Understanding, Second Edition, Revised : Eliminating Stress and Finding Serenity in Life and Relationships

Rating:
Summary: The most dog-eared book in my self-help library
Review: Of the hundreds of self-help books I have bought, this is the only one that I have read several times. It completely changed how I saw situations and people, which in turn changed how I felt about them. The principle of Thinking as a Function explains how a person reacts to programmed thought systems. The principle of Separate Realities explains how a person can interpret or filter their world. It is mostly a how-to book, though not step by step, with anecdotes thrown in.

This book isn't about positive thinking (which is just another programmed thought system, according to the author). It's also more than reframing situations; it teaches you how to get to an 'understanding' where you really do see things differently.

Some thoughts and detours the author discusses which keep us from peace of mind: insecurity, judgments, stereotyping, judgments from others, living for or against someone else, proving ourselves, working on self-esteem, anger, and the past. Ultimately, this is a book about creating close relationships with others and sanity with yourself.