Book Review:The Power of Positive Thinking By Dr.

Norman Vincent Peale

A mans life is what his thoughts make of it, said Marcus Aurelius. A man paints his life in the colors of his thought patterns and mental attitudew hic h c a n be e it her po s it iv e o r n e g at ive . P e s s i m i s m le a d s t o li f e s u nk ind a r k ne s s a nd g lo o m. O n t he co n t r ar y, po s it ive t hink i ng ho ld s t he k ey t o s u cc e s s , p r o s p er it y a nd a co nt e nt e d l i fe w it h no d epr e s s i ng t ho ug ht s t o dist ract us. This is how the author,Dr.Norman Vincent Peale, portrays a posit ive t hinker in his wide ly fa mous book T h e P o w e r o f P o s i t i v e Thinking. Dr. Peale is Throughout the book, Peale has emphasized on the need of religiousfaith as fundamental tool in drawing the power of optimism. Peale urges hisreaders to turn to God and draw upon that High Power for the innumerabled i f f i c u l t s i t u a t i o n s w e e n c o u n t e r i n o u r d a i l y l i v e s . I n s t e d o f beingt heor et ical, Peale has give n pract ical applicat io ns o f fait h i l l u s t r a t i n g experiences of the most popular and ordinary people who A person can never be successful unless he believes in himself. Thew r i t e r r e g a r d s r e l i g i o u s f a i t h a s a v a l u a b l e a s s e t t o h u m a n b e i n g . B y developing an absolute faith in God one can achieve a realistic and dynamici n h i m. T o d a y, a la r g e nu m be r o f p eo p le a r e vic t i m i z e d o f a n i n fe r io r it ycomplex or self doubt, thereby, lacking self confidence. However, in his book, Peale draws our attention toward a powerful concept that eradicatesthis inferiority complex, that is, a belief on the affirmation, God is with youand will always help you. Faith is the chief quality needed to overcome the obstacles of life. Our power to prevail over an obstacle is determined by our mental attitude. Ito ft e n d e st r o ys u s me n t a l l y be fo r e w e d e c id e t o t a ke a n a ct io n- t he r ea so n be i ng o ur ne g at iv e at t it u d e. B y d e ve lo p ing a ne g at i ve a t t it u d e w e cr eat e feelings of self doubt, apprehension and defeat thoughts in ourselves, as aconsequence, we resist handling any difficult situation. On the other hand,adopting a triumphant thought pattern enables us battle past all difficulties.Peale, in this regard, suggests an effective technique to deal with an obstacle,t h at is , t o me a s u r e yo ur a s s et s r at her t ha n t he fa c t o r s a g a ins t yo u . T h is mind set will seemingly give you a formidable strength regardless of thet r o u b le s yo u a r e be s et t e d w it h. T ens io ns a nd w o r r ie s b lo c k t he f lo w o f thinking power in man. It is, therefore, essentially important to eliminat