Book details

It's Not About the Shark

How to Solve Unsolvable Problems

Author: David Niven, Ph.D.

It's Not About the Shark

It's Not About the Shark

$11.99

e-Book

About This Book

In the spirit of The Tipping Point and Freakonomics, David Niven presents a new way of decoding the riddles of the everyday choices we make.

It's...

Page Count
240
Genre
On Sale
11/04/2014

Book Details

In the spirit of The Tipping Point and Freakonomics, David Niven presents a new way of decoding the riddles of the everyday choices we make.

It's Not About the Shark
opens the door to the groundbreaking science of solutions by turning problems—and how we solve them—upside down. When we have a problem, most of us zero in, take it apart, and focus until we have it solved. David Niven shows us that focusing on the problem is exactly the wrong way to find an answer. Putting problems at the center of our thoughts shuts down our creative abilities, depletes stamina, and feeds insecurities. It's Not About the Shark shows us how to transform our daily lives, our work lives, and our family lives with a simple, but rock-solid principle: If you start by thinking about your problems, you'll never make it to a solution. If you start by thinking about a solution, you'll never worry about your problems again.

Through real-life examples and psychology research, Niven shows us why:

*Focusing on the problem first makes us 17 times less likely to find an answer
*Being afraid of a problem is natural: we're biologically primed to be afraid
*Finding a problem creates power – which keeps you from finding a solution
*Working harder actually hides answers
*Absolute confidence makes you less likely to find the answer
*Looking away from a problem helps to see a solution
*Listening only to yourself is one of the best ways to find an answer

Combining hard facts, good sense, and a strong dose of encouragement, Niven provides fresh and positive ways to think about problem solving.

Imprint Publisher

St. Martin's Press

ISBN

9781466839236

In The News

“David Niven has done it again – a short, readable, entertaining, enlightening, and inspiring book for people who have problems. Don't we all? I got some great insights – along with a few laughs – while reading about ways to deal with bumps in the road of life. You will too.” —Hal Urban, author of Life's Greatest Lessons

“David Niven will help you think more, panic less, dream bigger, and WIN.” —Bob Danzig, former CEO, Hearst Newspapers

“You can bury your white flag now, because after you read It's Not About the Shark you'll never surrender to a problem again.” —Stephen Pollan, author of Fire Your Boss

It's Not About the Shark illustrates the power of thinking unconventionally about approaches to many common barriers to success. It shows that alternative methods are often much more powerful solutions than conventional wisdom. Written in an engaging manner, it made me want to read the next chapter after chapter. Wow. ” —Gordon Bethune, former CEO and chairman, Continental Airlines

“In this useful tome, Niven gives unusual, yet eminently practical, problem-solving advice . . . This fresh, enthusiastic approach to problem-solving will encourage readers to open themselves up to opportunity and make for a valuable addition to anyone's self-help shelf.” —Publishers Weekly

“In It's Not About the Shark, David Niven aims to shake up our stagnant notion of how to address problems . . . Niven's book explores what it means to think outside the box, how we look at the problems we face, how we see ourselves and how to be comfortable with the ambiguity difficult challenges can present. He doesn't provide specific solutions here but instead offers a shining toolkit for more adaptive thinking.” —Shelf Awareness

“Good anecdotes with interesting data to back up his theory that when we focus on a problem, we get trapped within it and are less able to solve it.” —Washington Post

About the Creators

It's Not About the Shark

It's Not About the Shark

$11.99

e-Book