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Taming Your Gremlin: A Surprisingly Simple Method for Getting Out of Your Own Way
A completely updated edition of this classic, explaining the author's laid-back but stunningly powerful methods for taming self-defeating behaviours.
Your gremlin interprets your every experience. He has nothing good to say about you or anything you do, not to mention your dreams and aspirations. Just when you feel you've out-argued or overcome him, he changes his disguise and his strategy. Grapple with him and you become more enmeshed. What he hates is simply being noticed. That's the first step to his taming. This and many other straightforward and powerful techniques await you in Taming Your Gremlin: A Guide to Enjoying Yourself.
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First published January 1, 1983
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 189 reviews
December 25, 2015
This book has been sitting on my to-read shelf for about 20 years. I just pulled it out and read it, and was blown away by how it is able to communicate so much psychoeducation in such a user-friendly, understandable format. As a therapist, I've ordered copies for most of my clients, as the book covers so much of what we work on and discuss regularly. Personally, I found wisdom in it that I can integrate into my life. I also really appreciated the Zen philosophy underlying it all. I am wondering about the general approach of thinking that the gremlin's motivatbefell to keep us from feeling enjoyment. Often, I think, gremlins have a more benevolent motivation (to protect us) but their strategy keeps us from feeling enjoyment. I've ordered the follow-on book to see if this is addressed. However, that is minor, and possibly the product of my gremlin's strategy of "being right". This book is a jewel and I recommend it to anyone with gremlins that could use a little taming.
December 14, 2022
Taming Your Gremlin is another one of the books saying the same thing in its own way. Rick Carson fully embraced the idea of Gremlins to the point there is hideous Gremlin artwork throughout the book.
The concepts aren't bad, but I have definitely heard them explained better. The below quote however was my highlight of the book.
The concepts aren't bad, but I have definitely heard them explained better. The below quote however was my highlight of the book.
"As long as you operate out of habit, you will limit your ability to fully experience, appreciate, and enjoy your gift of life.
By acting out of habit, you will replay the same life dramas over and over again. The characters and settings may vary, but the outcomes generally will be the same.
Life may be one damn thing after another, but it does not have to be the same damn thing over and over again.
... Experiment with change once in a while if you want, but more importantly, simply notice your habitual behavior patterns for responding to your emotions, people, and circumstances."
April 13, 2020
****5.0****
You likely already have some sense of your gremlin, which has influenced you since your birth.
Did I? Well, I do know that I never looked it in that perspective. Everybody has a inner voice that stops you from doing things or encourages you to try some stuff or just normally continously ramble in your head. But to tame it and to think that that ramblings in not you is a not you is a bit difficult.
It has a gentle and guided approach to tackle energy draining thoughts / issues in one's life. There are a list of daily routines and practices which would serve towards your goal.
But definitely it is an eye opener and helps you towards the betterment of the self.
Happy Reading!!
You likely already have some sense of your gremlin, which has influenced you since your birth.
Did I? Well, I do know that I never looked it in that perspective. Everybody has a inner voice that stops you from doing things or encourages you to try some stuff or just normally continously ramble in your head. But to tame it and to think that that ramblings in not you is a not you is a bit difficult.
It has a gentle and guided approach to tackle energy draining thoughts / issues in one's life. There are a list of daily routines and practices which would serve towards your goal.
But definitely it is an eye opener and helps you towards the betterment of the self.
Happy Reading!!
June 8, 2019
A great book about an ego mind which the author calls the Gremlin that lives inside of us.
What I liked the most are the approaches that Rick presents as coping mechanisms to our Gremlins' behaviors. Mindfulness is encouraged and simply noticing is said to be the first step of taming the Voice. And, if you ask me, one of the most important takeaways from this book is that if we even begin to argue with our Gremlin, he has already won.
The non-judgemental and mindful approach is necessary to break the illusion of imagination being a reality.
“I free myself not by trying to be free, but by simply noticing how I am imprisoning myself in the very moment I am imprisoning myself”
The author also reminded me of the things I can do after simply noticing my Gremlin. Centering oneself is necessary to create a space from which to observe the toxic (or non-toxic, but nonetheless illusory) dialogue of one's ego-mind. As well as deep-breathing and simply appreciating the reality around.
