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Self Improvement Phobias and Fears Feel the Fear . . . and Do It Anyway
 

Feel the Fear . . . and Do It Anyway

 
Feel the Fear . . . and Do It Anyway
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4.7 (1)

Listing Info

Author Susan Jeffers
Publisher Ballantine Books
Format Book
Length 240 pages
Price Range $10-$15

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From School Library Journal
Jeffers discusses the crippling effects of fear in her personal life and explains how she formulated a course of action for conquering it. Her answers are simple, her course of action difficult only because it requires courage. She explains how fear is based on the uncertainty of change and the lack of positive self image. She avoids psychological lingo, and includes many case studies about careers and changes in personal life both of which are beginning to cause anxiety in many teens. Her message is reassuring: choices are not opportunities to make mistakes, but valid paths to growth, whichever path we take. She addresses the fundamental cause of fear the belief that ``I can't handle it!'' Feel the Fear is an important book, for while some young people are more crippled by insecurity that others, many do believe that the path to adulthood is fraught with dangers. Fear is doubtlessly a handicap with which they must learn to cope. Jennifer John Reavis, Episcopal High School, Bellaire
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Library Journal
Based on a course taught at the New School for Social Research, this book offers readers a clear-cut plan for action that, when followed, should help them unlearn their misconceptions about of fear and replace them with attitudes of strength and conviction. By mixing positive thinking with situational exercises that examine basic fear responses, psychologist Jeffers shows that fear is what you make of it and that in most cases it is unfounded. She also illustrates key points through examining case studies, which show that when we are fearful, faulty thinking is most often the real culprit; when such thinking is corrected, the fear is gone. This book by no means offers a quick, fix-it course, as the author encourages return visits to the text when situations call for it. Recommended for general self-help collections. Robert L Jaquay, William K. Sanford Town Lib., Loudonville, N.Y.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Overall rating: 
 
4.7
Value for money:
 
4.0
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5.0
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5.0
 
 

Important book for therapists and sufferers

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
I had this book sat on my bookshelf for a great many weeks before eventually getting round to reading it. I would have read it so much earlier if I had only known what a gem it was going to turn out to be.

As a therapist I spend a lot of time reading, learning and relearning techniques that will not only help my clients, but help me to live a more joyful and rewarding life. Feel the Fear and do it Anyway is one of those titles that like many self-help books focuses heavily on cognitive behavioral techniques. In my opinion, this is what makes it such a massive seller the world over.

The book has twelve, easy to read chapters that are mostly filled with excellent learnings that you 'will' be able to implement in your life without too much effort, however some of them are big life changers and you may find them a bit of a challenge.

If you are an avid reader of self-help books you will certainly have heard Susan Jeffers message before, however she does offer some uniqueness throughout.

Before I get to the crux of why I think this book is fantastic I want to cover a few things that I thought were downsides to the title.

Firstly, I found that it delivered the information too quickly. Right in the first few chapters I was left with loads of tips, but didn't find it easy as to where I should start. Something better may have suggested 'do this day one' and 'this on day two' and so on. A sort of calendar of events type of structure would have been fantastic. This isn't a big deal, however it did make me feel overwhelmed a little at the beginning.

Secondly, Susan kept referring to other 'self-help materials' that she recommends. At the start of the book these announcements were often and it felt like I was being back ended with sales of other products. Once or twice would have been fine, but I lost count how many times it was suggested that I get other materials such as the tapes and books that were listed at the back of the book. This actually was a big disappointment as they seem like cheap little tactics, however it shouldn't overcast that this is a very special book.

Third and lastly, it all got a little spiritual and preachy in chapter 11. This will be fantastic for most, however for me it was a bit of a turn off. I am not going to say too much on this as I don't wish to offend those with beliefs in the 'spiritual realm' or that we 'are all connected through the universe' somehow, but what I will say it that it discredited what could have been a fantastic chapter (in my opinion!).

Having said that, I really do love this book for many reasons. One of the those reasons is that once you get your head around the message, you will think 'now why didn't I think of that'. Apart from chapter 11 when (as I said) it gets a bit spiritual and new-agey, it is pretty much logical and easy to accept, although as I said it could have been better structured.

So in conclusion: Fantastic message, the writing has a nice flow and is easy to read, however it could do with a lot of restructuring. Then it truly would be fabulous instead of just fantastic.

If you are serious about growing as an individual then I wholeheartedly recommend this book to you.

I will certainly be looking forward to the chance of reading the sequel in the near future.

User Review

Good Points Great read...
Bad Points Could have been better laid out.
Overall rating: 
 
4.7
Value for money:
 
4.0
Delivery:
 
5.0
Support:
 
5.0
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Reviewed by Richard MacKenzie
January 25, 2009
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