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Relentless Optimism: How a Commitment to Positive Thinking Changes Everything
Studies prove that positive thinkers are happier, healthier, and more successful than everyone else. Discover the simple, proven techniques for becoming a more positive person...
Positive thinking leads to positive outcomes. Study after study proves this. Researchers have found that optimistic people live longer, live healthier, have more energy, have more successful careers, make better decisions, are more productive, are less stressed, have healthier relationships, and (not surprisingly) are much happier than pessimists.
However, a lot has been misunderstood about what it means to be a positive thinker and what it takes to maintain an optimistic mindset. It takes a lot more than repeating feel-good platitudes to make positive thinking work in your life. It takes discipline, commitment, and a proper understanding of what optimism really means in a world that is constantly throwing new challenges at us.
This is a book for anyone who has ever questioned whether positive thinking really “works.”
It’s also a book for those who have tried to develop a more positive attitude, but have found it difficult to eliminate the voices of fear, doubt, and cynicism.
This is a book for anyone who wants to put optimism to work in their life with practical, proven techniques.
In this inspirational fable, you’ll meet Bobby Kane, a 31-year-old minor league baseball player who realizes his dream of making it to the majors is finally coming to a disappointing end. His dream, he believes, was not meant to be.
That is, until Bobby meets an unconventional manager named Wally Hogan. More mental coach than baseball manager, Wally teaches Bobby that if you want to change your life, you have to first change your thinking.
As you’ll see in this book, developing a positive mindset gives Bobby a renewed chance to make his dreams come true—not just in baseball, but in all areas of his life.
Wally teaches Bobby what it means to be an optimist and what it takes to maintain a positive attitude through the ups and downs of life. He teaches him proven, real-world techniques for building and sustaining optimism. These methods have an immediate impact on Bobby’s life and they will have an immediate impact on yours as well.
This book will show you just how powerful a positive attitude can be and it will teach you how to use positive thinking to make your biggest dreams come true.
Positive thinking leads to positive outcomes. Study after study proves this. Researchers have found that optimistic people live longer, live healthier, have more energy, have more successful careers, make better decisions, are more productive, are less stressed, have healthier relationships, and (not surprisingly) are much happier than pessimists.
However, a lot has been misunderstood about what it means to be a positive thinker and what it takes to maintain an optimistic mindset. It takes a lot more than repeating feel-good platitudes to make positive thinking work in your life. It takes discipline, commitment, and a proper understanding of what optimism really means in a world that is constantly throwing new challenges at us.
This is a book for anyone who has ever questioned whether positive thinking really “works.”
It’s also a book for those who have tried to develop a more positive attitude, but have found it difficult to eliminate the voices of fear, doubt, and cynicism.
This is a book for anyone who wants to put optimism to work in their life with practical, proven techniques.
In this inspirational fable, you’ll meet Bobby Kane, a 31-year-old minor league baseball player who realizes his dream of making it to the majors is finally coming to a disappointing end. His dream, he believes, was not meant to be.
That is, until Bobby meets an unconventional manager named Wally Hogan. More mental coach than baseball manager, Wally teaches Bobby that if you want to change your life, you have to first change your thinking.
As you’ll see in this book, developing a positive mindset gives Bobby a renewed chance to make his dreams come true—not just in baseball, but in all areas of his life.
Wally teaches Bobby what it means to be an optimist and what it takes to maintain a positive attitude through the ups and downs of life. He teaches him proven, real-world techniques for building and sustaining optimism. These methods have an immediate impact on Bobby’s life and they will have an immediate impact on yours as well.
This book will show you just how powerful a positive attitude can be and it will teach you how to use positive thinking to make your biggest dreams come true.
250 pages, Paperback
Published July 26, 2017
853 people are currently reading
735 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 93 reviews
June 8, 2020
Very engaging, easy read that gave me the reminder that I needed right now.
June 28, 2022
3 stars; 4 if you played baseball or are interested in minor league baseball
August 28, 2018
There are no words other than WOW!! Great book. Great lesson inside. Just the reminder I needed.
June 23, 2024
36 chapters of which 28 page fillers. The core idea is between chapters 7 and 15. And that's not bad.
Notes
Negative events are a LIE - Limited, Isolated, External
RAR - Recognize, Argue, Replace them with positive thoughts
Success is ability to replace failure with optimism
Notes
Negative events are a LIE - Limited, Isolated, External
RAR - Recognize, Argue, Replace them with positive thoughts
Success is ability to replace failure with optimism
May 2, 2019
Theme: believe in yourself you won't go farther then you believe you can. shoot for the stars if you don't reach your goal, you still made it further than you realize you could. The book shows this by having a minor league baseball player get sent down and when he shifts his attitude he does better.
July 11, 2019
A very light read which kept me engaged throughout.
April 16, 2024
This book
I loved this book
I learned so much from it and I’ve started putting it into my life and I feel happier and better than when I started
I recommend this book to anyone and everyone
I loved this book
I learned so much from it and I’ve started putting it into my life and I feel happier and better than when I started
I recommend this book to anyone and everyone
April 3, 2020
Donnelly's portrayal of a massive comeback of Bobby Kane moved me emotionally and changed my mental perspectives on all aspects of my life. This book makes for a perfect reread, and I plan on rereading it multiple times to remind myself of the book's plentiful life lessons. Some of my favorite quotes from the book are:
"Optimists remind themselves that every negative event is a lie. That's capital L-I-E.
