.
It provides ways to implement positive thinking into our lives in a realistic way, gives a step by step guide on how to manage the mood hoovers and aspire to become the two percenters.
So how can we be positive about everything, including filling up the dishwasher, asks the book. Be thankful you have a dishwasher, play music, sing – it will make it that much easier is the suggestion.
Chapters in the book ask the reader to dig a little deeper and really look at what happiness is and what success really looks like.
It illustrates the impact negative thinking can have on our lives, how you can work on your strengths and what truly amazing things that can happen with a shift in thinking.
The book is scattered with quotes from famous people, I particularly loved the Douglas Adams ones, all backing up what the two authors are trying to describe; focus on the negative and that’s what you will get, do the opposite and it will be life changing.
I loved this book, it was short enough to read in a few days and simply written with a good dash of humour.
The common sense suggestions just seem completely obvious and I found myself wondering why I didn’t do them anyway and how I had fallen into a routine of negative thinking. Like many people I love a good moan about the weather, commuting, work or anything else, but what does it achieve actually?
It was a great antidote to the January blues I can’t recommend it enough. I’m looking forward to having a read of other books the pair have written.
Great book, simply and funny with potentially life-changing ideas.