The Undefeated Mind: On the Science of Constructing an Indestructible Self by Alex LickermanMy rating: 2 of 5 stars
Context & Why I read this book
I'm aiming to read 52 books in 2021, many of which follow the slogan "A Year of Ratio & Will". This is the 8th book I finished. My motivation with this book was quite obvious: I wanted to know what the author has to say about how to construct an "Indestructible Self".
What the book is about
This is a book about how to develop a "strong life force" or personality hardiness: the capacity to survive and even thrive under difficult conditions.
This book is comprised of 10 chapters:
1| The Meaning of Victory
2| Find Your Mission
3| Make a Vow
4| Expect Obstacles
5| Stand Alone
6| Accept Pain
7| Let Go
8| Appreciate the Good
9| Encourage Others
10| Muster Your Courage
In each chapter the author starts of with referencing a dozen or so studies and then mixes in the story of one of his patients. Essentially, the author summarizes theses chapters towards the end as follows: "For we can resist discouragement by articulating our life's mission; accomplish that mission by making a great determination; overcome the obstacles that naturally arise when we make such a determination by changing poison into medicine; gain the strength to change poison into medicine by accepting responsibility and standing against injustice; endure pain by accepting it and loss by letting go ofwhat we cannot keep; enjoy what we have by learning to appreciate it and help ourselves through trauma by helping others; conquer fear by leveraging our connections to the ones we love. And, finally, I realized, gain inspiration from others who've managed to forge an undefeated mind of their own....
One lesson I am taking from it
There are some nuggets contained in "The Undefeated Mind". I especially appreciated the sources provided by the author e.g. quotes from his school of Buddhism like "Only by defeating a powerful enemy can one prove one's real strength." However, one specific thing I will try to take with me is
that I will actually strive to attain what the author calls an "undefeated mind": not just to rebound quickly from adversity or to face it calmly, even confidently, without being pulled down by depression or anxiety, but also to get up day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year, decade after decade-even over the course of an entire lifetime-and attack the obstacles in front of us again and again and again until they fall, or we do. This, I think, is an honorable goal and certainly one that fits into the slogan of my 2021.
Reading Recommendation / Who should read this?
This is a rather long and tiresome read. It took me 13+ hours to fight through the 250 pages of the book. Partly, because the author's writing style is not easily digestible but rather exhausting (even though the author does use simple terms) . Secondly, because much of the book feels like vague generalizations from his patients and personal life (even though the book contains 20 pages of references). Third, because the author is a practitioner of Nichiren Buddhism and way to often refers to his personal life stores and that he used "chanting" to get through (all of which, if it were removed without replacement, would have made for a better, less self-centered book). In summary, this is a 4 out of 10 on my personal rating scale:
1 ⭑ — Abysmal; extremely bad. Couldn't / wouldn't finish. No one should waste his time on this!
2 ⭑— Very bad; skipped part of it; skimmed most of it.
3 ⭑⭑ — Bad, but forced me to finish; close to no nuggets to be found.
4 ⭑⭑ — Rather bad; finished but definitely would not give it a re-read.
5 ⭑⭑⭑ — Modest; a few nuggets; reading recommended in certain circumstances
6 ⭑⭑⭑ — OK; the average read. Tangible weaknesses, but recommended with some reservations
7 ⭑⭑⭑⭑ — Good read, despite minor weaknesses; generally recommended
8 ⭑⭑⭑⭑ — Very good; would recommend nearly without restriction
9 ⭑⭑⭑⭑⭑ — An outstanding work; worthwhile to be read twice or more often; a definitive recommendation
10 ⭑⭑⭑⭑⭑ — A work of genius; should be required for everyone
View all my reviews on Goodreads