The L stands for Limited. Optimists see the negative event as temporary and limited to a single moment...
The I is for Isolated. Optimists see the negative event as specific to that one particular area...
The E is for External. Optimists remind themselves that people and things outside of their control contributed to the negative event." (95)
"First, you have to eliminate all the negativity you can from your personal environment. This means recognizing the people and things that feed you negativity and getting rid of them.
Secondly, you have to properly manage the negative things in your environment that you can't get rid of - things like negative people you're stuck working with." (144)
"'Should you care what these types of people think of you?' Wally asked. 'Should you care what people like that think will happen to you, your team, or your company? Should you care what those people think you should do with your life?'" (154)
"The only people you should listen to when it comes to opinions and advice are people who you admire." (155)
"You have to immediately ask yourself, 'Do I admire this person?' If the answer is no, then you mentally block their negativity out." (157)
"'Never let the odds keep you from pursuing what you know in your heart you were meant to do.'" -Satchel Paige (181)
"'You have to experience it in your mind before you can expect to experience it in reality'" - visualization technique (194)
"Gratitude is the optimist's greatest weapon. When you're grateful for who you are, where you are, and the very moment you're experiencing, you're able to let go and just be. It doesn't matter what else is going on. You're able to fully experience the greatest moment. " (214)
"Optimists remind themselves that every negative event is a lie. That's capital L-I-E.
The L stands for Limited. Optimists see the negative event as temporary and limited to a single moment...
The I is for Isolated. Optimists see the negative event as specific to that one particular area...
The E is for External. Optimists remind themselves that people and things outside of their control contributed to the negative event." (95)
"First, you have to eliminate all the negativity you can from your personal environment. This means recognizing the people and things that feed you negativity and getting rid of them.
Secondly, you have to properly manage the negative things in your environment that you can't get rid of - things like negative people you're stuck working with." (144)
"'Should you care what these types of people think of you?' Wally asked. 'Should you care what people like that think will happen to you, your team, or your company? Should you care what those people think you should do with your life?'" (154)
"The only people you should listen to when it comes to opinions and advice are people who you admire." (155)
"You have to immediately ask yourself, 'Do I admire this person?' If the answer is no, then you mentally block their negativity out." (157)
"'Never let the odds keep you from pursuing what you know in your heart you were meant to do.'" -Satchel Paige (181)
"'You have to experience it in your mind before you can expect to experience it in reality'" - visualization technique (194)
"Gratitude is the optimist's greatest weapon. When you're grateful for who you are, where you are, and the very moment you're experiencing, you're able to let go and just be. It doesn't matter what else is going on. You're able to fully experience the greatest moment. " (214)
December 8, 2021
Funny story how I received this book-I saw a speaker with some co-workers and one co-worker answered a question and was given a book by the motivational speaker. I asked him if I could read it and I came in the next day to this book on my desk. Interesting – why would the speaker give out copies of someone else’s book? Turns out he mixed it up with one his boss loaned to him. It looked good so I said hey-I’ll take this one, too!
I come from a family of optimists and had a boss in my 20’s who further formed my way of thinking to focus on the positive as well. Without a doubt, positivity makes all of the difference in how happy you are!
As like many business books, the teaching is told through a story. Bobby Kane is a baseball player from Boston who was a rising star. After an injury, his attitude plummeted as did his career. He gets sent down another level to play for coach Wally Hogan, who is something special. While on the road, he has players drive with him in his RV while he coaches them on so much more than how to play ball. He teaches the head game. If you like baseball, you will enjoy this story.
What made it nice is if a part got a little uninteresting (like the play by play of a game – I like baseball but get to the bottom line) you could skip ahead and not miss the “lessons” because they were all in bold. Below is a taste of some of the quotes.
Nothing is more important than what you feed your mind. And the best way to feed your mind is with the books you read.
“Success begins in your mind, but failure does, too. Optimism is self-fulfilling, but pessimism is too. You have to decide how you’re going to think. The choice is yours and you have to own the outcome.
Optimism won’t prevent negative events from happening; optimism will ensure that you respond to those negative events in the most beneficial way possible – a way that leads to positive outcomes. The people who succeed aren’t the ones who avoid failure; they’re the ones who learn how to respond to failure with optimism.
Optimists remind themselves that every negative event is a lie. That’s LIE:
L stands for Limited. Optimists see the negative event as temporary and limited to a single moment.
I stands for Isolated. Optimists see the negative event to one specific area and not all areas of their life.
E stands for External. Optimists remind themselves that people and things outside of their control contributed to the negative event (it’s not personal)
Anyone can be an optimist for a day, a week, maybe a few months when things are going well. It’s a commitment to long-term positive thinking that separates the big achievers from everyone else.
To get out of the habit, the book talked about how negative thoughts creep in you have to Recognize. Argue. Replace. I was taught the phrase Stop. Challenge. Choose. Either way it is the same concept – catch yourself, challenge the thought and then choose to replace it with new thinking. The more you practice, the easier it becomes.
The book talked about avoiding negative people. How can we do that in certain situations where we don’t have a choice? Here is where he talked about creating a mind moat which is a mental barrier that protects your positive mindset from outside forces. I call that my shield. When I feel negativity or strong emotions coming my way I must mentally put up the shield or it will affect me. I will either start having negative thoughts (because negative thoughts are contagious) or I start to over-empathize.
The rest of the book had other lessons similar to those I have heard before such as you become what you think about, the importance of gratitude, believe it to achieve it, do your best and do not get attached to the outcome, and so on. The words might be different but the lessons are the same.
As the book says, you need to feed your brain with good books and even if there was not a lot that was NEW, it is always good to continue to have repetition in the messages because it supports life long learning. And it was a sweet little story, too.
I come from a family of optimists and had a boss in my 20’s who further formed my way of thinking to focus on the positive as well. Without a doubt, positivity makes all of the difference in how happy you are!
As like many business books, the teaching is told through a story. Bobby Kane is a baseball player from Boston who was a rising star. After an injury, his attitude plummeted as did his career. He gets sent down another level to play for coach Wally Hogan, who is something special. While on the road, he has players drive with him in his RV while he coaches them on so much more than how to play ball. He teaches the head game. If you like baseball, you will enjoy this story.
What made it nice is if a part got a little uninteresting (like the play by play of a game – I like baseball but get to the bottom line) you could skip ahead and not miss the “lessons” because they were all in bold. Below is a taste of some of the quotes.
Nothing is more important than what you feed your mind. And the best way to feed your mind is with the books you read.
“Success begins in your mind, but failure does, too. Optimism is self-fulfilling, but pessimism is too. You have to decide how you’re going to think. The choice is yours and you have to own the outcome.
Optimism won’t prevent negative events from happening; optimism will ensure that you respond to those negative events in the most beneficial way possible – a way that leads to positive outcomes. The people who succeed aren’t the ones who avoid failure; they’re the ones who learn how to respond to failure with optimism.
Optimists remind themselves that every negative event is a lie. That’s LIE:
L stands for Limited. Optimists see the negative event as temporary and limited to a single moment.
I stands for Isolated. Optimists see the negative event to one specific area and not all areas of their life.
E stands for External. Optimists remind themselves that people and things outside of their control contributed to the negative event (it’s not personal)
Anyone can be an optimist for a day, a week, maybe a few months when things are going well. It’s a commitment to long-term positive thinking that separates the big achievers from everyone else.
To get out of the habit, the book talked about how negative thoughts creep in you have to Recognize. Argue. Replace. I was taught the phrase Stop. Challenge. Choose. Either way it is the same concept – catch yourself, challenge the thought and then choose to replace it with new thinking. The more you practice, the easier it becomes.
The book talked about avoiding negative people. How can we do that in certain situations where we don’t have a choice? Here is where he talked about creating a mind moat which is a mental barrier that protects your positive mindset from outside forces. I call that my shield. When I feel negativity or strong emotions coming my way I must mentally put up the shield or it will affect me. I will either start having negative thoughts (because negative thoughts are contagious) or I start to over-empathize.
The rest of the book had other lessons similar to those I have heard before such as you become what you think about, the importance of gratitude, believe it to achieve it, do your best and do not get attached to the outcome, and so on. The words might be different but the lessons are the same.
As the book says, you need to feed your brain with good books and even if there was not a lot that was NEW, it is always good to continue to have repetition in the messages because it supports life long learning. And it was a sweet little story, too.
October 12, 2021
Relentless Optimism by Darrin Donnelly is a book with a well-deserved five stars. There are so many factors in this book that seek deeper thought and understanding. I can relate to a lot of the things in this book because at times I've found myself in the same circumstances as Bobby Kane.
Darrin's book gave me as the reader a great understanding of how important negativity is to overcome and how hard it is to not resort back to negative thoughts. As said in the book, "How easy it is to slip back into negative thinking." This caused me as a reader to relate back to times where I have doubted myself. I think this book is great for not only baseball players but any athlete or person that struggles with pessimistic thoughts.
A quote that stands out to me from this book is, "Your mind is the most powerful weapon you have. It affects everything. Everything." It is proven that people who think positively are happier and more successful than those who do not choose to live this way. When you make the decision to invite these ideas into your life and dedicate yourself to the techniques it takes to maintain them, you can create and attract positivity into your world. It is not just a few choices that you make to take you there, it is a lifelong commitment. The world challenges us, it has a way of trying to teach us lessons to grow from. Therefore, if we can control the way our mind sees these obstacles and learn how to properly react to then we too can live in optimism.
The story starts when the main character, Bobby Kane, is introduced into the story. Bobby has accomplished many things in his 31 years but still has not reached his number one goal. Bobby is a minor league baseball player who has always wanted to make it into the MLB, however, his attitude and negative thinking have affected his overall performance in baseball. That is until Bobby moves down to double-A baseball and meets an old man named Wally, who is the team's manager. Wally will prove to change Bobby's attitude and performance throughout the rest of his career and life beyond. It isn't until Bobby realizes that baseball is a game of failure and that he will never succeed every time. Instead of keeping those mistakes in the back of his head Bobby learns to accept his failures and learn from it. In doing so he sees that once was everything to him is just a small piece of what is important. Once Bobby learns this he is able to grow and make himself the best player he can be. Mentally prepared.
I think this story has two main themes, one being how a person can come into your life and change everything. Making things that seemed so hard, so clear. In this story when Bobby meets Wally, everything changes for Bobby and his family. After incorporating the smallest of ideas from Wally, Bobby was already starting to have a better attitude. By the end of the book, Bobby has overcome his terrible negative world all because of Wally. Bobby finally understood how powerful your mind really is.
Another theme I picked up on was that that the sky is the limit. Bobby has always had the physical skill to succeed and make it into the MLB he has just always struggled with his mental skills. After understanding how they work together there is nothing you can not do and no mountain you can't climb.