I can connect the dots and see how most of the stuff that Rick talks about must be true and it is true in fact. If you really want to live a good life, you have to "tame your Gremlin", in other words, you have to realize on a day-to-day basis that your ego-mind plays numerous tricks on you and is limiting your potential second-by-second by installing habits and behavioral patterns that suits its survival strategies the most.
The work described within this book is one of the most difficult ones to undertake but is the only one that leads to a life of real fulfillment.
Living with an untamed Gremlin is living in Hell. Taming your Gremlin is a doorway to Heaven.
So, in short, this book helps you to navigate yourself towards the doorway to Heaven, where the real work of improving oneself begins.
What I liked the most are the approaches that Rick presents as coping mechanisms to our Gremlins' behaviors. Mindfulness is encouraged and simply noticing is said to be the first step of taming the Voice. And, if you ask me, one of the most important takeaways from this book is that if we even begin to argue with our Gremlin, he has already won.
The non-judgemental and mindful approach is necessary to break the illusion of imagination being a reality.
“I free myself not by trying to be free, but by simply noticing how I am imprisoning myself in the very moment I am imprisoning myself”
The author also reminded me of the things I can do after simply noticing my Gremlin. Centering oneself is necessary to create a space from which to observe the toxic (or non-toxic, but nonetheless illusory) dialogue of one's ego-mind. As well as deep-breathing and simply appreciating the reality around.
I can connect the dots and see how most of the stuff that Rick talks about must be true and it is true in fact. If you really want to live a good life, you have to "tame your Gremlin", in other words, you have to realize on a day-to-day basis that your ego-mind plays numerous tricks on you and is limiting your potential second-by-second by installing habits and behavioral patterns that suits its survival strategies the most.
The work described within this book is one of the most difficult ones to undertake but is the only one that leads to a life of real fulfillment.
Living with an untamed Gremlin is living in Hell. Taming your Gremlin is a doorway to Heaven.
So, in short, this book helps you to navigate yourself towards the doorway to Heaven, where the real work of improving oneself begins.
July 3, 2012
I only finished 70% of this book. I just didn't like it. He has some good points, but his language and writing is offensive at times. I did like the idea of our trying to live up to our own self-concept (not a good thing) and acknowledging that we all have acts that we perform in front of different audiences (not so bad as long as you realize you are doing it). His whole idea of a gremlin is really just our sinful nature, although since this book has no theological background whatsoever, he doesn't recognize it as such. The author also falls for the theory that nothing is inherently wrong or evil (relativism at its finest). You shouldn't change your behavior because it is wrong, but only if it makes you unhappy or keeps you from getting what you want. I don't recommend this book.
February 27, 2023
This is a highly underrated book. I've read it years ago, and have read it a few times since. And I realize today that I have not written a review before.
After reading first this, I realized that I could tame my unruly thoughts, my self doubts, and constant ruminations by just imagining a gremlin hiding in the dark and constantly blabbering at me. And that if I just become aware of its presence, the pure light of my awareness will simply cause it to become very self-conscious and just keep quiet. Because it has been discovered. And it will shut up, and the constant rumination will just fade away.
But the gremlin will not go away permanently. Because it is always there. Given an opportunity when we are on the way, it will start its nonsense again. But the good thing is, we are now aware of its presence. And we have a tool to deal with it-shining the light of our awareness on it.
Contrary to some reviewers' perception that the gremlin nature is like a "sin" nature, this book is actually very scientific and Buddhist science (a science because it is empirical through direct personal experience) in its fundamental assumption. The Buddhist science of the mind as taught by Buddha teaches us that our pure, passive awareness is our greatest inherent gift. That just being aware of the present moment of our external and internal worlds, without judgment, without all the layers of culture, convention, values and notions of "self" - we will be able to truly experience things as they are. And that is to see and realise that all phenomenon, both internal and external, go through rise and fall and that they are all impermanent.
We often notice the rise, example of anger, but we do not notice that there is a fall. That the anger does subside eventually. It is only our memory of an incident that causes us to become angry again. And since we often only notice the rise, we imagine that we are constantly angry or hurt or depressed. By realizing that thoughts and feelings subside too, we can take advantage of this awareness and return our minds to a state of neutrality and equilibrium - to come, peace, and happiness.
