This is a book by Ant Middleton, the ex-marine and member of the Special Boat Service (SBS). However, he is probably best known as being the Chief Instructor on the TV programme SAS: Who Dares Wins.
He has written a number of books around mindset, and this one is about the Power of Positive Thinking.
His earlier books delve more into his past and how he got to where he is today, being an adventurer and TV personality. I would say ‘TV celebrity’ but I know he does not like that phrase, and he is a lot bigger than I am!!
The book breaks down into a number of areas and each around specific situations that he found himself in and how a positive mind set helped. A summary of the areas and chapters are as follows:
Know Who You Are
Identify yourself and what your strengths are and make use of them and let them be a source of positive energy. Listen to those who care about you most.
Keep The Mould Away
Get yourself out of negative environments. Stay away from ‘energy vampires’ – radiate positivity and surround yourself with those that do the same.
Kill Them With Kindness
When confronted with negativity, overwhelm them with positivity and don’t retaliate with negativity, which is all too easy to do.
Keep It Simple
Strip your life down to the essentials and figure out what is most important to you. Don’t overthink everything. You don’t have to have answers to all the questions. If you aren’t willing to take responsibility for what you are going to say or do, take time to think again.
Change Or Die
Change shakes up the world around you. Most of the time you can’t stop the change but make sure you are prepared to pick up the positivity that comes from it. Change offers you the chance to diversify your thinking. Don’t be afraid of cutting ties from people that are holding you back.
Make Many Platforms
Overnight success is a myth. Don’t waste your time waiting for the one big miracle. Go out to the world, meet new people, expand your network and do new things. Jealousy and competition are the most negative of emptions.
You’ve Got To Go Through This
Small things make a big difference as some steps add up to a big leap. Be brave. Remember people who never make mistakes never make anything.
Be A Shepherd, Not A Sheep
You can’t always change your environment, but you can change how you perceive it. Make sure you define the situation you are in, rather than the situation defining you.
Give Them Enough Rope
Leaders are also teachers. Leaders not only pick themselves up again when they fail, they create a safe space in which those they’re leading can fail, learn and get better next time. Share your weaknesses as well as your strengths. Unless you are willing to be transparent, you can’t expect the same from your team.
I’ve read a few of Ant’s books and found this one easy to read and each chapter had a message set around specific events in his life, many of which I’d not come across in his other books. Some of his earlier books were more about his past and his life to date. This one had more of a message built in so worth a read especially if you have not read one of his books before.