Earlier in the year I set out to write a book that would explore some of the tools that we need in life to help us get through difficult times.
By “difficult” I don’t just mean the crises we go through when relationships end, people die, or the workplace turns toxic. I also mean those times in life when things change, when we haven’t quite got our interpersonal relationships working or we’re moving to a new job, a new city, and so on.
Change is often positive. But it can cause huge amounts of upset and stress. It’s those times in life when we feel overwhelmed.
That’s what I was thinking about when I set out to write my fourth book Toolkit for Life, which looks at a range of tools that readers can use to get through the difficult times in life.
Learning one chapter at a time
The book is published in separate instalments as I felt this was the way you can best get your head around what I’m talking about at a pace that would help you actually start to apply them to your life.
Often when we read so-called self-help books, we scoff them down, try to take onboard a couple of ideas and move rapidly on to the next thing. But it can also be more fruitful to go at a slower pace and really think through what you’re taking onboard.
Trying things out slowly, noticing the changes in the world around you and how you are dealing with them, can be helpful as you don’t get flooded with information and trying to make sense of everything.
The power of strong self-esteem
I kicked the release of the book off with a podcast episode about the book and the first chapter: the power of strong self-esteem. This is the foundation block on which every other skill or tool is built. The better we feel about ourselves, the stronger our confidence and ability to have faith and belief in our judgement.
If you haven’t listened it, take a bit of time to put this show on in your headphones and listen as you go about your daily walk or commute.
On the show (and in the book), I discuss how, as you go through life you learn what you are capable of. This learning is essential for maturity and growth. Many of us test this, trying on new things and setting goals. But others can feel vulnerable, uncertain, and lacking in confidence. This belief can build, or it can be damaged it would seem, by what other people say or do. Especially if these people are important in our lives such as teachers, friends, or parents.
But if you can maintain a powerful sense of trust in yourself you can draw on it throughout your life trusting that even difficult situations will pass. That you can cope and that not everything in life is easy. Strong self-esteem helps you work out what you do matters and how you think. It all helps build confidence, belief and conviction in yourself
Discover the power