I really don't see the gremlin as a personification or metaphor of sin, as some people think! I have never seen it that way until I just read some of the reviews today. So this view was quite interesting to me, even though I come from both Christian and Buddhist cultures. I see the author using the gremlin just as an illustration to give a more tangible form to a fundamental aspect of our mind which is rather intangible and hard for most people to grasp. It is very difficult for our own minds to grasp our own thoughts, because we are so used to it, so used to it being part of its existence, that we hardly notice our thoughts and perceptions anymore. We just assumed that they are part of our minds and inherent in our personalities. Because we are so absorbed by our sense of self and self-identity that we refuse to give up these thoughts and perceptions! Because we are so fearful of losing our sense of self. And this sense of self is precisely what Buddhist teaching is trying to help us let go. That is why Buddha's teachings are so profound and sublime - that not many people can really grasp it, and Buddha himself said that too.
Our minds are capable of positive and negative thoughts, and rumination. But I realize now that some people see constant ruminations as the act of the devil haha. I don't see it that way. And I was quite surprised to read some of the reviews we saw the drawings of the Gremlins as hideous! I thought that was quite funny because I find the illustrations pretty interesting, adorable and very useful for my own mental training. (I wonder if these same reviewers feel just as abhorrent towards the orcs and goblins in cartoons and films, or just treat them as an illustration?)
So reading the reviews also help me to see that we can all read the same thing and perceive it differently haha! How our minds are truly, truly colored by the lens of our perceptions, culture, ideas, and conventions that we bring to it! And how we can use whatever perspective to help us train our minds to be healthier minds!
If I can give this book 10 stars, I would. Because it brings a very profound concept into a very tangible and relatable form to ordinary folks and especially children - in the form of a gremlin. And he gives practical skill, a very sublime skill in all the contemplative traditions especially in Buddhism, to help us deal with negative thoughts and useless ruminations.
Bravo to the author.
*In the words of Matthieu Ricard (Tibetan monk and scientist): "Rumination is letting your inner chatter go on and on, letting thoughts about the past invade your mind, becoming upset again about past events, endlessly guessing the future, feel willing hope and fears, and being constantly distracted in the present. By doing so, you become increasingly disturbed, self-centered, busy, and preoccupied with your mental fabrications and eventually depressed. You are not truly paying attention to the present moment and are simply and engrossed in your own thoughts, going on and on in a vicious cycle, feeding your ego and self-centeredness. You are completely lost in inner distraction, in the same way that you can be constantly distracted by ever-changing outer events. This is the opposite of bare attention. Turning your attention inward means to look at pure awareness and dwell without distraction, yet effortlessly, in the freshness of the present moment, without entertaining mental fabrications."
After reading first this, I realized that I could tame my unruly thoughts, my self doubts, and constant ruminations by just imagining a gremlin hiding in the dark and constantly blabbering at me. And that if I just become aware of its presence, the pure light of my awareness will simply cause it to become very self-conscious and just keep quiet. Because it has been discovered. And it will shut up, and the constant rumination will just fade away.
But the gremlin will not go away permanently. Because it is always there. Given an opportunity when we are on the way, it will start its nonsense again. But the good thing is, we are now aware of its presence. And we have a tool to deal with it-shining the light of our awareness on it.
Contrary to some reviewers' perception that the gremlin nature is like a "sin" nature, this book is actually very scientific and Buddhist science (a science because it is empirical through direct personal experience) in its fundamental assumption. The Buddhist science of the mind as taught by Buddha teaches us that our pure, passive awareness is our greatest inherent gift. That just being aware of the present moment of our external and internal worlds, without judgment, without all the layers of culture, convention, values and notions of "self" - we will be able to truly experience things as they are. And that is to see and realise that all phenomenon, both internal and external, go through rise and fall and that they are all impermanent.
We often notice the rise, example of anger, but we do not notice that there is a fall. That the anger does subside eventually. It is only our memory of an incident that causes us to become angry again. And since we often only notice the rise, we imagine that we are constantly angry or hurt or depressed. By realizing that thoughts and feelings subside too, we can take advantage of this awareness and return our minds to a state of neutrality and equilibrium - to come, peace, and happiness.
