Change the Way You See Everything through Asset-Based Thinking
Though the content may not be groundbreaking (it distills down to the old refrain, "accentuate the positive"), the photo-heavy and text-light format of Cramer's and Wasiak's discourse on fostering life- and business-improving habits and worldviews strips the hyperbole and fluff common to many self-improvement books, presenting the essentials in an innovative way. Short enough to read on a truncated lunch break (the authors estimate 45 minutes cover-to-cover) and looking not unlike a slick Powerpoint presentation, the book walks readers through the how's and why's of thinking positive ("it leads directly to the thrill of victory"; "you feel more motivated and energetic") and includes the obligatory success stories, though these are glitzier than most-musician Moby and actress Sonia Manzano among them. Bullet-point lists and brief explications of the virtues of asset-based thinking (or, ABT as it's referred to in the book) are presented alongside illustrative photographs, so the photo of an executive-looking gentleman baiting a Holstein with a red flag accompanies the section on conflict management; a pair of socks appear next to "Knock Somebody's Socks Off." Though some exercises cross into the absurd (one suggests readers "drive the 'wrong way' to work so that it takes twice as long. Find out what you appreciate about the new route"), this breezy read is the go-to title for readers seeking an attitude realignment.Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.