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Focus on the Good Stuff: The Power of Appreciation
Written by a former professional baseball player whose career was ended with an injury to his pitching arm in the middle of his third season, Focus on the Good Stuff is filled with passion, authenticity, and humor. Author Mike Robbins offers a step-by-step program with exercises for overcoming negative influence and obstacles, creating a truly grateful approach to life, and establishing an environment that can support success and peace of mind.
240 pages, Hardcover
First published October 15, 2005
69 people are currently reading
424 people want to read
About the author
Mike Robbins
48 books62 followersMike Robbins is the author of five books: Bring Your Whole Self to Work, Nothing Changes Until You Do, Focus on the Good Stuff, Be Yourself Everyone Else is Already Taken, and his most recent, We're All in This Together, (April 2020). He's a sought-after keynote speaker and business thought-leader who speaks to groups of all kinds throughout the world.
Some of his clients include Google, Wells Fargo, Microsoft, Gap, eBay, Schwab, Adobe, Genentech, Citibank, the US Department of Labor, Harvard University, the San Francisco Giants, and many others.
Mike and his work have been featured in the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, and Fast Company, as well as on ABC News and NPR. He is a regular contributor to Forbes, hosts a podcast called We're All in This Together, and his books have been translated into fifteen different languages.
Mike lives in Novato, CA with his wife Michelle and their two daughters. For more information, visit www.Mike-Robbins.com or follow him on Twitter or Instagram @MikeDRobbins or Facebook, www.facebook.com/mikerobbinspage
Some of his clients include Google, Wells Fargo, Microsoft, Gap, eBay, Schwab, Adobe, Genentech, Citibank, the US Department of Labor, Harvard University, the San Francisco Giants, and many others.
Mike and his work have been featured in the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, and Fast Company, as well as on ABC News and NPR. He is a regular contributor to Forbes, hosts a podcast called We're All in This Together, and his books have been translated into fifteen different languages.
Mike lives in Novato, CA with his wife Michelle and their two daughters. For more information, visit www.Mike-Robbins.com or follow him on Twitter or Instagram @MikeDRobbins or Facebook, www.facebook.com/mikerobbinspage
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews
July 13, 2016
I would recommend this book to many people I know that are very negative. They don't realize that being so negative attracts more negativity.
December 6, 2018
I'm not completely finished and, I have to admit that I thought at first that this was a rehash of many similar inspirational books. And mid way through I realized that there were some wonderful suggestions about how to appreciate people in our lives, So, much of this has already been said, but, really do you know who needs to hear it now? I made a list of people I appreciate, people I want to write letters to. If this book does nothing else, helping people to connect to people who have mattered and to tell them why they have, it has done its work. Now that I'm finished, I can't help it, I'm being judgmental...the opposite of the book's message...but I'm trying several of the "exercises" and they are working on my brain and attitude. I have to admit. I'm almost embarrassed. For those of you who are caught in judgements and complaints, who don't appreciate yourself, your own life, or most of the people on the planet, it's a great reminder of how both our inner and outer scripts affect our perceptions of our lives. It's been said before, and cynics may sneer...but I have to say, if you follow through and do, not just read the book, it's actually a valuable experience.
December 12, 2019
The power of appreciation is likely severely underrated especially by those still living and growing in a highly competitive dog eat dog, winner take all, corporate ladder climbing environment.
I know the culture is changing to slow down and be mindful and thus appreciate the moment, and this book is another great reminder around that same concept.
I know the culture is changing to slow down and be mindful and thus appreciate the moment, and this book is another great reminder around that same concept.
Read
March 27, 2020The mess does not going to leave your mind simply, you are asked to fight its existance, all the sounds that isolate you from the outer world, all the tricks which it makes behind you, within you, under your ceiling, your community....leads you to be identified under the title ...unable to...!!!...it is not its fault...it will be yours eventially.
