Don't Sweat the Small Stuff...and It's All Small Stuff: Simple Ways to Keep the Little Things from Taking Over Your Life

Read- And Perspire No More!

The cover of this book says it was a bestselling book of the year at one time. After opening it up and glancing through it, it't not hard to see why.

The pupose of the book is to get you to look at things, common situations we all come across everyday, like being criticized or being given more work than you can possibly finish, and see them a little differently. Believe it or not, it delivers- and in just a page or two at a time if you can believe that!

That's because the wisdom is definitely there, on every page, and it just plain makes sense. Many times I've read a chapter or two and thought, "Why didn't I think of that before?".

The other good thing about this tiny book is that you could either sit down and read it cover-to-cover, or just pick it up once in awhile and pick a random chapter to read. Either way, the mini-chapters are sure to quickly leave most readers wondering why they make such a big deal out of the things they do. Other short self-help books I like include "Finding Happiness in a Frustrating World".

10 out of 10 people found this review helpful.

Hardcover cheaper than Nook edition

This book is mostly fluffy stuff, but somewhat fun to read. Anyway, the hardcover edition is much cheaper in store than the Nook edition.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

A resource of profound thinking that sneaks up on you

Here's a book that I wanted to read long before I actually picked it up to do so. I used to think it was all part of the hoopla surrounding Oprah Nation, which Dr. Phil-ified all our thinking about life, relationships, etc. However, as these pages started to fill my life, a little at a time (confession - it's a bathroom book for me), it's wisdom started to seep in, and I started to yearn for more.

Of the 100 idioms for dealing with modern life, some are quaint ("Turn your Melodrama into a Mellow-Drama"), some are insightful ("Search for the Grain of Truth in Other Opinions"), and some are quite moving ("Transform your Relationship to Your Problems"). There is an undercurrent of Zen philosophy throughout - I found parallels here with the recent book "The Power of Now", by Eckhart Tolle.

The individual topics are easy to digest, never more than 2 pages each. I found that they mean a lot more to me the second (or third) time I read them. There are so many phrases here that have evolved into cultural icon status, it took a second reading to move beyond those. Richard Carlson weaves a common thread through many of the readings, and I think the whole is greater than the sum of the parts (cliche-alert).

Wisdom can be an elusive target, especially with the "busyness" that modern life forces upon us, but this book has helped me find some, and discover ways to put it into practice. This is an enjoyable read; take what you can from the writings, skip the parts that don't resonate, and focus on the profound nuggets that you will inevitably find. Good Luck!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Just a great little book.

I got this book for Christmas and really like it. I haven't finished it yet as I keep it in the living room and read it here and there. And I must say, it's a very motivating, umcomplicated self-help book. It's not the kind you have to sit down and read cover to cover either, rather it's a book you "sample" a few pages of- as the book is divided up into very short stories, each containing a gem of wisdom. A classic that lives on, I give it 5 stars for its timeless values and inspiration.

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

A reviewer

Not everyone has the time to spend hours, days even, pouring over self-help books in an attempt to help put things back into perspective. With this book, you don't have to 'although you might want to!'. It is divided into a bunch of (2 page) lessons about life, every one of which makes me feel 100x better than I did before picking up the book. It is by far the most enlightening, refreshingly simple, beautiful book I have ever read.

1 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Aredy hav it

Not kidding.....

