"How to Stop Worrying and Start Living" is Dale Carnegie's 1948 book on developing peace of mind. It's long and fluffy, full of self-help anecdotes. Most of the advice is either blinding-obvious or easier-said-than-done exhortation. That's not bad – just a bit disappointing, perhaps. It's remedied by good Bottom Line summaries at the end of each chapter and section. Samples:

• Shut the iron doors on the past and future. Live in Day-tight Compartments.
• If you have a worry problem:
  1. Ask yourself, "What is the worst that can possibly happen?"
  2. Prepare to accept that if you have to.
  3. Then calmly proceed to improve on the worst.
• Worrying can hurt your health.
• When you have a problem that is causing you to worry:
  1. Get the facts.
  2. Analyze the facts.
  3. Arrive at a decision—and then act on that decision.
• Keep busy
• Don't fret about small things
• Consider the likelihood of bad things happening
• Cooperate with the inevitable
• "Don't try to saw sawdust"
• Think and act cheerfully

_{(cf How to Win Friends and Influence People (2008-05-17), ...) - ^z - 2024-03-24}