Unfu*k Yourself audiobook

Gary's book is short and simple. If you are looking for a change in your life, you will love it!Check my animated review here: >> bit.ly/UnfkYourself

This is a short book that definitely has some inspiring words in it, although in this time in history, some of the stuff he recommends doing really can’t be done until the whole world isn’t quarantined (like starting a new job or relationship when we’re not supposed to leave our homes would be tricky). I read this to help do the best I can today and what can I do when the world returns to something like normal. He talks a lot about our self talk and how we can talk ourselves out of taking actions because we’ve decided whatever the goal is, we’re too stupid or the goal is too unrealistically hard. Positive self-talk can dramatically improve mood, boost confidence, and increase positivity. “The more you tell yourself how hard something is, the harder it will actually seem.” Even things like doing laundry or vacuuming can seem overwhelming.If you view success as something that’s just around the corner, you’ll work you butt off to achieve your goal and will be energized and alive. Look at stumbles not as “This is a misfortune, but “to bear this worthily is good fortune.” The main point is not just about getting yourself in the right frame of mind, it’s about taking actions every day to meet your goals and not coming up with excuses like you didn’t sleep well the night before. He’s very big on not talking about what we’re going to . . . later. You have to start to talk like “I accept,” “I embrace,” “I assert.” There’s a big difference between “I am relentless” and “I’m going to be relentless.” “Stop blaming luck. Stop blaming other people. Stop pointing to outside influences or circumstances.”“If you’re not willing to take the actions to change your situation—in other words, if you’re will to put up with your situation—then whether you like it or not, that is the life you have chosen. You have to ask yourself: Am I willing?”• Am I willing to go to the gym? (During quarantine: Am I willing to sweat to the Insanity workout DVDs I already own once I dust them off?)• Am I willing to work on that project I’ve been putting off?• Am I willing to ask for a raise or quit this shitty job?We want changes right away, but we have to think realistically. If you want to get in better shape, is working out for half an hour a day really impossible? “In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing.” -Teddy Roosevelt.Other points: Embrace uncertainty—it’s the only way to change—by not being comfortable all the time. You will get judged—for the novel you write or the business you start. You’ll go on dates to meet someone special and sometimes he’ll be boring or sometimes he won’t find you charming and attractive, but you took action to find romance and maybe you learned a thing or two. “When you stop searching for certainty, when you quit trying to make sense of everything, a lot of your stress will simply melt away.”“You are not defined by what’s inside your head. You are what you do. Your actions.”“You don’t have to feel like today is your day; you just have to act like it is.”You change your life by doing, not thinking about doing. “Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy.” - Dale Carnegie.It’s not about psyching yourself up. Don’t wait for the mood to strike. Just do it. Your mind will remind you of all the other things you could be doing and bring out your doubts, but by taking action, you’ll shut down those other thoughts and start feeling empowered to change. “We would accomplish more things if we did not think of them as impossible.” -Vince LombardiThe other cause for disappointment and giving up is our expectations. Expect the unexpected. The unhappiness lies in the gap between hidden expectations and reality. In marriages, the biggest cause of discord is unmet expectations. Don’t expect victory or defeat. Plan for victory, learn from defeat. If you can’t stop watching TV long enough to get you life together, you obviously don’t want to change. Figure out what you’re willing to live with and what you’re not willing to live with. Are you willing to always buy larger size clothes and get winded walking up two flights of stairs or are you unwilling, and therefore willing to work out and eat a more healthy diet.

Okay, let's set things straight, a lotta people are saying this book ain't nothin' and I really don't appreciate that.I 've come across so many self development books and articles, videos and stuff, it never once mentioned that by going against the diet thing and deciding to eat whatever you want, that's considered winning.There are seven chapters, each one of em hits home fo' real.I definitely recommend this.

So many great points! Some aren't original; but overall, this is one of the better self-help books I've recently read.

It's hard to leave a negative review of this book without falling into one of the many traps we find ourselves falling into as human beings or, as the author puts it, the ways we fu*k ourselves. Fortunately, I don't have to. As a tool for turning one's life around, it could possibly be the most effective book of all time in this regard. Such a statement perplexes me then as to why some people would leave negative reviews such as, "there's nothing new here" or "there's no new information" or "it's too simplistic" etc. But frankly, they're missing the entire point of the book and that is to break down the barriers of those who would not usually consider personal-development books with brute force, the kind of advice you would usually get from a fervent family member. This is the book for people who have a cynical view of the personal-development industry — a cynicism that needs to be rooted out if you are to achieve anything in your life. So if you're somebody who has read a whole bunch of these books as if it's a sport, then perhaps you've fallen into the trap of being overly analytical and figuring things out in your mind rather than reaching out to people who could help you. And I say this because it would be absolutely tragic for someone who genuinely needs help, who genuinely wants to improve their situation, to have their cynicism validated and compounded by some of the negative and unhelpful reviews I've read here. I can't highly recommend this book enough and if you're the slightest bit motivated to improve your life then look no further.

I listened to this in audiobook form. I didn’t finish it because I knew most of the contents already. The information provided, and the way the narrator explains the text, is just right! I like the “REAL” approach that the author takes. This is probably the most honest, down-to-earth self-help book that I have ever read. And I have read quite a few considering my major is in Social Work, specializing in Trauma therapy and Substance Abuse therapy specifically. Great book. Highly recommend!

