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50 maneras de arruinar mi vida
How many lives have you got?
Stop messing up your life!
Stop being your own worst enemy!
Always complaining, touchy, cantankerous, endlessly brooding, eternally dissatisfied, saying yes but meaning no, thinking constantly that he was hard done by and blaming everybody else François de Waal was an irritating bastard who castigated everything and everybody.
He made every mistake in the book when it came to love, relationships, money, sex and work. Littered with egotism, self-sabotage and silent despair, he muddled along for years without any light at the end of the tunnel. Being gay didn't make things easier. Until, at the age of forty, he realized that he was an obstacle to himself, his own worst enemy. After years of falling into every trap in his path, it took blood, sweat, and tears to gain insight into his behaviour and actually make changes.
˃˃˃ In this self-help book, François de Waal dissects with great precision the ways you can best sabotage things for yourself.
But even more important is the message that there is a solution for every problem. He shows how you can successfully confront yourself and lead a happier life. It is never too late to be really happy.
"A fun and honest life guide that gets to the basics of personal development and how to be a happier, more productive person. Readers will identify with the author’s setbacks and be heartened by his useful tips for success." - Tom Butler-Bowdon, author of "50 Self Help Classics".
"In his excellent book François de Waal talks about everyday kinds of problems and depressing thoughts and worries that just about everyone has but that nobody talks about. It is refreshing to read someone writing so candidly about it. The writing is personable and engaging. It is disarmingly charming to read someone so honestly not perfect but who has sincerely tried to come up with good solutions to common problems and found some good ones! De Waal admits so many foibles and character flaws that I have but that I have never admitted. I think most people would have a similar experience reading this book. The openness of it is freeing. It is a relief to have it all out in the open, and to admit, at least to myself, my own selfishness and arrogance and pettiness. I feel I am a better person from reading the book.
"Fifty Ways I Ruined My Life. And How You Can Avoid This" is excellent. Well written. It is compelling reading from start to finish. And the author gives good, practical suggestions which are refreshingly brief and to the point. Well done." - Adam Khan, author of "Self Help Stuff That Really Works".
Stop messing up your life!
Stop being your own worst enemy!
Always complaining, touchy, cantankerous, endlessly brooding, eternally dissatisfied, saying yes but meaning no, thinking constantly that he was hard done by and blaming everybody else François de Waal was an irritating bastard who castigated everything and everybody.
He made every mistake in the book when it came to love, relationships, money, sex and work. Littered with egotism, self-sabotage and silent despair, he muddled along for years without any light at the end of the tunnel. Being gay didn't make things easier. Until, at the age of forty, he realized that he was an obstacle to himself, his own worst enemy. After years of falling into every trap in his path, it took blood, sweat, and tears to gain insight into his behaviour and actually make changes.
˃˃˃ In this self-help book, François de Waal dissects with great precision the ways you can best sabotage things for yourself.
But even more important is the message that there is a solution for every problem. He shows how you can successfully confront yourself and lead a happier life. It is never too late to be really happy.
"A fun and honest life guide that gets to the basics of personal development and how to be a happier, more productive person. Readers will identify with the author’s setbacks and be heartened by his useful tips for success." - Tom Butler-Bowdon, author of "50 Self Help Classics".
"In his excellent book François de Waal talks about everyday kinds of problems and depressing thoughts and worries that just about everyone has but that nobody talks about. It is refreshing to read someone writing so candidly about it. The writing is personable and engaging. It is disarmingly charming to read someone so honestly not perfect but who has sincerely tried to come up with good solutions to common problems and found some good ones! De Waal admits so many foibles and character flaws that I have but that I have never admitted. I think most people would have a similar experience reading this book. The openness of it is freeing. It is a relief to have it all out in the open, and to admit, at least to myself, my own selfishness and arrogance and pettiness. I feel I am a better person from reading the book.
"Fifty Ways I Ruined My Life. And How You Can Avoid This" is excellent. Well written. It is compelling reading from start to finish. And the author gives good, practical suggestions which are refreshingly brief and to the point. Well done." - Adam Khan, author of "Self Help Stuff That Really Works".
128 pages, Paperback
First published September 10, 2005
3 people are currently reading
36 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
January 12, 2018
Raw and honest, François de Waal attempts to lay everything out on the line to his readers. In my eyes, he tries to show that just like anyone else, he’s made mistakes in the way he’s dealt with the trials and tribulations of his life; that maybe he hasn’t always done the right things; that hindsight is 20/20.
For the most part, I really enjoyed this book. The chapters are aptly named, short and sweet, and end with a bullet point list of things you can do to make your life better. It never leaves you guessing, and it is written in plain language. Before I go into more detail about why I would recommend this for you, I need to be clear about one thing.
One thing that is at the core of my being is this: I am very involved with my mental health and the journey of unraveling the inner workings of my own mind and emotions. I have done my fair share of reading of self-help articles and have quite the collection of self-help books. Given my extensive experience with working on myself and my mind, I would have liked to see references for where I could go on and learn more. But that’s just me.
For the average person who is looking for a step towards learning how to live a life rid of unnecessary stressors, I think de Waal’s book does a great job at pointing out very relatable experiences that any one could say “Hey, wow, yeah, I’ve been there too”. In sharing his stories for righting what he describes as ‘wrongs’ he’s done for his own well-being over the years, he shares very clear suggestions on what we as readers can do to overcome similar barriers in our own lives.
de Waal’s writing is very accessible. It reads as a self-help guide while having a very conversational quality. Throughout its entirety, I felt like he was sitting across the table from me and giving me tidbits of advice. I would relate my experience of reading this book to a self-help speed-date event: short and sweet nuggets of advice, leave you feeling both satisfied and wanting to learn more. But rather than learning more about your date, you want to use the suggestions to learn more about yourself.
For the most part, I really enjoyed this book. The chapters are aptly named, short and sweet, and end with a bullet point list of things you can do to make your life better. It never leaves you guessing, and it is written in plain language. Before I go into more detail about why I would recommend this for you, I need to be clear about one thing.
One thing that is at the core of my being is this: I am very involved with my mental health and the journey of unraveling the inner workings of my own mind and emotions. I have done my fair share of reading of self-help articles and have quite the collection of self-help books. Given my extensive experience with working on myself and my mind, I would have liked to see references for where I could go on and learn more. But that’s just me.
For the average person who is looking for a step towards learning how to live a life rid of unnecessary stressors, I think de Waal’s book does a great job at pointing out very relatable experiences that any one could say “Hey, wow, yeah, I’ve been there too”. In sharing his stories for righting what he describes as ‘wrongs’ he’s done for his own well-being over the years, he shares very clear suggestions on what we as readers can do to overcome similar barriers in our own lives.
de Waal’s writing is very accessible. It reads as a self-help guide while having a very conversational quality. Throughout its entirety, I felt like he was sitting across the table from me and giving me tidbits of advice. I would relate my experience of reading this book to a self-help speed-date event: short and sweet nuggets of advice, leave you feeling both satisfied and wanting to learn more. But rather than learning more about your date, you want to use the suggestions to learn more about yourself.
November 6, 2017
So recognisable! I read this book with great interest. Fifty Ways I Screwed Up My Life and How You Can Avoid this is one of those rare specimens in the self-help genre that are well written, candid, intelligent and razor-sharp.
November 14, 2024
Buen libro, muestra varios puntos clave para empezar a mejorar varios aspectos de nuestra vida.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews