The best book I’ve ever read

What a shame that people let themselves be defeated by the problems, worries, and difficulties of their existence; it’s completely unnecessary. [1]

The book I’m going to introduce to you today played a significant role in the past year of my life. Actually, it’s thanks to this book that the whole Comforter  was created, which will soon go to print, by the way.
I also consider it the most valuable book that has been created.

How did I come across it?

During language classes, I asked my student the routine question: What are you currently reading? And in response, she reached for a book and showed me the title. A glance at the cover was enough to discourage me – „The Power of Positive Thinking” sounded like the gospel of success and cheap advice for all the unaware „winners” out there. But when Ola – a real businesswoman – started talking about what this book is and how much it lifts her spirits, I decided to give it a try. The words that really encouraged me were: it conveys the simplicity of a happy life. I asked if it was a book like the famous „The Power of Subconscious Mind” by Murphy, because that’s what it reminded me of. Ola replied that no, „The Power…” doesn’t compare to this book because it’s too shallow. According to her, „The Power…” tells in a simple but unobtrusive way what Jesus preached and how to apply it.

I read it. And I don’t regret a second. They were the best moments before sleep that echoed in me throughout the day. I knew it all, everyone knows it all, but sometimes you need to hear it, see it again, and most importantly – implement it into your life. I believe that if Jesus were among us in the flesh today, answering people’s questions about the meaning of life, His answers would sound quite similar to those of Norman V. Peale!

This book teaches applied Christianity: a simple yet scientific system of practical techniques for a good life that truly yields results.[2]

I agree with those words. It took me 41 years to establish some important truths about everyone’s life, including that:

• there is no problem that cannot be solved. We are only afraid that the solution won’t be to our liking because we are too attached to our own vision. Just change that and experience liberation.
• life is simpler than you think.

But whose vision should we have? What should we rely on? Peale answers that question.

Motivational books often emphasize self-awareness and self-belief. Norman Peale does that too but adds:

Believe in yourself! Believe in your abilities! Without modest but reasonable confidence in your own strength, you cannot succeed or be happy.

Throughout the book, there is a resonance of balance that the author points to. He doesn’t depict a person as an all-powerful miracle worker but directs them towards relying on That Higher Power, drawing from it, and moving forward.

Words have power. The author of „The Power of Positive Thinking” writes about the weight of words we speak, which we can manipulate to make our lives simpler and more beautiful. He also discusses the significance of silence, the absence of words, as a healing lack. And I really resonate with that.

Impulses received and transmitted by nerves cause muscle movements; we don’t experience true relaxation during that time. If the reaction is intense enough, it resembles shock. Silence, on the other hand, has a healthy, soothing, and healing effect. Starr Daily says, „Among my acquaintances, no man or woman who knows how to practice silence and does so has ever, to my knowledge, been sick.”

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The Power of Positive Thinking (Norman V. Peale)

Peale also provides simple examples of outstanding individuals who naturally applied life principles that seem so distant from us today! About one remarkable scientist (read the book to find out who!), he writes:

„He remained in complete harmony with nature and with God. He was free from obsessions, inner conflicts, disorder, whims, emotional turmoil. He worked until he needed sleep, then slept soundly, and then rose and went back to work. He lived for many years and was in many ways the most creative mind ever to appear on American soil. He drew energy from mastering his emotions and the ability to fully relax. He lived in an amazing, harmonious relationship with the universe.”

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The Power of Positive Thinking (Norman V. Peale)

He also provides 10 ways to pray effectively. One of them goes like this:

„Always express readiness to accept God’s will. Ask for what you want, but be prepared to accept what God gives you, for it may be better than what you ask for.”

How true that is! I completely agree – if I hadn’t applied this in my life, I probably wouldn’t be… in the woods today. But here I am, and I’m enjoying it!

The book was written many years ago, but even then its author knew the destructive impact that an improper state of mind can have on the body:

In reality, most obstacles have a psychological nature. „Oh, no,” some reader might object. „The obstacles I encounter are not psychological, they are real.” Possible, but your attitude toward them is a psychological attitude. It stems from thinking, and what you think about obstacles determines what you do with them. If you are mentally prepared that you cannot overcome a certain obstacle, you won’t overcome it.

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George W. Crile said, „We fear not only with our minds but with our hearts, brains, and insides, so whatever the cause of anxiety, the effects can always be seen in the cells, tissues, and organs of the body.”

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The Power of Positive Thinking (Norman V. Peale)

 

We often believe that our difficulties are so overwhelming that we have little room to maneuver and that we must somehow solve them entirely on our own because nobody understands us anyway. Peale disarms this „magical thinking” and provides simple advice, and one of my favorites is:

Always approach problems from above. Never look at them from below.

Norman Peale consistently adheres to a certain canon; when you think of yourself, think well of yourself, but don’t deny reality. When you ask for something, it’s important that it is morally, spiritually, and ethically right. Peale doesn’t present you, as a reader, with impossible, grand words ending with your helpless „But how am I supposed to do this?”. Instead, he collaborates with the knowledge of human nature, human experience, weakness, and strength.

I recommend this book to everyone; teenagers, adults regardless of their life status, retirees. I believe it should be a catechism in the church and reading material in school.

Why then, do I elevate this „ordinary” book and not mention the Bible as the most important one? Because „The Power of Positive Thinking” can lead to the Bible. Few reach for the Holy Scriptures, and treating the teachings contained in it seems like madness to many – even though they are actually simple and applicable in everyday life. But „The Power…” paves a path to the teachings of Christ, brings them closer to people, familiarizes, and explains. Nothing but to draw from it! I hope the Bible will be your next read! I strongly encourage it!

By fully and rightly harnessing your own power, stimulated by God, you can make your life successful.

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The Power of Positive Thinking (Norman V. Peale)

From the words of Norman V. Peale, you will learn, among other things:

• how to disarm every problem and difficulty
• how to gain peace
• how words work and how to work with them
• how silence works and how to work with it
• how to simply live your day, how to start it
• how to deal with illness, especially depression
• how to believe in God and draw from His goodness
• „where to get such thoughts capable of transforming personality?” [4]
• how to get rid of your flaws

Have you read this book, and has it had a real impact on your way of thinking and, consequently, your life? Share below or on FB, please! Do you recommend this book to others? Know of any similar ones?

[1] „The power of positive thinking” – Norman V. Peale

[2] There