I really don't see the gremlin as a personification or metaphor of sin, as some people think! I have never seen it that way until I just read some of the reviews today. So this view was quite interesting to me, even though I come from both Christian and Buddhist cultures. I see the author using the gremlin just as an illustration to give a more tangible form to a fundamental aspect of our mind which is rather intangible and hard for most people to grasp. It is very difficult for our own minds to grasp our own thoughts, because we are so used to it, so used to it being part of its existence, that we hardly notice our thoughts and perceptions anymore. We just assumed that they are part of our minds and inherent in our personalities. Because we are so absorbed by our sense of self and self-identity that we refuse to give up these thoughts and perceptions! Because we are so fearful of losing our sense of self. And this sense of self is precisely what Buddhist teaching is trying to help us let go. That is why Buddha's teachings are so profound and sublime - that not many people can really grasp it, and Buddha himself said that too.
Our minds are capable of positive and negative thoughts, and rumination. But I realize now that some people see constant ruminations as the act of the devil haha. I don't see it that way. And I was quite surprised to read some of the reviews we saw the drawings of the Gremlins as hideous! I thought that was quite funny because I find the illustrations pretty interesting, adorable and very useful for my own mental training. (I wonder if these same reviewers feel just as abhorrent towards the orcs and goblins in cartoons and films, or just treat them as an illustration?)
So reading the reviews also help me to see that we can all read the same thing and perceive it differently haha! How our minds are truly, truly colored by the lens of our perceptions, culture, ideas, and conventions that we bring to it! And how we can use whatever perspective to help us train our minds to be healthier minds!
If I can give this book 10 stars, I would. Because it brings a very profound concept into a very tangible and relatable form to ordinary folks and especially children - in the form of a gremlin. And he gives practical skill, a very sublime skill in all the contemplative traditions especially in Buddhism, to help us deal with negative thoughts and useless ruminations.
Bravo to the author.
*In the words of Matthieu Ricard (Tibetan monk and scientist): "Rumination is letting your inner chatter go on and on, letting thoughts about the past invade your mind, becoming upset again about past events, endlessly guessing the future, feel willing hope and fears, and being constantly distracted in the present. By doing so, you become increasingly disturbed, self-centered, busy, and preoccupied with your mental fabrications and eventually depressed. You are not truly paying attention to the present moment and are simply and engrossed in your own thoughts, going on and on in a vicious cycle, feeding your ego and self-centeredness. You are completely lost in inner distraction, in the same way that you can be constantly distracted by ever-changing outer events. This is the opposite of bare attention. Turning your attention inward means to look at pure awareness and dwell without distraction, yet effortlessly, in the freshness of the present moment, without entertaining mental fabrications."
January 11, 2018
Just so-so. Expected much more.
December 23, 2014
The book is about "personalizing" your negative inner critic. By giving those nebulous, shadowy impulses and thoughts that exist in your mind the solidness of a real entity (a gremlin in this case), it allows you to externalize those impulses. And by externalizing them one is better able to observe them dispassionately and logically. Conceptualizing negative thoughts creates space. Imagine the emotional difference between being yelled at in person by a 300 pound Hell's Angel who is threatening to beat you up...and receiving those exact same threats via a text message from someone living on a different continent. The message you receive is the same, but you feel significantly less stressed reading the text message. In fact, you might even feel free to ignore the text completely. The techniques outlined in this book are designed to create emotional distance between your neurotic, hysterical, nihilistic, overreacting Caveman brain and the part of your brain that makes the conscious decision to react. It's a lot of Zen philosophy, but why fix what isn't broken? If it's worked for them for 2,000...
March 2, 2016
I found this book very helpful. I have a loud inner critic and this book has helped me to see that voice as something separate from myself. I can choose to get involved in the noise & drama and ultimately become unhappy or I can choose to see it as noise that doesn't always want the best for me and my well being.
It was also comforting to know that I'm not the only one that struggles with a gremlin or two. I've managed to name the various ones I encounter throughout the day and night and it helps me to realize that whatever the gremlin is saying is really just nonsense.