Darrin's book gave me as the reader a great understanding of how important negativity is to overcome and how hard it is to not resort back to negative thoughts. As said in the book, "How easy it is to slip back into negative thinking." This caused me as a reader to relate back to times where I have doubted myself. I think this book is great for not only baseball players but any athlete or person that struggles with pessimistic thoughts.
A quote that stands out to me from this book is, "Your mind is the most powerful weapon you have. It affects everything. Everything." It is proven that people who think positively are happier and more successful than those who do not choose to live this way. When you make the decision to invite these ideas into your life and dedicate yourself to the techniques it takes to maintain them, you can create and attract positivity into your world. It is not just a few choices that you make to take you there, it is a lifelong commitment. The world challenges us, it has a way of trying to teach us lessons to grow from. Therefore, if we can control the way our mind sees these obstacles and learn how to properly react to then we too can live in optimism.
The story starts when the main character, Bobby Kane, is introduced into the story. Bobby has accomplished many things in his 31 years but still has not reached his number one goal. Bobby is a minor league baseball player who has always wanted to make it into the MLB, however, his attitude and negative thinking have affected his overall performance in baseball. That is until Bobby moves down to double-A baseball and meets an old man named Wally, who is the team's manager. Wally will prove to change Bobby's attitude and performance throughout the rest of his career and life beyond. It isn't until Bobby realizes that baseball is a game of failure and that he will never succeed every time. Instead of keeping those mistakes in the back of his head Bobby learns to accept his failures and learn from it. In doing so he sees that once was everything to him is just a small piece of what is important. Once Bobby learns this he is able to grow and make himself the best player he can be. Mentally prepared.
I think this story has two main themes, one being how a person can come into your life and change everything. Making things that seemed so hard, so clear. In this story when Bobby meets Wally, everything changes for Bobby and his family. After incorporating the smallest of ideas from Wally, Bobby was already starting to have a better attitude. By the end of the book, Bobby has overcome his terrible negative world all because of Wally. Bobby finally understood how powerful your mind really is.
Another theme I picked up on was that that the sky is the limit. Bobby has always had the physical skill to succeed and make it into the MLB he has just always struggled with his mental skills. After understanding how they work together there is nothing you can not do and no mountain you can't climb.
May 20, 2024
Útmutató kezdőknek az eSport fogadáshoz
Évente több mint 500 millió nézővel az esport népszerűsége soha nem állt meg. Egyre több bukméker célozza meg a piacot, és kínál ügyfeleinek eSport fogadási lehetőségeket. Ebben az útmutatóban átfogó áttekintést adunk az eSport fogadásról, és mindent, amire szüksége van ahhoz, hogy az esport fogadással kezdjen keresni. Ha online fogadas keres oldalt, hasznot húzhat a 2024-ben rád váró Magyarország legjobb szolgáltatóinak értékeléseiből!
Ne felejtsük el, hogy valódi pénzes sportra való fogadáshoz valódi pénzt kell befizetned. Ezt a kérdéses bukméker által meghatározott módszerek bármelyikével megteheti. A leggyakrabban használtak: elektronikus pénztárcák (például PayPal és Skrill), betéti/hitelkártyák (például Visa és Mastercard) és banki átutalások. A választott módszer akkor lesz megbízható, ha a bukméker megbízható. A fogadási oldal helyes megválasztásával biztos lehet benne, hogy a befizetés és a kifizetés egyszerű és gyors lesz. Minden önmagát tisztelő bukméker azt akarja, hogy minden pontos legyen. Nincs miért aggódnod.
eSport: Mi az eSport?
Ez a játékosok sportja. Akik különféle számítógépes játékokon keresztül megrendezett versenyeket szerveznek.
Az avatatlanok számára az ilyen versenyek aligha tűnnek komolynak.
De az igazság az, hogy a kibereseményeket már több mint 400 millió ember figyeli és követi a világon. A szervezők bevételét pedig több mint 1 milliárd dollárra becsülik! Ennyire komolyak a dolgok.
Az elektronikus sportokhoz hasonlóan szövetségeik is szervezik a versenyeket. Akárcsak az ismerős sportági szakszervezeteink.
Hogyan működik az eSport fogadás
Az eSport fogadás a hagyományos sportfogadáshoz hasonlóan működik, de itt a kompetitív videojátékok eredményeit jósolod meg. A játékok sokfélék és változatosak, a legjobb fogadóirodák pedig a fogadási piacok széles választékát kínálják, beleértve az eSport élő fogadását is. A legnépszerűbb játékok, amelyekre fogadhatsz, a Dota 2, a LoL, a CS:GO, a StarCraft és a Valorant, és évente több tucat versenyt szerveznek számukra. Ennek az egyedülálló fogadási környezetnek az árnyalatainak megértése kritikus fontosságú, ha az eSport fogadásba szeretne belevágni.
Mik az eSport esélyei?
A szorzók a fogadás minőségének fő kritériumai, és az esports oddsok sem kivételek. Ezeket a bukméker határozza meg a piac nyitásakor, aszerint, hogy ő hogyan látja a mérkőzést, az esport oddsok nagysága pedig attól függ, hogy mekkora a potenciális nyereség.
Az eSport fogadási oldalakon különböző szorzóformátumok közül választhatunk, például amerikai, tört, hongkongi, de a legelterjedtebbek és használtak az európai (tizedes) eSport szorzók. Az európai esport szorzók tizedes formátumban jelennek meg, és azt a számot jelentik, amelyet meg kell szorozni a tét összegével, hogy megkapja azt az összeget, amelyet a fogadóirodák nyeremény esetén fizetnek.
