Achieving the Extraordinary

By I J N

Unlock the secrets of personal and professional growth with "Achieving the Extraordinary" by the insightful author, I J N. This self-help book is your roadmap to success, personal transformation, and inner peace.

• Language: English
• Publisher: I J N
• Release date: Oct 20, 2023
• ISBN: 9798868937323

Book preview

Achieving the Extraordinary

This text was originally published in India on the year of 2023.

The edits and layout of this version are Copyright © 2023

by I J N

This publication has no affiliation with the original Author or publication company.

Achieving the Extraordinary

I J N

India

2023

CONTENTS

YOU BECOME WHAT YOU THINK

WHY DO WE NEED A BOOK ON REALITY?

USE WHAT WORKS

LIFE IS NOT LINEAR

CONNECT THE DOTS

FILTER YOUR THOUGHTS

IN YOUR CONTROL Vs OUTSIDE YOUR CONTROL

HAVE YOU TRUSTED YOUR MIND

LOOK AT FACTS

TRUE Vs UNTRUE

Take Your Time To Think

NO MORE QUICK DECISIONS

RELEASE YOUR MIND

DRAW YOUR THOUGHTS

CONQUER YOURSELF RATHER THAN THE WORLD

TAKE TIME TO REFLECT

BE UNCONVENTIONAL

DON'T ASK WHY

THINK ABOUT THE DETAILS EVEN MORE

DON'T LIVE WITH REGRETS

NEVER LOOK BACK

SPEND YOUR TIME WISELY

THINK BEYOND YOURSELF

YOU BECOME WHAT YOU THINK

In 1869, a 27-year-old Harvard medical graduate experiencing a crisis of meaning. Although his education had been interrupted several times by illnesses and bouts of depression during medical school years, this time his troubles seemed even greater; to the point that he considered suicide for several months before ultimately giving up and choosing life over suicide.

William James later became one of the leading psychologists in America and one of the founding philosophers of pragmaticism. It took William three years to overcome depression on his own - something which John McDermott, editor of The Writings of William James noted as being especially severe for James: he spent much of his life justifying why he shouldn't commit suicide."

James was also experiencing panic attacks and hallucinations at this time, which weren't unfamiliar; his father had experienced similar agony years earlier, leading him to think his condition was genetic and thus something he couldn't overcome. James made an important psychological breakthrough after reading an essay by Charles Renouvier, a French philosopher. James noted his experience in his journal and wrote: Yesterday marked an important turning point in my life. Renouvier's second Essais proved insightful as I saw no reason for his definition of free will -- maintaining thoughts because of choice when other options could have existed -- to be an illusion. At any rate, for now and until next year's reading I shall take his definition at face value; my first act of free will will be believing it exists!

James' realization forms the core of pragmaticism, the school of philosophy he and Charles Sanders Peirce co-founded years later. James understood that we possess the power to choose what thoughts come into our heads; thus we can control what thoughts come into our heads.

James does not advocate for total control of our consciousness; when we sit and observe our thoughts for some time, we can observe that many things pass through our mind without our being able to affect their content; they just exist, with no way for us to alter them. But since we possess free will, we can decide which thoughts we focus on to shape consciousness accordingly - making a crucial difference between I can't help feeling this way and I decided I felt this way.

This book places emphasis on decision-making; through practice, readers can become better at controlling their thoughts so that they can determine their thoughts more freely.

As long as we exercise proper control over our thoughts, I believe we can enhance both the quality and the outcomes of our lives and careers. That is my intention for this book.

As your life's outcome relies on what you think, I believe influencing our minds should be of paramount importance. Improving how we think can bring about amazing changes; just