Status
Available
Call number
Collection
Publication
Ballantine Books (1988), Edition: First Thus, Paperback, 240 pages
Description
Teaches compassionate concepts and highly effective exercises that unravel the complexities and reverse the effects of fear.
User reviews
LibraryThing member LheaJLove
My favorite quote was written by Natalie Goldberg in Writing Down the Bones. In an essay on "Obsessions" she stated, "I used to think freedom meant doing what you want. It means knowing who you are, what you are supposed to be doing on this earth, and then simply doing it."
That single quote has
I recognize, however, that the adjective "fearless" is a misnomer. There is a false idea that the powerful, the wealthy, the successful and the brilliant do not experience fear. Many of the divisions of life between those that beg and those that earn, those that ask and those that demand, those that wish and wait and those that expect and acheive are not formed by the boundrary between the presence and absence of fear. The primary question is, when you feel the fear can you do it anyway?
It matters not what you "it" is. "It" is your dream. And regardless how common or strage this goal is... you will only reach this ambition, if you can face what Steven Pressfield (the War of Art) calls Resistance.
Susan Jeffers published a wonderful text on how to change your life. Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway. She reminds us, "At the bottom of every one of your fears is simply the fear that you can't handle whatever life may bring you." When people say that they are scared to lose someone, some job, some position, they are indeed saying that they would not be able to handle the situations that result from that loss.
People often ask what would you do if you knew you could not fail. Like wise, what would you do if you know that you could handle it? You can. You can handle failure, you can handle success. Jeffers's text explores the Five Truths about Fear that must be acknowledged and understood. Then, Jeffers gives you Seven Ways to Reclaim Your Power. Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway is a book filled with the life stories of your parents, your friends, your co-workers and your past... You will find yourself in this book. You will find your fears. It is your choice and if you choose you will face your fears and finish reading, you will face your fears and begin your goals, you will face your fears and finish.
George Benard Shaw summed it up beautifully in the quotation below. Reading these words daily will greatly help you to put things in perspective and give you the courage to move beyond your fear so that you can be of greate use to the world: ...I rejoice in life for its own sake. Life is no brief candle to me. It is a sort of splendid torch which I've got to hold up for the moment and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations.
Love,
Lhea J
That single quote has
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allowed me to be a little more fearless, a bit more daring. That quote helped me finish college. That quote helps me complete morning writing in my journal each day I awake and helps me face the blank page in my typewriter before I slumber at night.I recognize, however, that the adjective "fearless" is a misnomer. There is a false idea that the powerful, the wealthy, the successful and the brilliant do not experience fear. Many of the divisions of life between those that beg and those that earn, those that ask and those that demand, those that wish and wait and those that expect and acheive are not formed by the boundrary between the presence and absence of fear. The primary question is, when you feel the fear can you do it anyway?
It matters not what you "it" is. "It" is your dream. And regardless how common or strage this goal is... you will only reach this ambition, if you can face what Steven Pressfield (the War of Art) calls Resistance.
Susan Jeffers published a wonderful text on how to change your life. Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway. She reminds us, "At the bottom of every one of your fears is simply the fear that you can't handle whatever life may bring you." When people say that they are scared to lose someone, some job, some position, they are indeed saying that they would not be able to handle the situations that result from that loss.
People often ask what would you do if you knew you could not fail. Like wise, what would you do if you know that you could handle it? You can. You can handle failure, you can handle success. Jeffers's text explores the Five Truths about Fear that must be acknowledged and understood. Then, Jeffers gives you Seven Ways to Reclaim Your Power. Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway is a book filled with the life stories of your parents, your friends, your co-workers and your past... You will find yourself in this book. You will find your fears. It is your choice and if you choose you will face your fears and finish reading, you will face your fears and begin your goals, you will face your fears and finish.
George Benard Shaw summed it up beautifully in the quotation below. Reading these words daily will greatly help you to put things in perspective and give you the courage to move beyond your fear so that you can be of greate use to the world: ...I rejoice in life for its own sake. Life is no brief candle to me. It is a sort of splendid torch which I've got to hold up for the moment and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations.
Love,
Lhea J
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LibraryThing member Steve55
This book provides an insightful and engaging look at the destructive effects of fear in all aspects of our lives and guidance on how this fear may be overcome.
Anyone engaged in creating change will face their own fears and those of others and this book provides both an understanding of the roots
The book highlights the paradox that whilst we seek the security of a fear free life, this creates an environment in which we are denied the satisfaction of achievement or advancement. The result is the catch-22 of fear of change and fear of staying the same.
The conclusion is that fear is a necessary and essential element of life and pushing through fear is actually less frightening than living with the underlying fear that comes from a feeling of helplessness, hence ‘feel the fear and do it anyway’.
The first part of the book creates a picture of the widespread and damaging effects of fear, in its many forms such as fear of changing jobs, fear of illness, fear of failure, etc. It introduces a progression of truths which serve to illuminate the effects of fear and build the case for the active choice of how fear is addressed. A simple but powerful picture presents the option to address fear through positive power rather than as a victim of passive pain.