Évente több mint 500 millió nézővel az esport népszerűsége soha nem állt meg. Egyre több bukméker célozza meg a piacot, és kínál ügyfeleinek eSport fogadási lehetőségeket. Ebben az útmutatóban átfogó áttekintést adunk az eSport fogadásról, és mindent, amire szüksége van ahhoz, hogy az esport fogadással kezdjen keresni. Ha online fogadas keres oldalt, hasznot húzhat a 2024-ben rád váró Magyarország legjobb szolgáltatóinak értékeléseiből!
Ne felejtsük el, hogy valódi pénzes sportra való fogadáshoz valódi pénzt kell befizetned. Ezt a kérdéses bukméker által meghatározott módszerek bármelyikével megteheti. A leggyakrabban használtak: elektronikus pénztárcák (például PayPal és Skrill), betéti/hitelkártyák (például Visa és Mastercard) és banki átutalások. A választott módszer akkor lesz megbízható, ha a bukméker megbízható. A fogadási oldal helyes megválasztásával biztos lehet benne, hogy a befizetés és a kifizetés egyszerű és gyors lesz. Minden önmagát tisztelő bukméker azt akarja, hogy minden pontos legyen. Nincs miért aggódnod.
eSport: Mi az eSport?
Ez a játékosok sportja. Akik különféle számítógépes játékokon keresztül megrendezett versenyeket szerveznek.
Az avatatlanok számára az ilyen versenyek aligha tűnnek komolynak.
De az igazság az, hogy a kibereseményeket már több mint 400 millió ember figyeli és követi a világon. A szervezők bevételét pedig több mint 1 milliárd dollárra becsülik! Ennyire komolyak a dolgok.
Az elektronikus sportokhoz hasonlóan szövetségeik is szervezik a versenyeket. Akárcsak az ismerős sportági szakszervezeteink.
Hogyan működik az eSport fogadás
Az eSport fogadás a hagyományos sportfogadáshoz hasonlóan működik, de itt a kompetitív videojátékok eredményeit jósolod meg. A játékok sokfélék és változatosak, a legjobb fogadóirodák pedig a fogadási piacok széles választékát kínálják, beleértve az eSport élő fogadását is. A legnépszerűbb játékok, amelyekre fogadhatsz, a Dota 2, a LoL, a CS:GO, a StarCraft és a Valorant, és évente több tucat versenyt szerveznek számukra. Ennek az egyedülálló fogadási környezetnek az árnyalatainak megértése kritikus fontosságú, ha az eSport fogadásba szeretne belevágni.
Mik az eSport esélyei?
A szorzók a fogadás minőségének fő kritériumai, és az esports oddsok sem kivételek. Ezeket a bukméker határozza meg a piac nyitásakor, aszerint, hogy ő hogyan látja a mérkőzést, az esport oddsok nagysága pedig attól függ, hogy mekkora a potenciális nyereség.
Az eSport fogadási oldalakon különböző szorzóformátumok közül választhatunk, például amerikai, tört, hongkongi, de a legelterjedtebbek és használtak az európai (tizedes) eSport szorzók. Az európai esport szorzók tizedes formátumban jelennek meg, és azt a számot jelentik, amelyet meg kell szorozni a tét összegével, hogy megkapja azt az összeget, amelyet a fogadóirodák nyeremény esetén fizetnek.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 22, 2019
The story Relentless Optimism is about a minor league ballplayer named Bobby Kane. He is trying to make his way into the major leagues, but his mindset is holding him back from being the great player that he knows he is. When he gets sent down to Double-A, he meets his new manager named Wally who drastically helps him with his mindset and how he responds to bad performances. After a long time in Double-A and many promises made, Bobby is in the final stretch to being called up. He has been on a hot streak and just as expected, The Kansas City Royals call him up in efforts to make the playoffs. In his first game, he comes up in a pinch-hit situation and sends one over the wall for a home run, and in his second game, hits a walk-off 3-run home run for the cycle, and thinks about how much he is thankful for Wally, and that when you commit to positive thinking, things will go your way.
My favorite character has to be the main character, Bobby. What makes me like him so much is because he can be the most confident person ever when he is thinking well. I also like his journey and those hardships that he went through, especially when he had to fight off an enraged teammate that was talking bad about Wally. His teammate begins to “[launch] his half-full mug of beer at [Bobby’s] face” (Donnelly 135). I also like Bobby because he gives tips for the reader to become better optimists. One of those is when Bobby says that when “you aim high, stay positive, enjoy the moment, let go of results, and trust yourself; the outcome will end up better than you ever expected”(Donnelly 241). Overall, Bobby is just a great character that many people (including myself) can relate to. He is a great example of someone who knows their weaknesses and makes an effort to overcome them, which is the person that most people aspire to be. That is why I like Bobby’s personality and aspire to be someone who can do the same things that he is able to do.
Overall, I think that this is one of the greatest books that I have read, which also happens to give me ideas about how I can be a better person. I would absolutely recommend this book to others. I would show it to the people who have a hard time being optimistic and looking at things the good way. There are some very valuable things that they can take from this book. I would also recommend this to people who just want a good read. There are many other things than just optimism. There are things such as conflict and overcoming challenges. Overall, this is a great book and I would highly recommend it to someone who wants a good read with good lessons.
