If you’re a frequent reader of my blog then you know of my obsession with cookbooks. I’ve probably done a million reviews here on my blog. I haven’t been doing them much lately because I found out that even though I love reading them and trying out the recipes, I don’t so much like reviewing them, so that’s why I stopped.
When I was looking for a new book to review, this one stood out to me, mainly because of the title. I like to think of myself as a positive person but I would be lying if I didn’t say sometimes, subconsciously, I get a little pessimistic. I think that’s true for almost all of us to a certain extent.
I had some pre-conceived notions about this book, because I thought that it sounded a little too simplistic, but you never judge a book by it’s cover as the saying goes, so I gave it a shot. Very glad I did too!
How many times have you woken up, started to get ready for the day and said to yourself, “I hope I have a good day today?” I think it’s safe to say that most of us have intentions for making everyday “good”, but sometimes no matter how hard we try to have a good day, everything seems to go wrong and the very thing you’re trying to prevent from happening has happened.
What if I told you that not only do you have a chance to make your days better and accomplish your goals, but you can also make yourself more able to handle life’s everyday problems?
That’s kind of what you get when you read How To Have A Good Day by Caroline Webb.
First a little background information about the author….
Caroline Webb is a management consultant and executive coach who has spent fifteen years at McKinsey and her own firm, Sevenshift, showing clients how to use behavioral science to boost their professional effectiveness.
In the beginning of the book, caroline gives an example of how not to approach situations within the workplace and an actual problem she faced working at a former company where her and another co-worker had differing views on how the day went and ultimately she learns that it wasn’t so much that things were working out better for her co-worker, but rather it was the way he approached things and set intentions that made their views differ whereas she went into the situation rushed, stressed out, and setting about the wrong intentions.
While this book is perfect for transforming your work life, it can also be applied to other aspects of your life as well. The tools presented to you in this book lay the groundwork for you achieving more success in each task you are faced with throughout your day.
Take for example the three important scientific themes that cut across the boundaries of disciplines and recur throughout the book.
The two – system brain: as caroline puts it,” The brain’s activity is split across two complementary systems – one deliberate and controlled, the other automatic and instinctive. ” These two systems will be prominent in helping control your brain systems as you navigate the building blocks in this book.
The discover-defend axis: as caroline puts it, ” Subconsciously, we’re constantly on the lookout for threats to defend against and rewards to discover.” That’s basically what your discover-defend axis is, the discover part being that you receive rewards and are therefore happier and the defend part being that your in that flight or fight response.
The mind- body loop: as caroline puts it, ” The state of our bodies and that of our minds are far more deeply entwined than we generally realize.” Hence why whenever we feel unease in our minds, our body responds with the same kind of unease.
Those three themes are big and constant throughout this book as they serve as foundations to understanding the different techniques you will need to utilize in order to make yourself more in control of your mind.
I could go on further into the many types exercises you will learn in this book and more in depth as to the way our brain works according to caroline, but I don’t want to spoil it for you. If you’re interested in taking control of your mind and being able to have a “good day” , then I highly suggest getting this book. At the very least, you will be very enlightened by what caroline has to say about how our brains work.
Tell me below: What do you do to have a good day?
