Don't Sweat the Small Stuff and It's All Small Stuff

Customer Reviews

• 5 out of 5
  
  
  by Lady Danielle "The Book Huntress" from Round Rock, TX | Jul 17, 2009
  

  I am not much of a self-help reader (occasionally I will read a Christian living/theology book but that's really it), but I recommend this book to everyone. There are some real pearls of wisdom therein (if you will pardon the cliche'). I definitely believe some of these strategies are intuitive, that you probably utilize some as survival mechanisms in your daily routine, just to get through the day and dealing with others. But it never hurts to get a gentle reminder. My recommendation is to keep this book at work in your drawer, or in your tote bag. Pull it out when you need a few minutes to recharge your juices. You will find yourself putting some of these tips to use right away. As a shy, conflict-avoiding person who went into a field where I have to deal with people (often difficult and often stressed and not always pleasant) everyday, I think anyone who has to be around and communicate with others heavily can use these skills in this book.
  
  What I really like about this book is how easy it is to read. Although Dr. Carlson is a PhD, he doesn't write in such a way to sound more scholarly and less down to earth. And this book is fairly inexpensive. I got it for $9 at Barnes and Noble. I'm sure you can find it even cheaper if you tried. I believe his goal really is to help. He uses a friendly, conversation writing style that is very down to earth and concise (He sorts of reminds me of Christian writer Max Lucado in that sense). Each chapter is no more than three pages at the most, but so much good information is included, plus personal examples of how the strategy was used by the author. Nothing like seeing that the writer struggles in the same ways as the rest of us.
  
  Update One:This week, I had one of those Mondays you really don't want to have. I pulled this book out of my tote and started reading it. It helped me to feel better because it really does put things into perspective. We make big deals out of stuff that we really shouldn't. We make our lives into soap operas when they don't have to be. Why? It's such a waste of energy that we could be using to fuel our daily lives in better, more productive ways. With a fringe benefit of leaving us plenty of energy to be content and enjoy our lives. Dr. Carlson really gets to the heart of that in this book.
  
  At the time of update one, I was still reading this book. I started this review before I finished the book, in order to get some of my thoughts down (before they fly out of my head).
  
  Some lessons from this book that I applied to my life this week:
  
  -Don't sweat the small stuff (the titular lesson--which bears repeating as a daily mantra)
  -Develop your compassion
  -Remind yourself that when you die, your 'in basket' won't be empty
  -Choose your battles wisely
  -Become a better listener
  -Choose being kind over being right
  -Practice humility
  
  Final update:
  
  What a rewarding reading experience. This is the one self-help book you really should read. It doesn't matter if you're religious, atheist, whatever. You can gain some wonderful insight from this book. At the final reading, I could see how the advice in this book would have helped me in a challenge I faced a day or so before. It still helps on the other end, giving me the insight to look at things from a more healthy viewpoint. Stress kills, and I have come to the realization that I don't want to die from stress-related health problems, which I could be on the fast track to doing if I don't change my outlook.
  This book helped me today. I had to deal with a person that I did not have a good experience with the first time around. The advice this book gave me about listening to someone and what that person is truly saying, and trying not to interrupt, and trying to see the 'innocence' in them, well it was simply invaluable. I promise, I am not the type to hype self-help books! But I can't help but praise this one.
  Some of the powerful things I read about today:
  
  -Turn Your Melodrama into a Mellow-drama
  -Practice Ignoring Your Negative Thoughts
  -Be Happy Where You Are
  -Quiet the Mind
  -Think of Your Problem as Potential Teachers
  -Get Comfortable Not Knowing
  -Acknowledge the Totality of Your Being
  -Cut Yourself Some Slack
  -Stop Blaming Others
  -Transform Your Relationship to Your Problems
  -The Next Time You Find Yourself in an Argument, Rather than Defend Your Position, See if You Can See the Other Point of View First
  -Listen to Your Feelings (They Are Trying to Tell You Something)
  -Redefine a "Meaningful Accomplishment"
  -If Someone Throws You the Ball, You Don't Have to Catch It
  -One More Passing Show
  -Realize the Power of Your Own Thoughts
  and a very good lesson for me.... Trust Your Instinctive Heart!
  
  I am so glad I bought this book. It will not be one that I shove to the back of my bookshelf, to pull out rarely, if ever. It's going to be one that I carry around with me as I walk through life. It won't replace the Bible for me. It's not that kind of book. But whatever your belief is, it never hurts to put things into perspective. And that is the simple message of this book. You can learn to realize that the small stuff isn't worth all the drama, and in the sum of things it's all small stuff, as the title says.

  
  
   11 people found this review helpful
  
  

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• 4 out of 5
  
  
  by Kelly from Seattle, WA | Apr 12, 2009
  

  Okay so it's not "cool" to read self-help books and, frankly, most of them give me the heebie jeebies, but I think this book was kind of spot-on. I liked how the ideas were presented in small vignettes instead of a massive tome that overwhelms more than inspires. I think Carlson has a good point in suggesting that maybe we make a big deal out of things that aren't such a big deal. I'm a pretty easy going person for the most part (oh, except for that depression thing) and a lot of what he says reflects my own philosophy. There were even a few new suggestions that I thought were helpful.
  
  In general, this is a book for someone who's a little too uptight, a little too stressed, and a little too much of a worrier.

  
  
   2 people found this review helpful
  
  

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• 5 out of 5
  
  
  by Helynne from Gunnison, CO | Jun 3, 2009
  

  Richard Carlson has subsequently published several books on more specific "small stuff" issues following the success of this short, simple, but immensely popular gem of a self-help book. But I think this first little wellspring of wisdom is all anyone really needs to build a more optimistic and peaceful attitude toward life. I can honestly say that the simple, logical, compassionate gems of advice in these brief pages really turned a lot of my attitudes around at a time when I was feeling particularly cynical and defeated about my personal life and career. There are many, many precious bits of wisdom in this book, but one that has particularly stayed with me is "agree with criticism directed at you, and watch it disappear." For example, if Carlton's wife tells him he talks too much, he responds with, "You're right. Sometimes I really do talk too much." What more could one say after that? I know this tactic has defused has a lot of situations in my own life that could have become volatile, but did not. Another bit of wisdom: "Remember, in 100 years, all new people." In other words, how important is the annoyance you're experiencing right now when, relatively speaking, you're not going to be on the earth for that long anyway? Such good, calm, logical advice!

  
  

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• 4 out of 5
  
  
  by Jessi from Tampa, FL | Jan 24, 2010
  

  This book was given to me by an 83 year old man, which in itself gave it a new meaning. He prefaced the book by saying this is not a great work of literature nor should it be heralded for its prose, but the messages are simple. They are so simple, in fact, that after you read each chapter, you begin to think "Why didn't I think of that?" One message in particular that sticks with me everyday: make the time you sit in traffic become quality time with yourself, your thoughts and enjoy it. I sit in traffic for 2 hours a day, so I try to make my commute enjoyable. I listen to silly music, dance and play alphabet games with license plates. It seems trivial, but it has allowed me to relax after work before I get home. I would recommend this book for light reading, especially for those looking for ways to be at peace with yourself and not knowing quite where to start.

  
  

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• 4 out of 5
  
  
  by Alan from The United Kingdom | Nov 5, 2008
  

  Good inspirational read. Gets a bit spiritual in places and not that practical but essentially it encourages readers to think more about themselves, their actions and the consequences on others. I certainly have made some changes to the way I react to events. Best to dip in and take out what is relevant and skim over the statements that seem trite or irrelevant.

  
  
   1 people found this review helpful
  
  

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