C's Reviews > The Power of Positive Thinking

A few people told me that that this was among the great self-improvement books. Not knowing anything about the book or author, I decided to read it. Because of the recommendations I had received, I was very surprised at how explicitly Christian the book is; I was expecting a secular "pull yourself up by your own bootstraps" kind of self-improvement book. Instead, the author focuses on prayer and involving God in every aspect of your life; and not just in one or two chapters, but all of them.

I'm a Christian, so I wasn't opposed to the religious content; it just wasn't what I thought I'd find. With that said, I didn't like how Peale pushed the "health and wealth" gospel. Rather than showing the Christian faith as primarily focused on the spiritual life, Peale described how to use prayer and your relationship with God to succeed materially.

Peale outlines his main formula near the beginning:
1. Prayerize: constantly pray to God, and treat him as your close associate
2. Picturize: believe in your realizable wish, and hold strongly to that mental image
3. Actualize: praying and picturing leads to the wish becoming a reality

The book contains what I would consider paranormal or pseudo-science. I included some examples below. Near the beginning, Peale explains that one can use a positive mindset to combat the inferiority complex that many people suffer. He mentions many studies throughout the book, but I don't believe any of them were cited. Every chapter is chock full of anecdotes and stories. There were a few good tips in the book, but overall it lacked enough practical advice to make it worth reading.

Advice I liked
• Do something you're passionate about and you'll find you have unlimited energy to do it.
• Don't think you're so important. Learn to slow your pace and delegate work.
• Descriptions of the power of mind over matter; how people can become sick or well based largely on their state of mind. Explanations of psychosomatic issues.
• Find moments to completely relax throughout the day, even if only for a few minutes.
• "Don't get the idea that you are Atlas carrying the world on your shoulders. Don't strain so hard. Don't take yourself so seriously."

• "Determine to like your work. Then it will become a pleasure, not drudgery. Perhaps you do not need to change your job. Change yourself and your work will seem different."
• Become a comfortable person; easy-going, natural, pleasant, kindly, gentle.
• Remember people's names.
• Don't be an egotistical know-it-all.
• Practice liking people until you genuinely do.

Parts I didn't like
• Description of sending magnetic power to people by "shooting" prayers at them.
• The entire chapter "Prescription for Heartache". It tells about death experiences, people hearing or seeing the dead, and other paranormal activities.