If you find that your inner critic/voice is taking things too far and eating away at bits of your happiness and calm on a daily basis, this is a great book to check out.
It was also comforting to know that I'm not the only one that struggles with a gremlin or two. I've managed to name the various ones I encounter throughout the day and night and it helps me to realize that whatever the gremlin is saying is really just nonsense.
If you find that your inner critic/voice is taking things too far and eating away at bits of your happiness and calm on a daily basis, this is a great book to check out.
September 30, 2009
If I could give this book sixteen stars, I totally would. It is one of the most useful books I've ever read. It offers simple, tangible advice for how to deal with the voices in your head that say mean and ugly things.
It's a short read, totally worth the investment of time, and I've read it three or four times now already. If you're unhappy and can't figure out why, this book will not only highlight some of the contributing factors, but will give you methods for handling them.
READ THIS BOOK!
(that's all.)
It's a short read, totally worth the investment of time, and I've read it three or four times now already. If you're unhappy and can't figure out why, this book will not only highlight some of the contributing factors, but will give you methods for handling them.
READ THIS BOOK!
(that's all.)
December 7, 2021
my therapist recommended this one to me lol.
a texan man with a long drawl tells you in a compassionate and goofy way how to « tame your gremlin » meaning, how to tame/handle the intrusive negative thoughts you may be experiencing. so of course I loved it!! sometimes it got a bit repetitive, and sometimes I didn’t fully understand what the author meant, but all in all it was a great therapeutic experience that I’ll be drawing from in the future I’m sure. If you struggle with intrusive thoughts, low self esteem, and/or lots of internal strife, check this one out!
a texan man with a long drawl tells you in a compassionate and goofy way how to « tame your gremlin » meaning, how to tame/handle the intrusive negative thoughts you may be experiencing. so of course I loved it!! sometimes it got a bit repetitive, and sometimes I didn’t fully understand what the author meant, but all in all it was a great therapeutic experience that I’ll be drawing from in the future I’m sure. If you struggle with intrusive thoughts, low self esteem, and/or lots of internal strife, check this one out!
December 21, 2021
Another one of the business-y/self help books recommended to me over the years and finally getting to this.
This one I found super useful - it's very easy to read, the exercises are handy, and there were illustrations (at least in the version I read) that made it fun. There were a couple exercises that really got me and helped me think more deeply about myself.
Overall, I'll keep this book and refer to it when wanting to do more self-work.
This one I found super useful - it's very easy to read, the exercises are handy, and there were illustrations (at least in the version I read) that made it fun. There were a couple exercises that really got me and helped me think more deeply about myself.
Overall, I'll keep this book and refer to it when wanting to do more self-work.
June 12, 2023
Pretty good book to remind ourselves that reality is not always as dark as our minds make it out to be - that was the most useful aspect to me. I also appreciated some of the more practical exercises and meditations, but I have to say I did not find them as intuitive as some of the ideas presented in the text. Overall an enjoyable and fun read that can have real positive impacts on anxiety and stress.
February 6, 2023
"Anger is not inherently evil, sadness does not automatically lead to depression, sexual feelings don't engender promiscuity, joy is not the same as irresponsible silliness, and fear does not connote cowardice. The only time that feelings become dangerous is when we bottle them up or discharge them impulsively without respect for other living things."
March 4, 2023
I read this bc I wanted a goofy book about stress in anticipation of several exams within the next week. This is goofy to the extent where it is no longer goofy and where I was bored as all heck.
There are far too many words for such a small and cliché message. This is for a small and specific demographic: not self-aware/in denial about their mental state, oblivious, and plagued by extremely low self-esteem. I basically just skimmed the whole thing bc it wasn't relatable to me nor did it provide any legitimate insight imo.
There are far too many words for such a small and cliché message. This is for a small and specific demographic: not self-aware/in denial about their mental state, oblivious, and plagued by extremely low self-esteem. I basically just skimmed the whole thing bc it wasn't relatable to me nor did it provide any legitimate insight imo.
