Chapter One
Why You Need a Benefical Perspective
Life has its ups and downs. Everyone has probably experienced that firsthand. Some people, though, seem to have more "ups" than "downs", while others seem to have more "downs" than "ups." Wouldn't it be great if you could control how often you experience "ups" versus "downs"... if not in every circumstance of your life, at least most of the time, for the rest of your life?
Almost everyone can. Who cannot? Some of the people who can't completely control their thoughts due to particular brain disorders and possibly those with certain physical limitations. However, most of the people with either of these distinctions can still benefit from reading this book. Though they may only be able to occasionally apply some of what they read here to the situations in their lives, this book might help them better understand some of the issues they'll likely experience in life regardless of their other challenges.
This book will show you how to control MANY of the situations in your life and positively influence the others.
The book consists of two factors that are each helpful to learn about and apply to your life, but that are even more effective when used together. They are a particular:
1) Outlook / viewpoint / perspective
- You learn a more constructive, beneficial way of thinking
and
2) Concept / process
- You modify your behavior by way of your decision making
Each of these factors greatly affects the way you live your life. Yet when the two are used together, each one increases the other's capacity to empower you with an unimaginable ability to influence, if not completely control, almost all of the situations in your life in a way that benefits you.
Though this book provides a lot of useful information, its real purpose is to present "a certain way of thinking and acting" that can keep many undesirable situations from occurring in your life. The additional information given is just a side benefit.
Some people may consider a few of the ideas in this book to be "common sense." However, these ideas may not be "natural instinct" or even "learned behavior" for everyone. Not everyone has these instincts or good role models to follow. Yet everybody may be capable of learning this helpful information if given appropriate detailed direction.
That's what this book provides.
You may find that you're not interested in certain subjects or that you already know a lot about some of them. You should still read the entire book, in order, as opposed to skipping around or reading only the subjects that interest you. Why? Because the main purpose of this book is not to furnish you with information, but rather to show you the benefits of adopting this advantageous outlook, which can improve your decision making and in turn, your life.
Even though each chapter provides practical information on its topic, it more importantly creates a beneficial viewpoint on your involvement in that area. That's the main purpose of this book. The perspective-creating lessons for each subject build on those covered before it. If you haven't read everything up until that point, what you read later won't make as much sense as it could.
Don't get caught up in trying to learn about the subjects the first time you read the book. Once you've read the whole book, you'll see things differently. At that time, or any time later in the future as different situations arise in your life, you can go back to any subject and review the information.Reading this book can change your life.
Regardless of whether or not you actually modify your behavior, you'll at least have a clearer understanding of why things happen - A BENEFICAL PERSPECTIVE.
My intention in writing this book was to promote good decision making by explaining, in detail, the likely outcomes of the different possible decisions you could make in nearly every situation you could encounter in life. Please don't take offense to anything you read here. I'm not above making the poor decisions covered in this book. I didn't acquire this information from college courses. Quite the opposite... I didn't even go to college. (To my parents' credit, I'd like to point out that I'm the only one of their four children who didn't go to college - that was just one of my many brilliant decisions.) My life has been far from perfect. As a matter of fact, I've been involved with, in one way or another, just about every undesirable situation discussed in this book, often times as a direct result of one of my own poor decisions. I can't look down on people who make only a fraction of the many mistakes I've made. So please don't take offense. You'll have wasted your time and money on this book, as well as missed an opportunity to benefit from someone else's mistakes. Instead, learn what it takes to become one of the people of varying financial, educational and social classes, who make up the elite group of those who have achieved true personal responsibility.
REALITY provides you with directions and guidelines for OPTIMAL BEHAVIOR that should result in favorable outcomes for you often. By reading this book, you can improve the quality of your life. Additionally, by sharing these ideas with others, you can help them improve their lives, as well as minimize the degrees to which they go astray. The wide spreading of these ideas could make our society a better place for all of us. Hopefully, this mindset will someday sweep the nation... and maybe even the world! But for now, focus on yourself, and take pride in doing your part to improve the condition of the world we live in.
Congratulations on making a crucial move toward better managing your life. May you be a source of inspiration for others to do the same.