As you work through the book the emphasis shifts towards the actions that you can take to change your attitude and approach. A number of simple models and techniques are introduced which are presented in an easily understood form. When strung together these provide a structured programme with which to set about changing your attitude and behaviours.
The book benefits from a liberal scattering of first hand accounts of people at various stages of succumbing to or addressing their fears. These stories do much to help explain the approach and provide an engaging dialogue and encouragement that lightens up the message and creates the feeling that improvement is possible.
The book rightly confesses that though the message and techniques are relatively easy to understand their application presents more of a challenge, not because they are of themselves difficult but they have to be applied and sustained. The challenge therefore for any such book is to leave the reading list and bookshelf and become embedded in the actions of the reader.
Does this book meet the challenge? I have adopted some of the techniques and recognise that others will be of benefit. Having read the book I know that I will return to read it again and I hope will have felt the benefits of conscious active use of the techniques over the next few months. Time will tell as to whether the book helps create change so I hope to return to this review in a few months time.
In the meantime I recommend this book for its insights into a topic that affects us all. My personal perspective is that the effects of fear can become so ingrained in our lives that we fail to recognise the fear and simply feel the numbness of dissatisfaction and a vague inability to focus on doing anything about it. This book will help create focus so you start to question the way things are and why you allow them to remain so. The challenge of addressing them is by definition a life long journey and this book will provide an excellent platform from which that journey can begin.
Anyone engaged in creating change will face their own fears and those of others and this book provides both an understanding of the roots
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for people’s fears and an understanding of how people may be helped to understand and better deal with fear.The book highlights the paradox that whilst we seek the security of a fear free life, this creates an environment in which we are denied the satisfaction of achievement or advancement. The result is the catch-22 of fear of change and fear of staying the same.
The conclusion is that fear is a necessary and essential element of life and pushing through fear is actually less frightening than living with the underlying fear that comes from a feeling of helplessness, hence ‘feel the fear and do it anyway’.
The first part of the book creates a picture of the widespread and damaging effects of fear, in its many forms such as fear of changing jobs, fear of illness, fear of failure, etc. It introduces a progression of truths which serve to illuminate the effects of fear and build the case for the active choice of how fear is addressed. A simple but powerful picture presents the option to address fear through positive power rather than as a victim of passive pain.
As you work through the book the emphasis shifts towards the actions that you can take to change your attitude and approach. A number of simple models and techniques are introduced which are presented in an easily understood form. When strung together these provide a structured programme with which to set about changing your attitude and behaviours.
The book benefits from a liberal scattering of first hand accounts of people at various stages of succumbing to or addressing their fears. These stories do much to help explain the approach and provide an engaging dialogue and encouragement that lightens up the message and creates the feeling that improvement is possible.
The book rightly confesses that though the message and techniques are relatively easy to understand their application presents more of a challenge, not because they are of themselves difficult but they have to be applied and sustained. The challenge therefore for any such book is to leave the reading list and bookshelf and become embedded in the actions of the reader.
Does this book meet the challenge? I have adopted some of the techniques and recognise that others will be of benefit. Having read the book I know that I will return to read it again and I hope will have felt the benefits of conscious active use of the techniques over the next few months. Time will tell as to whether the book helps create change so I hope to return to this review in a few months time.
In the meantime I recommend this book for its insights into a topic that affects us all. My personal perspective is that the effects of fear can become so ingrained in our lives that we fail to recognise the fear and simply feel the numbness of dissatisfaction and a vague inability to focus on doing anything about it. This book will help create focus so you start to question the way things are and why you allow them to remain so. The challenge of addressing them is by definition a life long journey and this book will provide an excellent platform from which that journey can begin.
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LibraryThing member sainsborough
The effectiveness of this book begins with its title, because it resonates with all of us as we struggle with our fears. These are not real fears, such as when we are in mortal danger. They are rather those nagging insecurities that we know are irrational, but which nonetheless hold us back. The
After reading this book, I boldly went out and organised a holiday for family and friends. The holiday was pretty disastrous, as I recall, with foul weather and people being difficult, but I was still amazed that the content of a book had directly propelled me into action.
Since then, I have a new maxim, based on the same premise, which is: "Proceed on the basis of a favourable outcome."
...because if you don't proceed (i.e. do it anyway) there is absolutely NO chance of a favourable outcome. GO FOR IT!
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title acknowledges these fears and tells you in no uncertain terms what to do about them. Your fears need not be an impediment, if you consciously work to proceed in spite of them.After reading this book, I boldly went out and organised a holiday for family and friends. The holiday was pretty disastrous, as I recall, with foul weather and people being difficult, but I was still amazed that the content of a book had directly propelled me into action.
Since then, I have a new maxim, based on the same premise, which is: "Proceed on the basis of a favourable outcome."
