Books, Web Sites, etc. to Avoid
Time is short - there's so much to do! Why waste it on things that are just plain nonsense? Here are some of the most egregious examples.
Ignore these Books! | Avoid These Sites!
Ignore These Books!
Helpful Hint: You can save a lot of time by staying far away from the Spirituality and Self-Help sections in the bookstores and libraries, although there can be equally ridiculous texts in Business, Biography, Politics, Science, Science Fiction - you get the idea. Really, it's better just not to read. Except us. We’ll always tell you God’s honest truth. |
The Four Agreements: A Toltec Wisdom Book. Don Miguel Ruiz
Just consider these four absurd "agreements" that this book suggests you make with yourself:
- be impeccable with your word
- don't take anything personally
- don't make assumptions
- always do your best
Ridiculous! Be impeccable with your word? What's the point of doing that when people are lying to you right and left? Why should you bother to be impeccable when no one else is? What a big, self-imposed disadvantage!
Don't take anything personally? That's just silly. What about when someone calls you a fag, uses a racial or sexual slur, or tells you you're fat or ugly, or stupid? Well, they're talking to you, aren't they? What part of that is not personal? The argument that what they say reveals more about them than about you - well, you decide how much validity that has.
Don't make assumptions. Hm. When you just know what's behind someone's comment or action, why shouldn't you rely on that? Again, silly.
And finally, always do your best. When everyone around you is slacking off, not doing their part, why should you? Why take on that extra burden? Why?
In summary, why burden yourself with all this impeccability and clarity and effort when no one else is? What's the point? Who benefits? You? We don't think so.
Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap…And Others Don't. Jim Collins.
At first we were encouraged by this title and thought it might be helpful to you. Of course you want to know how to succeed, and one of the best ways is to thoroughly examine the ways you are failing at that goal. But on further examination, we don't recommend this book at all.
Collins and his team define "great" as success that is 2-3 times as good as the competition and that is sustained over many, many years. (No wonder they only found 11 "great" companies!) While we believe in the power of unrealistic goals to motivate you, this is clearly a problematic way to think - way over the top. Aren't you tired of cheerleaders that don't appreciate how hard you are already working - and just how hard it is to get ahead?
Never fear, though - this book reveals its shoddy foundation in many ways. For example, they claim it doesn't take a great leader to create a great company. We know better, don't we. Either you are that kind of person yourself (some people are just born to be the boss) - and, make no mistake, most of you aren't - or you honestly couldn't really function without that person in your life, right? So, what's all this nonsense about leaders not being the make or break secret to success?
This is one of those books that will get your expectations too high and have you focusing on all the wrong things. It even suggests you fire people who are not doing their job - who needs that aggravation?
the amazing adventures of dietgirl:
the hilarious and heartwarming tale of a real-life superhero who got happy from the outside in. Shauna Reid.
"Heartwarming"? Ha! Shauna Reid tells a story that makes our blood run cold - the story of cutting herself adrift from the tender care and attention that we have to offer and that is so necessary in any human's life. Like a wayward teenager, she sets out to prove us wrong, opening herself and her loved ones to countless humiliations - even to the extent of exposing herself and her long-suffering husband on the pages of a tabloid newspaper. In a misguided bid for happiness, she rejects the time-honored strategies that you, dear reader, know are necessary for your
safety. Protect yourself - stay away from this book!
Avoid These Sites!
In our ongoing quest to protect you from confusing influences from the outside, and from things that just can't be true, no matter how nice they sound, we have compiled this list of sites and online articles to avoid.
Helpful Hint: If you have some kind of filter for your children's internet access, you may be able to add filtering criteria for yourself, too. Common key words and phrases to avoid include:
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Raging Magma Life
At least these people make it obvious right up front: they are out to disrupt your life! Just look at their name! A bit of rage is understandable in this unfair world, but we don't think that's what they're talking about. And magma? Just think about the destruction a volcano causes! Exactly what are they advocating? No, we're confident you've settled into an excellent groove in your life, and won't want to endanger it with this notion of "intentional creation."
Inner Critic
If you're out there surfing, you'll find a number of sites that address a phenomenon people like to call the "Inner Critic." This next site is a good demonstration of reasons to avoid these.
The first clue, of course, is in the name of the website hosting this article: PositiveArticles.com - just what disasters and failures are they trying to deny in their lives by writing nice positives stories? But this article in particular is quite troubling. Addicted to The Critic? Nonsense! That's like saying you're addicted to breathing. Some things are just essential to survival. (We've also read other articles by this author - many of them focus on his misguided attempts to disrupt his connection with us. You can be assured that we are developing more refined techniques to in order to save him from his self-imposed state of isolation.)
Do you have suggestions for sites to avoid?
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