October 27, 2021
What is holding you back? The honest answer always includes you, and Taming Your Gremlin explores that by personifying and othering the self-doubt and self-defeating habits that separate us from authentic presence, striving for what we really want, and joy. It’s unabashedly a self-help book, repetitive and gimmicky, and yet it fills its niche appropriately. Reading it gave me food for thought and I suspect it would for you, too.
July 30, 2022
Very cheesy at times, with some Phantom Tollbooth-esque illustrations and some dated examples… but still managed to be the most approachable and optimistic introduction to mindfulness concepts I’ve encountered thus far.
Even setting aside the “Gremlin” branding, Carson does a fantastic job at redefining the bar for success, which removed a lot of the frustration I’ve felt at other approaches in the past.
Even setting aside the “Gremlin” branding, Carson does a fantastic job at redefining the bar for success, which removed a lot of the frustration I’ve felt at other approaches in the past.
January 14, 2024
Similar concepts to "The Power of Now", "Learned Optimism" and "Meditations" but written in a simpler and more accessible (and more visual) manner than those. I think there's a lot of good practical stuff in here but wish Carson hadn't introduced it all with the dubious concept of a "soul". It's something just commonly accepted that we have a soul, but really, that's not necessarily the case. A mind, a personality, yes, but a "soul" is open to debate (and probably always will be, to be fair, just like "is there a God?") The book is also maybe a little too exercise heavy and these exercises don't work particularly well in eBook format. Can't really write on an eBook page.
Nevertheless, I think the core principles can be useful and I will try to remember them:
1) simply notice (the issues/negative thinking)
2) choose and play with options; i.e., respond differently from time to time, see what happens
3) being in process and accepting that this will have to be continually worked on
Remembering the "I'm taming my gremlin" mantra in the right moments, along with having your own visual memory of a gremlin, should be helpful.
Nevertheless, I think the core principles can be useful and I will try to remember them:
1) simply notice (the issues/negative thinking)
2) choose and play with options; i.e., respond differently from time to time, see what happens
3) being in process and accepting that this will have to be continually worked on
Remembering the "I'm taming my gremlin" mantra in the right moments, along with having your own visual memory of a gremlin, should be helpful.
June 28, 2017
This book is great for those of us who live with anxiety... depression... or have gremlins that hold us back from being the best version of ourselves. Going to be keeping this book close at hand... especially when that evil gremlin pops its head up.
October 14, 2025
Thanks mumsie for the literary therapy
October 9, 2023
Rating 3 stars.
Narrative plus exercises for self development to aid in eliminating self limiting beliefs. I found this interesting and had several takeaways. Definitely more effective when I participated in the exercises.
Narrative plus exercises for self development to aid in eliminating self limiting beliefs. I found this interesting and had several takeaways. Definitely more effective when I participated in the exercises.
November 8, 2015
A fast and easy read with moderate value. This short self-help has an ambiguous title, but is in essence a beginner's guide to mindfulness. The Gremlin described is the "inner-critic"; the narrative that we grapple with internally which is far more often than not unhelpful and unhealthy. The book is (intentionally) silly, with strange, abstract cartoons filling the pages, while making quite apparent the presence of the author's voice, sarcasm, and occasional non-supported personal beliefs. (Quote: "Many people grow up believing that their awareness extends only to those boundaries defined by the limits of their sensory receptors. Other people have expanded their awareness beyond their physical senses. Some people have, for example, developed clairvoyant abilities.")
The primary tools outlined within the text are:
Simply Noticing (Awareness of the Gremlin)
Being at Choice (Choosing your response rather than reacting impulsively)
Playing with Options (Realizing that you always have multiple options when responding)
Being in Process (Realizing that Happiness is not a static state that once achieved is permanent; rather a process which will always be present and available to you)
Here are the two nuggets that I enjoyed enough to write down:
I change not by trying to be something other than I am. I change by being fully aware of how I am.
It is more important that you be able to regulate enjoyment within yourself regardless of circumstances, than it is for you to be able to modify circumstances; it simply comes in handy more often.
The primary tools outlined within the text are:
Simply Noticing (Awareness of the Gremlin)
Being at Choice (Choosing your response rather than reacting impulsively)
Playing with Options (Realizing that you always have multiple options when responding)
Being in Process (Realizing that Happiness is not a static state that once achieved is permanent; rather a process which will always be present and available to you)
Here are the two nuggets that I enjoyed enough to write down:
I change not by trying to be something other than I am. I change by being fully aware of how I am.