My favorite character has to be the main character, Bobby. What makes me like him so much is because he can be the most confident person ever when he is thinking well. I also like his journey and those hardships that he went through, especially when he had to fight off an enraged teammate that was talking bad about Wally. His teammate begins to “[launch] his half-full mug of beer at [Bobby’s] face” (Donnelly 135). I also like Bobby because he gives tips for the reader to become better optimists. One of those is when Bobby says that when “you aim high, stay positive, enjoy the moment, let go of results, and trust yourself; the outcome will end up better than you ever expected”(Donnelly 241). Overall, Bobby is just a great character that many people (including myself) can relate to. He is a great example of someone who knows their weaknesses and makes an effort to overcome them, which is the person that most people aspire to be. That is why I like Bobby’s personality and aspire to be someone who can do the same things that he is able to do.
Overall, I think that this is one of the greatest books that I have read, which also happens to give me ideas about how I can be a better person. I would absolutely recommend this book to others. I would show it to the people who have a hard time being optimistic and looking at things the good way. There are some very valuable things that they can take from this book. I would also recommend this to people who just want a good read. There are many other things than just optimism. There are things such as conflict and overcoming challenges. Overall, this is a great book and I would highly recommend it to someone who wants a good read with good lessons.
December 12, 2021
I read the book Relentless Optimism by Darrin Donnelly. I believe this is a solid 4.5 star book because it was recommended by a fellow student and I thought I could relate to the book on a much more personal level. Outside of school I do soccer at a very high level and I have been in the stage where you have to worry about your ability in order to prove yourself to coaches. Bobby Kane is a 31 year old minor league baseball player who was a very promising rookie in his prime. He is now questioning if he will ever make it to the big leagues because of past injuries and family problems and his unimpressive statistics. Bobby Kane says “How could I have believed in such an unrealistic dream? I've let so many people down, so many people were counting on me.” (Donnelly 24). It seems that Bobby thinks that it's his time to retire now that he has to move down to Double -A, but he decides to keep moving forward and see where it takes him.
My favorite quote in the book Relentless Optimism by Darrin Donnelly was when he asks himself “Am i letting my family down by chasing this dream?” (Donnelly 43). I found that this was not only a very intriguing question to ask yourself but also a very relatable question to ask yourself because I worry about this every time I do something, hoping for some sort of pat on the back or someone telling me good job for taking a chance. Although I've come to realize that in the real world you are not always going to get other people's approval, yet you are going to receive more and more challenges along the way.
I believe that the theme of the book Relentless Optimism by Darrin Donnelly is that mentality is the number one tool to greatness in not just sports but in life. Bobby Kane is being moved down to double- A and he is in a very emotional state questioning every single conflict he has been through in his career. Yet he meets his new manager named Wally who helps fix his mindset and the way he reacts to any tough situation he comes across, and eventually he turns his career around. Mentality can intervene with how you react to problems yet it can also help fix those problems as well.
My favorite quote in the book Relentless Optimism by Darrin Donnelly was when he asks himself “Am i letting my family down by chasing this dream?” (Donnelly 43). I found that this was not only a very intriguing question to ask yourself but also a very relatable question to ask yourself because I worry about this every time I do something, hoping for some sort of pat on the back or someone telling me good job for taking a chance. Although I've come to realize that in the real world you are not always going to get other people's approval, yet you are going to receive more and more challenges along the way.
I believe that the theme of the book Relentless Optimism by Darrin Donnelly is that mentality is the number one tool to greatness in not just sports but in life. Bobby Kane is being moved down to double- A and he is in a very emotional state questioning every single conflict he has been through in his career. Yet he meets his new manager named Wally who helps fix his mindset and the way he reacts to any tough situation he comes across, and eventually he turns his career around. Mentality can intervene with how you react to problems yet it can also help fix those problems as well.
December 20, 2019
My book was about a baseball player named Bobby Kane and his journey in the Major League Baseball. It was a really good book. If you like baseball you should definitely read this book. It teaches you a lot about baseball and how you can work through things if your in a slump. It teaches you so many other things. This book should be read by every baseball player other people should read it too, especially if they play sports. This book teaches you so many good things it doesn’t just teach you about how to get through things through baseball it also teaches you how you can get through things in life too. I followed the steps he talked about in the book and I did them if I was in a slump and I just followed the steps and I worked my way out of it. You can’t just get through things by yourself you should tell people things maybe, they have been through the same thing and can help you out and tell you how they got through the situation.
Bobby Kane was having a rough time but he had an amazing coach who helped him through it. He was also having a rough time with family him and his wife were arguing a lot but he was talking to his coach and his coach helped him through it and told Bobby Kane what to say to his wife and help him try and stop the arguing between the two. His coach helped him through a lot and helped him get back to what he used to be and what the scouts knew him as, as a high school kid. This was an amazing book I would definitely recommend it to someone. I never wanted to stop reading the book I just wanted to keep on going. I would stay up late reading this book. I normally don’t like reading books but I liked this book a lot.
Bobby Kane was having a rough time but he had an amazing coach who helped him through it. He was also having a rough time with family him and his wife were arguing a lot but he was talking to his coach and his coach helped him through it and told Bobby Kane what to say to his wife and help him try and stop the arguing between the two. His coach helped him through a lot and helped him get back to what he used to be and what the scouts knew him as, as a high school kid. This was an amazing book I would definitely recommend it to someone. I never wanted to stop reading the book I just wanted to keep on going. I would stay up late reading this book. I normally don’t like reading books but I liked this book a lot.