This book was one of the best books I have read in a while. Thi

This book was one of the best books I have read in a while. This is clear because it provides the reader with helpful tips to ensure that the “small stuff” doesn’t run your life. After completing the book, my favorite character was Richard Carlson. This is clear because he provides the reader with helpful insight on how to become a better person. I agree with user Anonymous who posted on October 26, 2011 because he/she also realize that it’s not worth getting upset over the little things and wasting energy.
Personally, I believe this was a great book because it provides new ways to look at life and ways to become a better person. In the first place, Richard Carlson explains the idea of the snowball effect. The author has us looking at our lives a snow ball and with every decision we make or thing we say, we add a layer. He describes the positive effects as being white fluffy snow added to your life (the snowball) and the negative effects as dirty snow. He describes that you should have more fluffy snow in your life. This affected my life because it made me realize that I do more positive things in my life to add more fluffy layers to my life. In addition, Richard Carlson explains the idea of a time wrap which explains that when you make decisions you have to be aware of how they will affect your future. This provides the reader with a new way of viewing decisions making. This affected my life because before I read this, I would not pay much attention to the new decisions affecting my life, but now I find myself wondering how this will affect me life down the road. Lastly, the idea of thinking of life as a test helps the reader become a better person. This is shown by Richard Carlson explaining that everything you do is a test. He suggests that you have to push yourself through hard times to test what you are capable of. This will make a person stronger because he/she realize the strengths. This idea has affected my life because I now push myself to my full potential. As you can see , this book helped me look at life in a different light, which has made me reflect more on the choices I make.
My favorite quote from the book is; “whether it be an argument with your spouse, child or boss, a mistake, a lost opportunity, a lost wallet, a work related rejection, a sprained ankle chances are a year from now you aren’t going to care”(Carlson 46). This is my favorite quote because it clearly shows that you should not let the small things run your life. This quote also says that we should not get upset over the little things in life and look at the big picture and what may come ahead in the future.
In conclusion, I would highly recommend this book to anyone who wants and insightful book about new ways to think about life.

You must read this book!

This book is very inspiring for me and it made me realize the small stuff that I get upset about is not worth all that wasted energy. I used this book when I start to get irk about the small stuff to not get to me.

Great

It will teach you to live life how you like it when your dieing you will regret making all that money and not spending time with your family

DON'T SWEAT THE SMALL STUFF ... simply READ THIS BOOK!!!

We all need to STOP, SIT BACK and evaluate our lives at some point. While I recommend this book to everyone in this fast paced world, I HIGHLY recommend this to someone that is 'on the run' at all times OR to someone who reacts even a tad bit too much to things around him/herself!

We all face emergency situations but as the author says "life isn't an emergency", we LIVE through and not HURRY through life!

The book sheds light on the importance of setting the right pace in life, the need to slow down in life, the benefits of taking things one-at-a-time and the significance of accepting, letting go and living each moment to its fullest.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Highly Recommended

This book has helped me greatly. It really gives you a broader perspective on life and how to not allow "small stuff" turn into bigger problems. Really helped me lower my level of stress. Also helped me put things into perspective and ability to see the bigger picture. I highly recommend this book.

Started a new me

I love this book. It's a light to a more peaceful path.

Inner peace?

Richard Carlson must have been a truly remarkable person. When we can't see the forest for the trees, he always seems to have a simplistic solution to our skewed perceptions. Yes, it is all small stuff, and after reading this book it becomes clear why it's small stuff and why we should try our best to not let the small stuff dominate our lives. There were so many chapters that hit home with me that I re-read the book immediately, underlining and highlighting thoughts and ideas the I wanted to be able to reference quickly, when I feel I need reminded that it's all small stuff. Short of becoming a Zen- or Jedi-Master, this book is the next best thing to help cope with the hectic pace of today's society.

Life change is not quite that Instant but....

Life change is not quite that instant but the information and read are useful. Makes for great repeat reads... A good think about the way you approach things discussion.

Great Read! Puts everything in life into perspective

I purchased this book for my wife who is being treated for Cronic Depression and Anxiety. After sharing her thoughts about the book with me I decided to read the book for myself. WOW! This book really puts everything into perspective, truely nothing is worth sweating over, things in this world are too temporary. We have to concentrate on the things that bring us joy and try to make them last. I have shared the book with many of my close friends since I've bought it and they all love it. It is very small, an easy read, but very powerful. I'd recommend it to anyone, even if you think you don't "Sweat the Small Stuff..."

Live better with simple and effective goals on your life.

The best simple and effective "declutering guide" for the minds and souls.

Motivate

Excellent medium for the self improvement

Wish I'd found this book sooner

I am using this book as part of my daily inspirational devotions. It surely does give food for thought. So sorry the author has passed away.

What a great read

Richard Carlson was very inspiring and motivating. His out look on life in this book made great sense. He gave great examples of issues that we encounter almost everday, and how to really handle them, and to what level we should let them affect our joy and happiness.I highly recommend this book to anyone that desires more peace in their lives.

inspiring

how hard we make our life is not needed. It helps simplifie things and put them in priority to help cope with life

0 out of 2 people found this review helpful.