...because if you don't proceed (i.e. do it anyway) there is absolutely NO chance of a favourable outcome. GO FOR IT!
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LibraryThing member john257hopper
This is marvellous, life-transforming stuff. In the month since I started using it, my self-confidence has improved in leaps and bounds. I genuinely feel like a new person.
LibraryThing member gibbon
More than ten years ago I gave my copy of an earlier edition of this book to a young dental assistant who was having trouble asserting herself at work. She later told me how much it had helped her. She left dental work and helped her husband set up their own company in a completely different field.
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I have just bought two copies of this new edition knowing that at some time in the future they will be equally helpful to someone who needs just the sort of encouragement and practical assistance Ms Jeffers provides. If she had not had the perseverance to get the book published against discouragement and lack of interest, thousands of people would have been worse off. Show Less
LibraryThing member bluesviola
don't remember, so it wasn't that good
LibraryThing member jazman
It's a good book. I would definitely recommend it.
LibraryThing member flying_monkeys
Feel the Fear not only empowers by showing ways to shift one's perspective, it reminds us that we always have a choice in every situation and not choosing is a choice in itself. Sometimes it's easy to lose touch with our power to choose, to allow fear to stop us in our tracks. Jeffers offers
4 stars
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practical exercises to re-focus and re-channel one's fear into something that helps instead of hinders. And she reminds us that it's a journey, not a destination, so facing and embracing fear will be a lifelong adventure.4 stars
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LibraryThing member realbigcat
Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway is an awesome book. I have a huge library of self help and personal improvement and wellness books. I find this to be one of the better books I have read on the subject of how to break you old habits and get up
And do something. It really is about positive thinking.
And do something. It really is about positive thinking.
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The author Susan Jeffers is obviously very passionate about the subject and this really comes through in every chapter. There are many very useful exercises and a lot of good points in this book that will carry you far in improving your life. I heard about this book in several podcasts I had listened too and it was recommended highly. I found myself doing a lot of highlighting. As with any self help book it contains a lot of great ideas but ultimately they are worthless unless the reader acts on them. Show Less
LibraryThing member scubasue59
A must read!
LibraryThing member DrT
Book title and author: Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway Dynamic techniques for turning Fear, Indecision and Anger into Power, Action and Love by Susan Jeffers, Ph.D. 9781938296628. 4/16/23
Why I picked this book up: We all have fear in some sense. We are facing crazy inflation since Biden became
Thoughts: Are you afraid of making decisions . . . asking your boss for a raise . . . leaving an unfulfilling relationship . . . facing the future? Whatever your fear, here is your chance to push through it once and for all. In this enduring guide to self-empowerment, Dr. Susan Jeffers inspires us with dynamic techniques and profound concepts that have helped countless people grab hold of their fears and move forward with their lives. Inside you’ll discover.
This classic book has changed the lives of many over the years. This book helps us move from pain to power. Self-talk, relaxation, motivation, relational and spiritual aspects are part of this book.
“• what we are afraid of, and why
• how to move from victim to creator
• the secret of making no lose decisions
• the vital 10-step process that helps you outtalk the negative chatterbox in your brain
• how to create more meaning in your life and much more.”
Why I finished this read: This book was written in the 80s and is still appropriate today so I finished it and appreciate how she uses self reflection and gives good examples of how to move in and what can be learned from acting and moving past our fears.
Stars rating: 3.5 out of 5. This book was fairly good, not a block buster so a little bit better than 3 so I gave the rating I did.
Why I picked this book up: We all have fear in some sense. We are facing crazy inflation since Biden became
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president and I keep hearing a recession coming soon, our gas prices went through the roof, I have medial issues, one of my treatments cost $86,000, my parents are becoming elderly at age 81. I decided to pick this up to see how to cope with fear.Thoughts: Are you afraid of making decisions . . . asking your boss for a raise . . . leaving an unfulfilling relationship . . . facing the future? Whatever your fear, here is your chance to push through it once and for all. In this enduring guide to self-empowerment, Dr. Susan Jeffers inspires us with dynamic techniques and profound concepts that have helped countless people grab hold of their fears and move forward with their lives. Inside you’ll discover.
This classic book has changed the lives of many over the years. This book helps us move from pain to power. Self-talk, relaxation, motivation, relational and spiritual aspects are part of this book.
“• what we are afraid of, and why
• how to move from victim to creator
• the secret of making no lose decisions
• the vital 10-step process that helps you outtalk the negative chatterbox in your brain
• how to create more meaning in your life and much more.”
Why I finished this read: This book was written in the 80s and is still appropriate today so I finished it and appreciate how she uses self reflection and gives good examples of how to move in and what can be learned from acting and moving past our fears.
Stars rating: 3.5 out of 5. This book was fairly good, not a block buster so a little bit better than 3 so I gave the rating I did.
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Subjects
Language
Physical description
240 p.; 8.2 inches
ISBN
0449902927 / 9780449902929