"You are not your thoughts. You are your actions. You are what you do. And your actions are the only thing separating you from where you are and where you want to be."Each person is his own worst enemy!! Overthinking every thought, action and problem will just make everything much worse than it actually is. And sometimes the hardest thing is to fight yourself. But that is also the most important thing to do. You have to be in charge of your own thoughts and be your own motivator and number one fan.

Bishop offers nothing new in this book. I'd heard all of it before. Maybe it's the fact that mine was the audio book and he's Scottish. Maybe it's the title. Maybe it's his use of expletives within the book. Not sure. But it gave me just the kick in the groin I needed to put common personal development themes in play... to act. So the sub-title is really on point.Bishop also presents "detachment from outcome" more succinctly than anyone I've read thus far. I had understood it, but found it difficult to put into practice in the way it had been presented to me before. By pointing out the difference between formulated goals, and the path to them in the real world, it all came together in a more practical way.Can't say whether or not the dead-tree version would have impacted me this way, but I'd highly recommend this book on anyone's commute. I'm probably going to be revisiting it many more times.

I'm not a huge fan of self help kind of books, and most of the time also not a fan of books where the author seems to be shouting at the readers. This book really annoyed me at the beginning, but then it got to me. And I think that was something that I needed a reminder of lately.The book consists of short chapters, the names speak for themselves. “I am willing”, “I am wired to win”, “I got this”, “I embrace the uncertainty” , “I am not my thoughts; I am what I do” , “I am relentless”, “I expect nothing and accept everything”. Gary reminds us to stop when we are on the hamster's wheel. And not to talk badly about ourselves. To stop the self-defeating monolog.Have you ever felt like a hamster on a wheel, furiously churning your way through life but somehow going nowhere? All the while you’re caught in a loop of constant internal chatter and judgement that never stops, a little voice telling you that you’re lazy or stupid or not good enough. You won’t even notice the degree to which you believe it or are drained by it, you’ll just be spending your day working to overcome the stresses and strains, trying to live your life and at various points facing the resignation that if you can’t get your ass off this damned wheel maybe you are never going to get to where you want in life – maybe that happiness you’re after or that weight you want to lose or that career or relationship you crave will remain just out of reach. These pages are dedicated to those that experience that self-defeating monolog. We do talk to ourselves, most of our conversations are with ourselves.Now I am not a huge fan of the think positive mantra, even though I am a huge fan of thinking positive, I don't think that telling people that again and again is actually going to help. But I do agree here with Gary about a few things. The first, is that it is important to not disempower yourself even on the small things: You see, it’s not always dramatic self-talk, sometimes it’s subtle but equally disempowering. If you’re working on something, you might think, “This is so hard. What if I don’t finish in time?”The second, which is well known, is that if we give up or not quite sure that we have a chance, we will probably not succeed. If you’re sometimes talking about how “unfair” life is, you’ll start to act according to that view, perceiving slights where none exist or, as studies have shown, putting less effort into your work because you’ve already determined it won’t accomplish anything. The unfair view will quickly become your reality. That is also true for our teachers, I hope that everyone is aware of the "gifted" fourth graders experiment, and how they were more successful when their teachers were told that they were gifted, even though they were struggling students.The third was declaring unwillingness, which is not different than declaring willingness. Maybe you are in fact, unwilling. In many cases, that may actually be the best answer you can give. Sometimes declaring your unwillingness can be just as powerful as declaring willingness. Are you willing to live with a body that’sAnd the thing I liked the most was changing the "I will" to "I am" when we want to do something.Assertive self-talk is when you stake a claim for this moment of time, right here and now. When you start to talk in terms of “I am…” or “I embrace…” or “I accept…” or “I assert…”, all of which are powerful and commanding uses of language rather than the narrative of “I will…” or “I’m going to…” The physiological and psychological impact of using in-the-moment, assertive language is not only powerful, it has a very real in-the-moment effect.So take charge of your life. “Stop blaming luck. Stop blaming other people. Stop pointing to outside influences or circumstances.” Take a step back and look at the bigger picture, zoom out and see more clearly. Face your problems as they come, one by one.We are more resilient than we sometimes think or feel:Your boat hasn’t and won’t sink so easily. There may be some waves, you might go through some storms, and you’ll probably end up seasick from time to time, but your journey across that ocean we call life will continue. But just like a captain facing a major squall, you can’t just let yourself be tossed about. You have to step up and steer your life back in the direction you want it to go. So your journey wasn’t as smooth as you wanted it to be. Does that mean you’re just going to let yourself get blown off course? I didn’t think so. And you definitely shouldn’t let what happens in one area of life affect your outlook on the whole. You just can’t afford to allow your struggles at work make you miserable at home or let your relationship troubles affect your mood at the office.Before your new adventure or resolution read this book quickly. Embrace uncertainty because this is where new happens. Remember that every successful person that you know doubted themselves and their path, they just didn't let uncertainty stop them, and the inner voice to scare them. They did it anyway, and we should do it anyway too. Almost 4 stars.

You've heard all these ideas before in different forms. That is possibly true for the majority of the books that promise to improve your life. However, from time to time there is a book that strikes exactly the right tone, finds exactly the right words for you, so it has a real impact on your way of thinking. This book did this for me. I loved its no-bullshit approach, and I can recommend it to anyone who likes a mental slap in the face.