April 6, 2021
My daughter is into positive thinking and she gave me three or four books on the subject. "Relentless Optimism" by Darrin Donnelly was one of them. The book surprised me. It was so interesting that I couldn't put it down. It reads like a novel. There is a story that teaches how a commitment to changing your attitude can affect your life, everything in your life.
There are two major characters, Bobby Kane and Wally Hogan. Bobby is 31 and reduced to playing in the minor leagues. It looks like his career is over. Wally was a successful big leaguer turned minor league manager. Wally made his money and could afford to do what he loved. W ally was more than a baseball manager, he was a mental coach for positive thinking.
Step by step, Wally turns Bobby's life around. Not only is Bobby surprised, but so is the reader. I've lived a long life, so to speak. My philosophy has always been, "Always expect the worse. Most of the time it doesn't happen. So you're happy. But if the worse happens, you can deal with it better than anybody because you knew it would happen." This book changed my mind. My philosophy is no way to go through life. It is not something I want to hand down to my grandchildren. Wally's way gives you a happy life. My way was too cautious to allow me to enjoy the moment. I missed a lot of beauty and appreciation.
It's never too late. Bobby was 31 when he turned around. If I'm turning around then so can anyone.
There are two major characters, Bobby Kane and Wally Hogan. Bobby is 31 and reduced to playing in the minor leagues. It looks like his career is over. Wally was a successful big leaguer turned minor league manager. Wally made his money and could afford to do what he loved. W ally was more than a baseball manager, he was a mental coach for positive thinking.
Step by step, Wally turns Bobby's life around. Not only is Bobby surprised, but so is the reader. I've lived a long life, so to speak. My philosophy has always been, "Always expect the worse. Most of the time it doesn't happen. So you're happy. But if the worse happens, you can deal with it better than anybody because you knew it would happen." This book changed my mind. My philosophy is no way to go through life. It is not something I want to hand down to my grandchildren. Wally's way gives you a happy life. My way was too cautious to allow me to enjoy the moment. I missed a lot of beauty and appreciation.
It's never too late. Bobby was 31 when he turned around. If I'm turning around then so can anyone.
November 21, 2024
I love all of the books from this author that I’ve read so far… But this one might be one of my most favorites. It was a great reminder on staying positive, and not letting the people around you influence your mood and outlook… Which is very easy for extroverts. I have quoted this book to some of my more negative coworkers and they won absolutely nothing to do with it… Which is just another sign of how great this book is… I feel motivated every day to look at things with a positive outlook and to not let The fear or doubt or opinions of others affect how I am feeling. I just focus on my hair and now… It’s also a great reminder to live in the moment and feel the things around you without letting them change you… Great book for a professional development, great book for growth, just an overall great book… The audiobook version is amazing as well… I love the baseball intertwined in it. I love how all of his growth and development books relate to a sport. It makes them easier to digest and he tells a great story while giving amazing tips… Don’t let a LIE get in your way!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 30, 2018
This book is amazing. Another book I couldn’t put down. Darrin Donnelly is an exceptional writer. He definitely makes you feel everything and pulls you into the moments. I want to get this book for so many people. I think this book would be great for a lot of people who are hard headed about the law of attraction and optimistic thinking. The breakdown in this book uses real life emotions and questions and guides you step by step by telling you the story. And you’re sitting there like I can do this too. Also you’re cheering him on the whole way to get through his blocks. It’s a beautiful story. And I think anyone would love this book but it’s definitely aimed toward baseball lovers, or sports lovers in general. It might be too much for you if you absolutely hate sports. But the message is powerful in life in general.
March 8, 2018
In the book “Relentless Optimism” by Darrin Donnelley it explains the mind over matter aspect that your mind controls your every move and if you perform well in any possible situation. Because your mind is the stronger muscle in your body it can make you do great things.
I personally loved this book because it incorporates a very important life lesson with baseball and I read it because of the lessons the book contained like to be an optimist not a pessimist and one you make a mistake don’t make it permanent.
I think that the age range reading this book should be 13-adult because even if your an adult you can take something out of this book to change your lifestyle for the better.
I personally loved this book because it incorporates a very important life lesson with baseball and I read it because of the lessons the book contained like to be an optimist not a pessimist and one you make a mistake don’t make it permanent.
I think that the age range reading this book should be 13-adult because even if your an adult you can take something out of this book to change your lifestyle for the better.
May 30, 2020
Great message in this book! I want to spend some time with Wally!
Mr. Donnelly has written another great book here. The book is filled with great messages, and will cause you to think about the changes you need to make in order to live a more fulfilling life. With everything going on in this country right now, EVERYONE should read this book. When I read books like this, self-help, I want the meat only. This book delivers, and I hope many, many people read it. The book flows smoothly, is a quick read, but packs a big punch.
Mr. Donnelly has written another great book here. The book is filled with great messages, and will cause you to think about the changes you need to make in order to live a more fulfilling life. With everything going on in this country right now, EVERYONE should read this book. When I read books like this, self-help, I want the meat only. This book delivers, and I hope many, many people read it. The book flows smoothly, is a quick read, but packs a big punch.
August 23, 2020
Phenomenal
An outstanding book! This is my first by the author and was thoroughly impressed. Darrin Donnelly’s masterful understanding of story combined with his straightforward communication style and essential life principles woven throughout make me desire to have this book (and his others) to be required reading for athletes of all ages from Middle School to College. Gripping story, powerful principles, outstanding message. Highly recommended for anyone of any age, but especially anyone involved with sports at any level. An overall phenomenal read!
