Making lemonade out of lemons

Overcoming rejection isn’t easy.  Although we all face it at one time or another, our reactions to it can range from crippling insecurity and overprotectiveness to a “leave him/her before I’m left” approach to relationships.  The author Tracey Mitchell, in the book Downside Up, attempts to show how rejection can actually be a positive influence on a person’s life, by weeding out the negative people and situations and allowing for a much more confident individual to thrive.  There are plenty of ways to be rejected, and the author gives many stories, both from her own life and those of others, to illustrate this.  She herself grew up without a father, and this led to some abandonment issues in her own life.  She also points out numerous examples of self-fulfilling prophecies – people who fear rejection will often attract only people guaranteed to reject them.  There are many ways to begin to turn all of this negativity around.  The main thing the author stresses is to really work on making sure your internal dialogue is filled with only positive, encouraging messages.  When you are talking inside your own head, there’s no one to tell you if your attitudes and perceptions are incorrect.  She also encourages a lot of list-making of positive attributes and affirmations, and keeping those handy for times of stress or self-doubt.  She frequently gives Biblical references to support her ideas.  Each chapter ends with a list of 10 chapter principles which summarize her advice, along with Words of Wisdom, a Power Quote and a Plan of Action.  I liked her upbeat, positive advice, and the practical suggestions she gives in her Plans of Action for creating a more confident attitude.  Of course, as with most self-help books, it’s all situational, and her advice wouldn’t be useful in all situations. On the whole, I found plenty of good ideas and ways to help overcome negativity and pessimism, and I’ll try to keep them in mind if the “gloomies” come for a visit!

Disclaimer:  I received a copy of Downside Up from the BookSneeze program in exchange for this review