Review of "Been There, Done That? DO THIS!"

In the book Been There, Done That? DO THIS! author Sam Obitz  states, "Fewer and fewer of us are being raised in supportive families that prepare us to thrive and be happy once we leave them."  This illustrates the troubling existence that millions of Americans are ensnared within.  Many carry around a psychological ball & chain of perpetual despair with no means to correct the problem. Their minds are like conveyer belts of negative thoughts, most of which were unwittingly developed during their childhood and most do not realize that there is another way.

 What I liked about this book was not just that it teaches you tools to help alleviate that damage, but that it communicates its wisdom in such a down-to-earth almost conversational tone that makes it easy to comprehend and relate to. As Dr. John Piacentini, director of the UCLA Child Anxiety Disorder Program, states "Sam takes clinically proven techniques and makes them easily accessible to the millions of individuals who are suffering from anxiety and related problems."

  Some of the chapter titles give an indication to how the book succeeds:  "Changing your Future", "Learning to Fish", "Putting things back into Perspective" and "Helping Yourself."  The author comes across like a friend, but I like how he puts the onus upon the reader to improve their life.  In the middle of the book, a formula is given for identifying the error-prone patterns of thinking that most of us engage in.  Then exercises are provided to counter these self-sabotaging thoughts, by replacing them with new ways of thinking. 

 For me the genius of this book was in its simplicity and for that I would give it the highest rating of any book I have read in the Motivational/Self-Help category. I also like how the author used real examples from his life that were easy to identify with to illustrate many of his points. This is a book that I feel all teenagers and young adults could greatly benefit from.

 

© 2003 Judith Carlson

 

Note that this book is not available from Amazon.com.  It is available through the author's website http://tao3.com/index.html

 

Judith Carlson writes about herself:

I'm a junior in high school and will be turning 17 in March of 2004. I'm on the soccer team at my school and take several honors courses. I have lived with my foster family since I turned nine. I plan on attending a good college after I graduate and would love to continue playing soccer in college (but I need to improve some more first). I have battled anxiety since I was very young and did not even realize it for a couple of years but I think I have it under control now. Everyone thinks I'm shy but I think I'm just naturally quiet.