Complete Confidence: A Handbook: Becoming the Powerful Person You Were Born to Be

by Sheenah Hankin

Confident people react positively and successfully to life's problems and challenges. Those who lack confidence often view themselves as victims—blaming others or bingeing on drugs, sex, food, or alcohol to mask their feelings of shame or worthlessness.

In Complete Confidence, renowned psychotherapist Dr. Sheenah Hankin points the way to a confident life free of self-criticism, anxiety, and immature anger. Her Winning Hand of Comfort technique is a clear, concise, and powerful prescription for dealing with everyday situations—from resolving conflicts to ending unhealthy habits like overeating, complaining, and procrastinating. This essential handbook will teach you how to retrain your brain to manage your emotions and put your problems into perspective. You will learn how to calm down, clarify your thinking, challenge your blame habit, comfort your negative feelings, and achieve confidence. That is Dr. Hankin's promise.

Genres: Self Help, Nonfiction, Psychology

274 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 1, 2004

Reviews

[Tom Hinkle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would depict this book to some degree specialized. The book isn't in fact technically complicated that one has to be a specialist to read it, but be aware that it does contain some mental health terms and practices. The writer uses genuine cases including ones from her life which allows to the reader to connect with the specific subject in the segment you are reading. The author's analysis of the reasons behind one's lack of confidence is intriguing and something I was able to connect with.

One of the things I liked about the book is that the author, as I would like to think, advocates the philosophy that motivational and inspirational individuals lecture about- you are what you think. She identifies common self-confidence issues she has seen from people in her practice and research, then teaches you how to enhance your thinking with the goal that you can become a confident person.

[Liz N · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't agree with everything Hankin has to say - there's a patriarchal, privileged tone to some of it I can't get behind - but I still have to recommend this book. The larger part of the book offers very practical advice on how to address and correct behaviors that stem from a lack of confidence. I've put some of her suggestions and exercises into practice already, and have begun to see a change in my outlook and attitude as a result. There's plenty I can glean from it to fit my needs, and the rest I can pass over easily enough. I'm glad I read it!

[Mary Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was insightful for what I bought it for - dealing with someone very difficult. I bought it because I felt so disrespected at work. I used to work for an ultra micro manager who thought that she could do everything better than anyone else. It was so demeaning working for someone like this.

This book had some good phrases in it to use when dealing with difficult people. And the net net of it is you must face your fears to get your confidence back. So if you are going through a difficult time, it may be worth getting it.

[NatalyaVqs · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is life changing - if you are going to read anything at all, read this! By changing your own behavior in small ways, your quality of life goes way up. This book liberates you from your own emotionally draining patterns and shows you an easier way to live. Its well written, and reads easily. Cannot recommend it more, should be required reading for everyone, really.

[Dena · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was helpful to me.IPlan to buy it.

[Debbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maybe a 2.75 stars?

I feel I could have taken away more from this book had the time not been so off putting. The author can come off as very self rightous, with very binary, black-white thinking. I think lots of the practical tips were very helpful. All the other 'pick yourself up by your boot straps' messaging, I could have done without.

[Maariya Siddiqui · Rating 1 out of 5]

I felt like this book was super condescending. Not recommended for people who have even a slight amount of confidence already

[Kelly Smith · Rating 2 out of 5]

I started this book thinking, "She wrote this book about me!" I had high hopes that it really would be a handbook for me. By mid-book, I had lost that feeling. While I feel that there is much truth to the theory that our inner feelings lie and screw up our outlook, I don't believe that all feelings are lies and not to be trusted. I also feel like this book dismisses mental illness. That's a huge problem for me.

[NatalyaVqs · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was an eye-opener for me on how to greatly improve my behaviors in a manageable step by step process. It makes you realize how and why you do the same thing over and over again, seek the same "comforting" behaviors because its in your habit, while they are detrimental to your future improvement potential. A must read in self-improvement category.

[Chantelle · Rating 1 out of 5]

Well, within the first chapter, she claims that *most* people don't NEED antidepressants or anti-anxiety medication (or, at least not for long): they just need emotional maturity. Couple that with the overall opinion that, because I'm not always calm, cool, and collected, I'm clearly not emotionally mature and I was too offended to get past chapter two.

[James · Rating 1 out of 5]

Author's credentials are suspect at best; however, the primary issue with this supermarket self-help book it the author's narcissistic approach to her not-quiete-real seeming clients.
Each sentence or two calls for reader to tell "Dr." how smashingly brilliant she is in her mainstream ideas.
Better bet would be a study using practical examples by a licensed clinical psychologist .

[Alena · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book!

[Nora · Rating 2 out of 5]

interesting book on self-defeating attitudes and behaviors