June 11, 2024
A book about a really underappreciated topic IMO. Author also had a TED talk on the subject which is what made me want to read the book. From appreciating and recognizing others to most importantly to appreciating ourselves as well as why we find it difficult to do either, much less both. Give it a read I think you'll get something out of it.
November 8, 2017
This book didn't really contain anything new- I've read this same book by different authors or discussed by Oprah. However, it's always a good reminder to be positive and practice gratitude, especially in this day and age.
June 9, 2017
Solid 3.5 stars.
This dude is ALL positive energy.
A quality audio, too.
This dude is ALL positive energy.
A quality audio, too.
November 6, 2017
Great reminders and tips to stay positive. Lots of highlights for me to refer back to when my mind loses focus of the good stuff
January 23, 2018
Very insightful!
April 26, 2018
easy read
October 22, 2018
Loved it. Simple, practical, powerful. Definitely a book I will return to again and again for reference.
April 12, 2021
Inspiring and motivational
April 10, 2023
DNF -
June 8, 2023
Listened to the audio version of its summary.
July 14, 2023
Practical steps and relatable stories from a motivational speaker.
July 11, 2024
Appreciating life details simplicity is a muscle that we tend to forget. Michael is here to remind us there are so much things to be grateful for. Tap into deep appreciation.
October 22, 2020
This book is divided into three sections: negativity, principles of appreciation, and appreciaton in action. The five principles of appreciaton are 1. Be grateful. 2. Choose positive thoughts and feelings. 3. Chose positive words. 4. Acknowledge others and 5. Appreciate yourself. There are many simple but inspiring execises to try. Two principles that supported my SHED theme: Be conscious and Take action. I'm keeping a gratitude journal, want to do appreciations with Brian, and want to send letters of appreciation to others.
October 26, 2012
GoodReads is acting up during my attempt to rate and review this book. Does GoodReads know that I'm waffling between two and three stars, and seems to reject my 3-star rating?
Well, lets start with what I appreciate about this book. The message is great: Be appreciative of more people and things around you, and the magic will unfold. There are moments of clear-headed common sense -- this book doesn't fall into the trap of trying to create its own self-helpy buzzwords (much). There are a few times you sense the author is building toward something kind of profound, but after one sentence, the moment is over. There is a very repetitive and predictable structure to the book, so much so that it reads like a training workbook. No complaints here, from an adult learning professional, because I know that this approach works so effectively in helping people retain information. If I were down in the dumps and needed step by step directions to pick me up off the floor, this could be great.
I guess I'm challenged by the author's writing style. It never really engaged me. I found myself trying not to skim, because the words all run together. That's especially tough when the concepts and sub-concepts are all related and overlapping. I constantly thought, "Didn't he just say this a few pages ago?" If you think about an author's writing style in self-help nonfiction as his or her speaking voice, this book would not have interested me enough to see the author speak. Or maybe I would see him speak, to test the theory and see for myself if he is more engaging in person than his prose would suggest.
Well, lets start with what I appreciate about this book. The message is great: Be appreciative of more people and things around you, and the magic will unfold. There are moments of clear-headed common sense -- this book doesn't fall into the trap of trying to create its own self-helpy buzzwords (much). There are a few times you sense the author is building toward something kind of profound, but after one sentence, the moment is over. There is a very repetitive and predictable structure to the book, so much so that it reads like a training workbook. No complaints here, from an adult learning professional, because I know that this approach works so effectively in helping people retain information. If I were down in the dumps and needed step by step directions to pick me up off the floor, this could be great.
I guess I'm challenged by the author's writing style. It never really engaged me. I found myself trying not to skim, because the words all run together. That's especially tough when the concepts and sub-concepts are all related and overlapping. I constantly thought, "Didn't he just say this a few pages ago?" If you think about an author's writing style in self-help nonfiction as his or her speaking voice, this book would not have interested me enough to see the author speak. Or maybe I would see him speak, to test the theory and see for myself if he is more engaging in person than his prose would suggest.
