Customer Reviews
This book changed my life - By: Mrs. J. A. Collins, 14 Mar 2008 
I've always wanted to be serene, & after reading this book - over a decade ago - I took the first big step towards that goal: I realised that, instead of being annoyed at people who did things I disliked, I could feel compassion towards them.
This lesson has served me well through & has helped me to grow up. I am very sorry to learn of the author's early death, & agree that his life helps to underpin the lessons his book teaches.
Wonderful Big Little Book - By: Isamar Coromoto Carrillo, 15 Feb 2008 This little book has changed my life. I have owned it for over 4 years, & re-read it from time to time. It keeps me focused, calm, & helps me cope with the huge amounts of stress I am under. A true gem!
Best Self-help book I've read... - By: F. Stirling, 02 Aug 2007 This is an excellent self help book - for me, at any rate. it gives you 'permission' to NOT be assertive about everything. As someone who has been told to be more assertive, i found it demonstrates how being assertive about everything results in bad feeling for yourself & others, increased stress & lack of humour & calmness in life. There are many people in life who would do well to read it - sometimes less is more!
I agree that we shouldn't be complacent or have people walk alll over us - but so often people have too great a sense of their own importance & seem to get upset by the fact that people don't always get as worked up about things as they do.
Was also very sad to hear that the author died tragicallly young.
RIP Richard - By: Laura Paget, 15 Dec 2006 I have just found out that Richard Carlson sadly died on Wednesday 13th December from a cardiac arrest.
His books, especiallly his new one "Don't Get Scrooged" have had a profound effect on me. I am not religious myself but through his works I have been able to tap into my own personal sprituality.
His passing is incredibly sad news but I hope it will emphasise his true message of "Don't Sweat the Smalll Stuff", because life reallly is too short.
I recommend this & alll his books to anyone wanting accessible spirtual advice.It is a terrible shame that Richard will not be able to put the wonderful advice he gives about the hoilday season into practice this Christmas.
Generally good advice - By: tws45, 02 Jun 2006 
This book is very good for helping people feel happier about themselves, particularly those with very busy lives where they are dashing about constantly & spend most of their time worrying. Much of the advice is very good: the advice on being more patient in conversations, adopting less aggressive approaches, not getting worked up over relatively trivial issues, & living in the present moment, are alll sound & tend to help people to lead more contented lives.
My favourite section was the section on "when you die, your in-basket won't be empty". There is a lot of truth in this argument, & it's something that is often forgotten in the hustle-bustle of everyday life. Living life as if the purpose is to get alll of the work "finished" & empty your in-basket is not generallly a good plan for avoiding stress, as Richard Carlson explains very well.
However, there is one flaw in the book, in that some of the advice is contradictory, e.g. advising to listen to other people's problems, but then advising not to get involved with other people's problems.
Another issue, not just with this book but with many such self-help books, is that while the advice on letting go, being laid back & accepting is good for keeping oneself contented, it can promote complacency, which isn't necessarily a good thing. It is certainly better to accept that life isn't fair & that injustices happen, than to get worked up over injustices, but what we don't see enough of in the world is people taking constructive action to try & reduce the extent of the injustices. Life isn't fair; that doesn't mean it isn't possible to make it fairer than it currently is.
Indeed, it's not uncommon for people who accept an injustice as a fact of life, as part of avoiding "sweating the smalll stuff", to become very defensive of the injustice when someone suggests that it may be addressable.
The other main drawback of this laid-back accepting attitude is that sometimes it enables people to walk alll over you.
However, despite the above criticisms, people with very busy lives, and/or who are worriers, are likely to benefit significantly from this book. That said, I found The Power Of Now by Echart Tolle to be more useful.