An outstanding book! This is my first by the author and was thoroughly impressed. Darrin Donnelly’s masterful understanding of story combined with his straightforward communication style and essential life principles woven throughout make me desire to have this book (and his others) to be required reading for athletes of all ages from Middle School to College. Gripping story, powerful principles, outstanding message. Highly recommended for anyone of any age, but especially anyone involved with sports at any level. An overall phenomenal read!
November 23, 2024
Following are the essential insights I gained from this incredible read:
'Consistently negative people are almost always unsuccessful, unhappy, unpleasant, uncaring, and underachieving people.'
'Once you identify the positive and negative influencers in your life, then you can limit your time with the negative people and spend more time with the positive people.'
'Consistently negative people are almost always unsuccessful, unhappy, unpleasant, uncaring, and underachieving people.'
'Once you identify the positive and negative influencers in your life, then you can limit your time with the negative people and spend more time with the positive people.'
September 21, 2021
Wisdom worth every penny!
This book imparts useful knowledge in a most entertaining way (especially if you have any interest in baseball at all). You learn from the author how the type of optimism you learn about in this book can improve your life. There are practical insights and techniques you learn that you can put to use right away. Best book I bought from Amazon in a very long time!
This book imparts useful knowledge in a most entertaining way (especially if you have any interest in baseball at all). You learn from the author how the type of optimism you learn about in this book can improve your life. There are practical insights and techniques you learn that you can put to use right away. Best book I bought from Amazon in a very long time!
October 5, 2021
I very much enjoyed reading this book. The concept of an older minor league player struggling with his career and relationships with his wife and kids is very intriguing. The struggle of the mental side of baseball is something not talked about enough. It is a cruel yet beautiful game where if you fail 7/10 times then you are considered one of the best. This is a great book for any athlete to read as it teaches lessons that can be beneficial in sports and in life.
May 24, 2023
Optimism opened a entirely new path for me
As I read this book I was reminded how often I personally believed that my thoughts were positive, my joy after a success was genuine, and my general attitude was upbeat; was I ever wrong!!! Darrin’s unique ability to break down human behavior within a sports metaphor is something special. He offers great insight as to why we need to be optimistic, real, and living for what we have right now.
Keep an open mind and enjoy.
As I read this book I was reminded how often I personally believed that my thoughts were positive, my joy after a success was genuine, and my general attitude was upbeat; was I ever wrong!!! Darrin’s unique ability to break down human behavior within a sports metaphor is something special. He offers great insight as to why we need to be optimistic, real, and living for what we have right now.
Keep an open mind and enjoy.
Read
November 7, 2023I really enjoyed this audiobook. It takes Bobby through a journey and demonstrates how his manager's coaching techniques worked on him. It starts at a really rough, cynical part of his life and walks you through the improvements and setbacks he faces as he tries to take on a more positive outlook. The narrative is structured so that you can guess what the coach's advice is going to be before he gives it, making it a pretty good learning tool.
January 7, 2018
Enjoyed the message of the power of positive thinking in our lives.
I found this book as I was looking for ways to help my son overcome his self doubt. He's a talented ball player who sometimes allows his mind to prevent him from doing his best. This book was an easy read that said just what I needed.
I found this book as I was looking for ways to help my son overcome his self doubt. He's a talented ball player who sometimes allows his mind to prevent him from doing his best. This book was an easy read that said just what I needed.
February 6, 2018
Keeps getting better
I’m a baseball guy so maybe that is why, but I’ve read the first three in less than a month. He’s very much like Jon Gordon, in a good way, but specific to athletics. Not that Gordon is not, but both of their storytelling ability is superb. I really liked it, and recommend it to anyone.
I’m a baseball guy so maybe that is why, but I’ve read the first three in less than a month. He’s very much like Jon Gordon, in a good way, but specific to athletics. Not that Gordon is not, but both of their storytelling ability is superb. I really liked it, and recommend it to anyone.
April 5, 2018
Amazing book
If you enjoy a story of ups and downs and sound advice in minimizing the downs and maximizing the ups, then you will enjoy this book. But underneath the story is the truth of the story. As someone who’s been through many ups and many more downs, I know that handling it the way the story points is the only way to go.
If you enjoy a story of ups and downs and sound advice in minimizing the downs and maximizing the ups, then you will enjoy this book. But underneath the story is the truth of the story. As someone who’s been through many ups and many more downs, I know that handling it the way the story points is the only way to go.
June 28, 2018
Amazing Story
This book is an amazing story that combines a fictional tale, with a message that really gets you thinking! I am an inspiring baseball coach, and every page seemed to contain something that I could see myself using in my career. If you’re wondering whether or not you should read this book, do yourself a favor and read it!
This book is an amazing story that combines a fictional tale, with a message that really gets you thinking! I am an inspiring baseball coach, and every page seemed to contain something that I could see myself using in my career. If you’re wondering whether or not you should read this book, do yourself a favor and read it!
May 27, 2019
A fun, quick read that extols the benefits of positive thinking, told through the story of a want-to-be Major League Baseball player. Good lessons for sport and life. Second of Donnelly’s books that I’ve read (free on Amazon Prime Kindle) and I plan to read the rest. Aim high. Stay positive. Enjoy the moment. Let go of results. Trust yourself. Nice complement to the Inner Game of Tennis.
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