It is more important that you be able to regulate enjoyment within yourself regardless of circumstances, than it is for you to be able to modify circumstances; it simply comes in handy more often.
May 30, 2011
This little book is packing with perpetual learning. That is, taming your gremlin will be a life-long task but not necessarily an unpleasant one.
Here's what I think: If you read this thin book quickly without absorbing it fully, you may not get much out of it, or you'll forget what you learned. I read it slowly because I grasped from the outset that I'd miss something if I didn't. I soaked up the theories and ideas, suggestions and information and pondered it. More than that, I will read it again and again, slowly, with more understanding and insights than the first time. It takes a little practice to "just notice". I find it calming and interesting.
This book could change your life for the better. It could if you allow it, understand it, and practice the concepts. Those concepts don't primarily involve other people, although your interactions with others may change due to your own small changes and your happier self. This book is for the essential you. It's a nebulous and fluid blueprint for making choices and living.
I suggest if you acquire this book you keep it and read bits of it often.
Here's what I think: If you read this thin book quickly without absorbing it fully, you may not get much out of it, or you'll forget what you learned. I read it slowly because I grasped from the outset that I'd miss something if I didn't. I soaked up the theories and ideas, suggestions and information and pondered it. More than that, I will read it again and again, slowly, with more understanding and insights than the first time. It takes a little practice to "just notice". I find it calming and interesting.
This book could change your life for the better. It could if you allow it, understand it, and practice the concepts. Those concepts don't primarily involve other people, although your interactions with others may change due to your own small changes and your happier self. This book is for the essential you. It's a nebulous and fluid blueprint for making choices and living.
I suggest if you acquire this book you keep it and read bits of it often.
July 30, 2012
The ideas in this book are good although the illustrations and the constant references to Taming Your Gremlin® didn't do much for me. I don't have a problem imagining my inner critic or my ego or whatever other name you want to call it, but somehow they don't look anything like the drawings in this book which I found a bit jarring. If you are new to the idea of getting out of your own way, this book might provide some useful information, but if you're looking for something deep and comprehensive, then I think you'd be better off looking elsewhere.
February 25, 2022
Book does what you would expect with a title that promises to tame little but destructive gremlins aka your inner self-critic. The fact that the audiobook with the author reading sounds like Ted Lasso is a bonus. I started to consider the possibility the actor playing Ted copied the author’s voice.
Lots of good suggestions in this book but only time will tell whether I can keep it up. Bad gremlin, of course I can.
3.5 ⭐️s.
Lots of good suggestions in this book but only time will tell whether I can keep it up. Bad gremlin, of course I can.
3.5 ⭐️s.
July 2, 2015
The ideas in this book are good, but wading through all the goofy analogies and stories just made this book trite. I can't believe this was written for a thinking adult. I had a discussion leader boil down the concepts in this book in about 1 page, and that was plenty. I think the author just drug out the ideas to a point that the concepts lost their impact.
July 5, 2023
El libro fue de lo más tedioso, aburrido y sin duda cansado de este mundo y el que sigue. Me parece que Rick no no está proponiendo nada nuevo, solo nos habla del mismo gremlin una y otra vez recalcando que lo primero es solo notarlo. Sin duda si no es obligatorio que lo lean, no lo hagan no es necesario leer este libro en particular.
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January 30, 2008On Brooke's website "warnercoaching.com" in her blog section, she wrote about getting past your personal "saboteurs" in your head and mentioned this book. I thought I should read because I tend to have quite a critic in my head!
July 9, 2017
This book helps us easily make contact with some of the parts of ourselves and have fun doing it. No shoulds. No guilt. No holier than thou. We get to learn how to tame our gremlins effectively. It is a great gateway read to diving deeper into psychological/spiritual work. Highly recommended.
October 29, 2021
I picked up this book based on a review from my friend Erin. It's an interesting perspective. The suggestions are simple - but not easy - and overall I believe they are helpful. As self help books go, it's an engaging, short, and enjoyable read.
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