Life's Too Short!: Pull the Plug on Self-Defeating Behavior and Turn on the Power of Self-Esteem

by Abraham J. Twerski

Book Overview

In this practical and supportive guide to self-esteem, Dr. Abraham Twerski explains how most self-defeating behavior stems from a sense of inferiority and that practically no one is immune to its... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312155700
• ISBN13: 9780312155704
• Release Date: April 1997
• Publisher: St. Martins Press-3PL
• Length: 208 Pages
• Weight: 0.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.4" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

A practical guide to self-worth

In this practical, supportive and instructive work, Dr Twerski points out that self-defeating behaviour is a result of low-self esteem and not lack of ability. Through some of the case studies of the more than 40 000 people he has assisted over the years, and humorous but instructive cartoons, the author explains how this is, and how it can be overcome. Dr Twerski explains how if we expect rejection we will interpret all that happens as rejection and will behave in a way that precipitates rejection, so that we can blame our own behaviour, instead of believing it is due to something intrinsic to ourselves (which of course it is not). Once we realize that we are of beauty and value we will not allow ourselves to be marred and damaged, and it is never too late to reverse the effects of self-destructive behaviour. Once we know that insulting remarks are not true we are more able to not let them hurt us. Once we feel good about ourselves, uncomplimentary remarks can be much more easily dismissed and and certainly need not make us feel worse about ourselves. Dr Twerski deals with fear of failure and what is known as "fear of happiness": "It is hard to believe that there are people who dread enjoying life. Some people have a sense of foreboding. They are afraid that if they enjoy things something terrible will happen. Consequently, they consciously or unconsciously torment themselves or deprive themselves of pleasure. They may feel so undeserving of good fortune that they anticipate misery. Sometimes this is tied to a religious belief in a punitive god who is going to punish them for being bad. Those who think they are bad expect to be punished. Sometimes they do not have a concept of a loving god, or if they do they may think of themselves as so unworthy that even G-D could not love them". Dr Twerski deals with the symptoms and causes of depression, and points out that he has never come across a substance abuser who has not suffered from a low self-esteem before they fell into alcoholism/addiction. Dr Twerski believes that at the core of every human being there is nucleus of pride, dignity and self-respect...at some point in a persons life, there is a breakthrough and the individual at least has a momentary awareness of his or her dignity and self-worth. This book is highly recommended.

Changed my life!

The book opened my eyes! Every time I turned the page, I thought I was reading about me. Truly awesome! This is my 1st Book, of Rabbi Twerski's, that I have read - I plan to read more of them.

Transcending Hope

This is an excellent book, once again showcasing Dr. Twerski's gifted understanding of human behavior and his masterful ability to translate the complex building blocks in life into understandable, recognizable, and workable terms. This book transcends hope and places clear, easy to follow solutions at our feet. The vignettes are rich in character and Dr. Twerski's personal experiences validate his expert insights. I wouldn't hesitate to buy this book as a gift for anyone because it is a power-packed very easy read.

Very Thorough Book on Self Esteem

At the root of all our psychological/life obstacles and problems is the concept of lack of self esteem. Self esteem can lead to almost everything; not getting the promotion you deserve, not asking for what you want, not making the right choices, self defeating behaviour that prohibit your growth.After reading Twerski's book, now I get it. Twerski does a great job outlining the problems associated with low self -esteem, and leads us to ways of overcoming it. This obviously is not an overnight treatment but rather something that may take years to overcome behaviour pattersn that's been ingrained in us since sometimes childhood.Basically, I liked this book alot, not just for it's in-depth discussion about self-esteem, but also for it's much larger application in personal self-help.

Hit the Problems on the head for me!

While this book is very basic, it is very clear and precise, easy to understand. It clearly defines many issues and specifically what they are that cause one to get into self-defeating behavior. Where there is the knowledge and understanding of what a person is doing, comes the ability to make the choice to change. That's what this book does-paints a picture of clearly what is going on-and gives people a choice to change the direction they are going in or the particular behavior. What is particularly helpful is, most of the defeating behavior patterns would be normally accepted as normal life patterns, when in fact, they are all a choice. Understanding that gives one the ability to step into new and exciting life changes to a happier and healthier life. This book confirmed everything that I had been thinking and reading from other sources and is "right on".