December 8, 2016
This book is written by a former professional baseball player, who I had the opportunity to meet in person and attend one of his motivational seminars. During that seminar he gave out 3 books and I was lucky enough to get this one.
'Focus on the Good Stuff' was overall a good read. This message of this book is that people should appreciate what they have and not dwell on what they don't have. Robbins states that appreciation is one of the most important aspects in one's happiness, which I would agree with after reading this book. He talks about how things like gossip and drama will to nothing but effect your own happiness, in a bad way. When you talk about other people, nothing good comes out of it. Often times, they talk about other peoples problems to make it sound like their problems aren't that bad. This book will definitely have an impact on my life. The exercises given in this book will definitely be incorporated into my daily life. I would recommend this book to everybody because it has a message that everyone will benefit from hearing. I also look forward to reading Mike's other two books.
'Focus on the Good Stuff' was overall a good read. This message of this book is that people should appreciate what they have and not dwell on what they don't have. Robbins states that appreciation is one of the most important aspects in one's happiness, which I would agree with after reading this book. He talks about how things like gossip and drama will to nothing but effect your own happiness, in a bad way. When you talk about other people, nothing good comes out of it. Often times, they talk about other peoples problems to make it sound like their problems aren't that bad. This book will definitely have an impact on my life. The exercises given in this book will definitely be incorporated into my daily life. I would recommend this book to everybody because it has a message that everyone will benefit from hearing. I also look forward to reading Mike's other two books.
November 23, 2016
It seems sad to me that we live in a world where books like this sell as well as they do. I say that not because the book is bad--it isn't. It's just unfortunate that our world is structured such that we either need information here as a refresher or we need the information because of a personal vacuum of some kind or other.
The book's focus is learning to better appreciate those around us and learning to better value ourselves. I enjoyed this, and the chapters on self appreciation were particularly helpful to someone who is a grand master at verbal self beatings. The section on gratitude is a classic case of stating the obvious, so you might think, but the author points out how infrequently gratitude is a part of our interactions with others. He's right. I've experienced interactions where my expressions of gratitude actually confused and unbalanced the recipient, so rarely did such expressions come his or her way.
If you're afraid to read a book like this because of the overabundance of cheerleading and affirmation chanting, put the fear aside and give this a go.
The book's focus is learning to better appreciate those around us and learning to better value ourselves. I enjoyed this, and the chapters on self appreciation were particularly helpful to someone who is a grand master at verbal self beatings. The section on gratitude is a classic case of stating the obvious, so you might think, but the author points out how infrequently gratitude is a part of our interactions with others. He's right. I've experienced interactions where my expressions of gratitude actually confused and unbalanced the recipient, so rarely did such expressions come his or her way.
If you're afraid to read a book like this because of the overabundance of cheerleading and affirmation chanting, put the fear aside and give this a go.
December 18, 2009
At the risk of sounding cynical, I'm going to write a review on this anyway. Although there's a lot of good info in here (on being positive, etc.), I find it hard to take advice from someone who has had a pretty easy life. I'm more inspired by those who have really had to struggle with hardships other than just not being able to play pro-ball and fulfill their dream.
Plus, his whole outlook on not watching the news, to avoid hearing negative things is a bit absurd. It's almost as if he's saying, "live in La-La land and don't listen to anything negative!" It's not realistic.
But, like I said, there are some good, basic things that you can find in other similar books. I just wish I hadn't stumbled across this -- had no idea it was a self-help book. (His other book "Be Yourself..." was "recommended" on amazon, and I thought it was suppose to be a humorous book, not a self-help one! So, I read this one first.)
Plus, his whole outlook on not watching the news, to avoid hearing negative things is a bit absurd. It's almost as if he's saying, "live in La-La land and don't listen to anything negative!" It's not realistic.
But, like I said, there are some good, basic things that you can find in other similar books. I just wish I hadn't stumbled across this -- had no idea it was a self-help book. (His other book "Be Yourself..." was "recommended" on amazon, and I thought it was suppose to be a humorous book, not a self-help one! So, I read this one first.)
March 23, 2009
An extended homily on why you should appreciate life and not worry about it
Mike Robbins is a former professional baseball player. In 1997, he blew out his arm, thus ending his career. A minister’s locker room sermon about staying positive inspired Robbins, who now is a busy motivational speaker. Robbins’ basic message: People should appreciate what they have and not dwell on the negative. Though Robbins’ proclamation that it is better to concentrate on the good rather than the bad makes sense, many of his concepts are just that obvious. This fluffy book is a compilation of feel-good reminders of reliable verities, like the need for gratitude. getAbstract recommends it as a warm, comfortable overview for newcomers to this upbeat self-help genre.
Mike Robbins is a former professional baseball player. In 1997, he blew out his arm, thus ending his career. A minister’s locker room sermon about staying positive inspired Robbins, who now is a busy motivational speaker. Robbins’ basic message: People should appreciate what they have and not dwell on the negative. Though Robbins’ proclamation that it is better to concentrate on the good rather than the bad makes sense, many of his concepts are just that obvious. This fluffy book is a compilation of feel-good reminders of reliable verities, like the need for gratitude. getAbstract recommends it as a warm, comfortable overview for newcomers to this upbeat self-help genre.
March 23, 2008
I'm going to cut to the chase. This book was pretty much a recycling of a bunch of other self-help type books. What the author advocates is great. Appreciation is good and will improve a person's life (in both giving and receiving). However he did not really contribute anything different to the discussion. I have heard or read most of these things in other places. The thing that mostly caused me to dislike this book was the author's endorsement of "The Secret". I personally don't buy it. Naturally that would make me question what this author was trying to do. Anyhow, I am sure someone would really get a lot out of this book, but it really didn't do much for me.
December 3, 2008
If repitition is what it takes to drive home the point that 1) we all should be more appreciative of others and ourselves 2) we should seek out opportunites to show our appreciation and e) we should revel in the scent of the roses instead of complaining about the thorns, then this book is a winner. I'm not one to sit through books on tape; but what I could appreciate is that this one was much shorter than others I've struggled to finish. Do I recommend that others read it? Don't bother. I would have never gotten through the hard copy. Just go to church next Sunday and save your precious reading time for something more exciting.
October 6, 2012
Written by a former professional baseball player whose career was ended with an injury to his pitching arm in the middle of his third season, "Focus on the Good Stuff" is filled with passion, authenticity, and humor. Author Mike Robbins offers a step-by-step program with exercises for overcoming negative influence and obstacles, creating a truly grateful approach to life, and establishing an environment that can support success and peace of mind
October 11, 2016
Mike Robbins does a great job explaining the purpose of focusing on the good stuff. I've used his book for developing our recognition program at work. I especially like his five most important aspects of effectively acknowledging other people. I do recommend this book if you want to focus on the good stuff too!
February 4, 2017
The title sounds promising. And there were a few good tips about how to stay positive in this world of turmoil that we live in. But this book was mostly about the author's journey through baseball and he lost me about half way through. There was nothing groundbreaking and no "ah ha" moments to speak of. I just didn't get much out of it.
June 28, 2008
If the key to happiness is appreciation, then Mike Robbins is one grateful, happy guy. An uplifting read that will remind you to take a step back and appreciate all the wonderful things we enjoy on a daily basis.
July 11, 2008
Great book, well-researched, chock full of action steps that are doable. It's a message that needs to be heard more and more, especially in difficult times- when it's very hard to even remember that there's truly always something to be grateful for.
February 26, 2009
This book was okay but nothing in there that you can't find on the Internet or in other self-help books. If you haven't read too much on this subject than I say, get it. But if you have, you've read it before.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews