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The Flinch
A book so important we refuse to charge for it.
Julien Smith has delivered a surprise, a confrontation, a book that will push you, scare you and possibly stick with you for years to come.
The idea is simple: your flinch mechanism can save your life. It shortcircuits the conscious mind and allows you to pull back and avoid danger faster than you can even imagine it’s there.
But what if danger is exactly what you need?
What if facing the flinch is the one best way to get what you want?
Here’s a chance to read the book everyone will be talking about, before they do.
What are you afraid of? Here's how to find out.
Julien Smith has delivered a surprise, a confrontation, a book that will push you, scare you and possibly stick with you for years to come.
The idea is simple: your flinch mechanism can save your life. It shortcircuits the conscious mind and allows you to pull back and avoid danger faster than you can even imagine it’s there.
But what if danger is exactly what you need?
What if facing the flinch is the one best way to get what you want?
Here’s a chance to read the book everyone will be talking about, before they do.
What are you afraid of? Here's how to find out.
38 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 7, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 365 reviews
June 2, 2012
"Words are wind", says a proverb in a popular contemporary fantasy series. Here we have solid evidence supporting that saying.
The Flinch is a pamphlet on the topic of "face your fear". Specifically, "face your fear of doing things, where there is no significant downside to attempting those things." Which is good advice in general, but which does not automatically turn a pamphlet offering said advice into a good work.
I keep saying pamphlet becaus The Flinch, sadly, is not a book. It has neither the length nor the quantity of information to qualify is as such. It is a repetitious sequence of feel-good trivia whose stated goal is to make one more able to overcome (some of) one's irrational fears. I did not feel as if it succeeded at this task.
It did not help that there is no meat to the book. No research, no convincing arguments, just some happy anecdotes and, I guess, the author's confidence in what he writes. We get what is more or less the same notion expressed in a dozen different ways, in a bid to have us not only believe the thesis, but believe it lock, stock and barrel. There are some writers who can, by the force of their rhetoric alone, move mountains. This is not the case here.
There is also a Western-centric trend in the book that didn't please me much.
I do approve of one piece of advice in the book: taking cold showers as a method to make yourself do what is uncomfortable. That might well work. But I had to laugh at some of the other to-dos: Remember things that are easy to forget, the section titled "The Flinch, A Checklist" says. As they say on the Internet, lulz.
In closing, the book urges us:
I gave it to my recycle bin.
The Flinch is a pamphlet on the topic of "face your fear". Specifically, "face your fear of doing things, where there is no significant downside to attempting those things." Which is good advice in general, but which does not automatically turn a pamphlet offering said advice into a good work.
I keep saying pamphlet becaus The Flinch, sadly, is not a book. It has neither the length nor the quantity of information to qualify is as such. It is a repetitious sequence of feel-good trivia whose stated goal is to make one more able to overcome (some of) one's irrational fears. I did not feel as if it succeeded at this task.
It did not help that there is no meat to the book. No research, no convincing arguments, just some happy anecdotes and, I guess, the author's confidence in what he writes. We get what is more or less the same notion expressed in a dozen different ways, in a bid to have us not only believe the thesis, but believe it lock, stock and barrel. There are some writers who can, by the force of their rhetoric alone, move mountains. This is not the case here.
There is also a Western-centric trend in the book that didn't please me much.
There are no negative consequences for breaking the habit of flinching. Nothing will actually happen if you stop being afraid. You're free.says the book. Which is great, except if you're actually not free. There are plenty of places in this world where saying the wrong things, blogging the wrong things, even wearing inappropriate clothing or being in the wrong place at the wrong time will get you in trouble, in jail or worse. There are, in fact, many possible negative consequences for breaking the habit of flinching.
I do approve of one piece of advice in the book: taking cold showers as a method to make yourself do what is uncomfortable. That might well work. But I had to laugh at some of the other to-dos: Remember things that are easy to forget, the section titled "The Flinch, A Checklist" says. As they say on the Internet, lulz.
In closing, the book urges us:
So your final assignment is to give this book to another person. Maybe choose the person who needs it most.Well said.
I gave it to my recycle bin.
January 23, 2012
To me this was "Poke the box" rewritten. Until I came to the end where he mentioned that "the goal isn't to get used to he pain. It's to understand that pain is something you can survive." And the next day I broke 2 bones in my hand skiing and realized why he wrote this book: for the last year I have been working to take my life to the next level with great success, finance, health, personal development, career and relationships all have made massive progress towards the goal. And now this happens!
And in the past this accident would have made me stop and tell myself it was all in vain. And I would have gone back to my old habits. Now I know shit/pain happens, even if we don't actively look for it. But it is merely a break on the path we're on.
So rather then stopping, I'm now asking myself how I'm going to make the most out of this: how is this accident impacting each area (if at all). And I have already found some great positive impacts of this in a few areas! The one area that I still need to figure out how to deal with this is in the health area. No idea how I'm going to maintain 3 sessions in the gym with a broken hand but I'm sure my PT will havean answer to that!
And in the past this accident would have made me stop and tell myself it was all in vain. And I would have gone back to my old habits. Now I know shit/pain happens, even if we don't actively look for it. But it is merely a break on the path we're on.
So rather then stopping, I'm now asking myself how I'm going to make the most out of this: how is this accident impacting each area (if at all). And I have already found some great positive impacts of this in a few areas! The one area that I still need to figure out how to deal with this is in the health area. No idea how I'm going to maintain 3 sessions in the gym with a broken hand but I'm sure my PT will havean answer to that!
December 31, 2011
Another E-book that is really an essay. I saw this on Twitter and since it was free, picked it up.
I think your reaction depends on a lot on your worldview, perspective, place in life, etc. Reading the reviews you can see that some people thought it was BS while others found it very helpful.
I think it is a little bit of both. If you need a pep talk to get you out of your rut and start thinking about achieving the things you have always claimed you would, this can be a helpful book.
I think it can be a useful way to realize that success isn't going to be easy for most people and if you are constantly hesitating and avoiding risk you are unlikely to achieve all that much.
On the other hand there is a lot of repetition and pop psychology that will turn a lot of folks off.
It is not the greatest thing I have ever read but I think it was a helpful wake up call of sorts for me heading into 2012.
I think your reaction depends on a lot on your worldview, perspective, place in life, etc. Reading the reviews you can see that some people thought it was BS while others found it very helpful.
I think it is a little bit of both. If you need a pep talk to get you out of your rut and start thinking about achieving the things you have always claimed you would, this can be a helpful book.
I think it can be a useful way to realize that success isn't going to be easy for most people and if you are constantly hesitating and avoiding risk you are unlikely to achieve all that much.
On the other hand there is a lot of repetition and pop psychology that will turn a lot of folks off.
It is not the greatest thing I have ever read but I think it was a helpful wake up call of sorts for me heading into 2012.
September 8, 2015
The cover copy reads, "A book so important we refuse to charge for it." The last page of this book tells us "That's why we made this book free." However, it cost me $3.02 on Amazon i.e. not free.¹ And it ends at 42% (the rest is samples of other books)
I like the flinching exercises, and overall this is a pretty good motivational read, that lasts the length of a long commute or a lunch break. Undeniably, though, I would have been a happier bunny if it was free.
¹ which does raise the possibility that someone else has copied the text, and released it as a Kindle book under their own account (but with the original author name showing.) This has been happening with romance books, so maybe someone's worked out self-help would be the next good target.
I like the flinching exercises, and overall this is a pretty good motivational read, that lasts the length of a long commute or a lunch break. Undeniably, though, I would have been a happier bunny if it was free.
¹ which does raise the possibility that someone else has copied the text, and released it as a Kindle book under their own account (but with the original author name showing.) This has been happening with romance books, so maybe someone's worked out self-help would be the next good target.
August 7, 2016
Quote from near the end of the book: "At this point in most books, the authors promise you that if you do what they say, you’re sure to succeed.
In this case, you’re sure to fail. To be rejected. To discover wrong paths. To see what
humiliation is like, firsthand".
Me, after reading the above:I don't like it, it sounds dangerous...
"You’re sure to live.
And then yes, maybe, you might reach your goals.
Would you have it any other way?"
So, is The Flinch a book or not? In theory, it is; to me, all it takes for a book to be a book, apt for review here on Goodreads, is for it to call itself by that name -- being an actual bound edition is becoming more and more passé, so let's stick to what we've got. In practice, however, it's not really one: it could have been an exceptionally long post on some forum or an article on a site like High Existenceor 30 Sleeps. If you ask me, it makes no difference at all: what's important here is the information.
The Flinch strikes at human instinctive self-defense mechanism -- the out-stretched palms hiding one's face from the... face of danger -- taken to less physical domains of existence, such as talking to strangers, taking plunges off of various heights or simply doing anything that might challenge our comfortable status quo. The book says that when we feel our all trying to prevent us from doing something (and we can't find any good, logical reason not to do it if we ask ourselves "what am I really scared of?"), it's probably others people's fears, prejudice and/or experience kicked into us: from parental overprotection to serial-killer ward to "a frined of mine once..." to cold, hard facts of life.
The things is though that if we follow everyone else's advice we never get to experience anything for our own, we never get to face our fears and know ourselves a little bit better, much less create ourselves into what we'd dream to be. We never get to take life to the next level, and then the next. While it may be true that some, if not few, of society's fears we've taken up would be good to keep in mind at all times, I've found from whenever I've fought The Flinch that it never was all that bad. On the contrary -- who knows what having learned to pursue a comfortable, flinchy front might be robbing me from daily?
It was a good, short, crisp read that filled me with inspiration which will probably prove to be short-lived as with other writings of similar kind but I hope I keep it with me and remember its lesson for long.
Here is a link for you to read it. It won't take you very long and you will come out of it thoughtful and hopefully empowered.
In this case, you’re sure to fail. To be rejected. To discover wrong paths. To see what
humiliation is like, firsthand".
Me, after reading the above:I don't like it, it sounds dangerous...
"You’re sure to live.
And then yes, maybe, you might reach your goals.
Would you have it any other way?"
So, is The Flinch a book or not? In theory, it is; to me, all it takes for a book to be a book, apt for review here on Goodreads, is for it to call itself by that name -- being an actual bound edition is becoming more and more passé, so let's stick to what we've got. In practice, however, it's not really one: it could have been an exceptionally long post on some forum or an article on a site like High Existenceor 30 Sleeps. If you ask me, it makes no difference at all: what's important here is the information.
The Flinch strikes at human instinctive self-defense mechanism -- the out-stretched palms hiding one's face from the... face of danger -- taken to less physical domains of existence, such as talking to strangers, taking plunges off of various heights or simply doing anything that might challenge our comfortable status quo. The book says that when we feel our all trying to prevent us from doing something (and we can't find any good, logical reason not to do it if we ask ourselves "what am I really scared of?"), it's probably others people's fears, prejudice and/or experience kicked into us: from parental overprotection to serial-killer ward to "a frined of mine once..." to cold, hard facts of life.
The things is though that if we follow everyone else's advice we never get to experience anything for our own, we never get to face our fears and know ourselves a little bit better, much less create ourselves into what we'd dream to be. We never get to take life to the next level, and then the next. While it may be true that some, if not few, of society's fears we've taken up would be good to keep in mind at all times, I've found from whenever I've fought The Flinch that it never was all that bad. On the contrary -- who knows what having learned to pursue a comfortable, flinchy front might be robbing me from daily?
It was a good, short, crisp read that filled me with inspiration which will probably prove to be short-lived as with other writings of similar kind but I hope I keep it with me and remember its lesson for long.
Here is a link for you to read it. It won't take you very long and you will come out of it thoughtful and hopefully empowered.
December 30, 2011
I'm inspired to stop reading free Kindle books about inspiration for a while.
June 16, 2012
I'm giving this as few stars as possible.
The basic message of the book is fine, good even... it's good to face your fears.
But you really don't need a whole book to say that.
The main message I received from reading this, was: People who don't flinch are brilliant and great and brave and heroic and accomplish great things with their lives, and if you're a "flincher" you are useless and pathetic, you won't get anywhere with your life and you need to change.
And that's not a good message. Take cold showers everyday and do pointless things you don't want to do just because you should (and if you don't that's bad).
This is badly written, pretentious and frankly ridiculous book, and I would recommend it to no one.
The basic message of the book is fine, good even... it's good to face your fears.
But you really don't need a whole book to say that.
The main message I received from reading this, was: People who don't flinch are brilliant and great and brave and heroic and accomplish great things with their lives, and if you're a "flincher" you are useless and pathetic, you won't get anywhere with your life and you need to change.
And that's not a good message. Take cold showers everyday and do pointless things you don't want to do just because you should (and if you don't that's bad).
This is badly written, pretentious and frankly ridiculous book, and I would recommend it to no one.
July 30, 2012
This book was okay. If you haven't read anything before about facing your fears and doing it anyway (good book by Susan Jeffers), or any of Seth Godin's material on the lizard brain, then this might be a good introductory lesson. It is not totally without value.
You will have to be able to look past being talked down to when you simply choose to not participate in the exercises suggested to help you get past the flinch. The tone is somewhat reminiscent of those annoying emails that promise cataclysmic disaster if you don't forward them on.
No, I didn't take a cold shower for a week, nor did I purposely break a cup. While I agree that neither of those activities would have "hurt" me, I disagree that they would necessarily help either. Because there is no actual risk involved, and nothing to be gained, I think they are far less useful than speaking to a stranger, making that phone call, putting that first brush stroke to the canvas, or typing the first page of that manuscript.
Not every "flinch" is bad just as not everything "shipped" is good. Again, this is an okay book, but there really isn't anything new here.
You will have to be able to look past being talked down to when you simply choose to not participate in the exercises suggested to help you get past the flinch. The tone is somewhat reminiscent of those annoying emails that promise cataclysmic disaster if you don't forward them on.
No, I didn't take a cold shower for a week, nor did I purposely break a cup. While I agree that neither of those activities would have "hurt" me, I disagree that they would necessarily help either. Because there is no actual risk involved, and nothing to be gained, I think they are far less useful than speaking to a stranger, making that phone call, putting that first brush stroke to the canvas, or typing the first page of that manuscript.
Not every "flinch" is bad just as not everything "shipped" is good. Again, this is an okay book, but there really isn't anything new here.
April 26, 2018
A reality check on why it is essential to overcome your fears and resistance.
Quick read, but can lead to commiting to a life of not being held back by discomfort.
Fully recommended.
Quick read, but can lead to commiting to a life of not being held back by discomfort.
Fully recommended.
September 3, 2021
Precise, practical, and poetic. This book is a reminder for those who have forgotten the value of pushing their boundaries. It provides a very short yet confrontational message: we need to suffer to grow.
The flinch happens right before the moment of growth: schoolwork, cold showers, exercise. It manifests in fear, doubt, rationality, and escape. We must not only push ourselves beyond it but flinch forward instead.
It's basically a practical version of 'War of Art' (Pressfield).
The flinch happens right before the moment of growth: schoolwork, cold showers, exercise. It manifests in fear, doubt, rationality, and escape. We must not only push ourselves beyond it but flinch forward instead.
It's basically a practical version of 'War of Art' (Pressfield).
December 22, 2011
Short version: Have a cold shower. Done.
Long version: Even on skim reading I just thought this was a load of pretentious bollocks. Even the opener shows how strained the use of the "flinch" metaphor is:
"It's about an instinct - the flinch - and why mastering it is vital. This book is about how to stop flinching. It's about facing pain."
So are we mastering the flinch (i.e. controlling and using it) or just stopping it? The author is correct though: If I stop flinching I will have to learn to face pain as you'll be able to easily poke me in the eye, I'll touch hot things and be slow to recoil, get hit by objects flying in my direction.
Ach!
Long version: Even on skim reading I just thought this was a load of pretentious bollocks. Even the opener shows how strained the use of the "flinch" metaphor is:
"It's about an instinct - the flinch - and why mastering it is vital. This book is about how to stop flinching. It's about facing pain."
So are we mastering the flinch (i.e. controlling and using it) or just stopping it? The author is correct though: If I stop flinching I will have to learn to face pain as you'll be able to easily poke me in the eye, I'll touch hot things and be slow to recoil, get hit by objects flying in my direction.
Ach!
June 21, 2022
One of the better self-help books you can read. Short, punchy, no cringy macho guy talk or pretensions. just a simple concept communicated clearly and with applicability.
Ultimately, the same concept is also handled by by Enrst junger's On Pain, but this book is more straightforward and condensed.
Ultimately, the same concept is also handled by by Enrst junger's On Pain, but this book is more straightforward and condensed.
July 3, 2016
The premise for this book is that everyone flinches or doesn't take chances. We start out as children bravely doing things that adults flinch at. But over time we learn to flinch and it soon becomes the norm. We aren't courageous or daring anymore. We flinch at things that would be good for us. We settle into a routine and never deviate. The author takes the reader on a path to courageous, flinch-less living. If we can accustom ourselves to a bit of pain and stress we will have better lives because of it.
I didn't really like this book. The idea behind it was great. But the style of writing and the author's ideas on how to achieve the desired goals were a bit amateur and annoying to me. The author made some assumptions that didn't ring true with me and seemed to be a bit extreme in the desire to prove a point. Conceptually interesting, executed poorly.
I received this book free of charge from Shelton Interactive in exchange for my honest review.
I didn't really like this book. The idea behind it was great. But the style of writing and the author's ideas on how to achieve the desired goals were a bit amateur and annoying to me. The author made some assumptions that didn't ring true with me and seemed to be a bit extreme in the desire to prove a point. Conceptually interesting, executed poorly.
I received this book free of charge from Shelton Interactive in exchange for my honest review.
February 6, 2017
This book tries to be didactic and comes up woefully short by the author's assumption that he has mastered this incredible talent that no one else has thought of before and also all of his readers are idiots who won't be able to understand these basic concepts without (1) burning themselves on a stove (2) dropping their mobile devices on the ground (3) breaking a mug?? (4) taking cold showers
Meanwhile, anyone who has ever had a basic conversation about anxiety already knows what they have to do to overcome said anxieties (assuming they are, in fact, irrational). This book ends up being preachy and pretentious while not being very helpful to those who need this advice the most.
Oh, and his sage advice that needs an entire book (short as it is) to explain? Just do it. That's it, that's the book.
And as someone with a severe anxiety disorder can attest, it's just not that simple, as much as I'd like it to be.
Meanwhile, anyone who has ever had a basic conversation about anxiety already knows what they have to do to overcome said anxieties (assuming they are, in fact, irrational). This book ends up being preachy and pretentious while not being very helpful to those who need this advice the most.
Oh, and his sage advice that needs an entire book (short as it is) to explain? Just do it. That's it, that's the book.
And as someone with a severe anxiety disorder can attest, it's just not that simple, as much as I'd like it to be.
February 5, 2021
Krótka, treściwa, warta lektury i przemyślenia.
Thank you Julien!
Thank you Julien!
July 7, 2013
INTERESTING, INSIGHTFUL (AND FREE).
“The flinch is your real opponent, and information won’t help you fight it. It’s behind every unhappy marriage, every hidden vice, and every unfulfilled life. Behind the flinch is pain avoidance, and dealing with pain demands strength you may not think you have.” —loc 51/1303
“Before the bicycle helmet, the seat belt, and the bulletproof vest, there was the flinch.” “It’s one of the few instincts you’re born with, and keep, all your life.”—loc 84/1303
It isn’t ‘Rocket Science,’ but Julien Smith’s short book (more like a long magazine article), THE FLINCH is an interesting take on how hard-wired instincts for survival and self-defense, though virtually redundant, might be holding us back from trying just a bit harder to achieve.
Recommendation: There’s merit and insight in these pages, and Julien Smith’s is a mind worth getting to know better. (See: http://juliensmith.com/
“When we’re stubborn, there’s no quit in us. We’re mean. We’re mulish. We’re ornery. We’re in till the finish. We will sink our junkyard-dog teeth into Resistance’s ass and not let go, no matter how hard he kicks.”—loc 739/1303 (Sounds very much like someone I once knew… ged)
A free KINDLE book (unfortunately I can’t find it available from either B&N or iTunes)
“The flinch is your real opponent, and information won’t help you fight it. It’s behind every unhappy marriage, every hidden vice, and every unfulfilled life. Behind the flinch is pain avoidance, and dealing with pain demands strength you may not think you have.” —loc 51/1303
“Before the bicycle helmet, the seat belt, and the bulletproof vest, there was the flinch.” “It’s one of the few instincts you’re born with, and keep, all your life.”—loc 84/1303
It isn’t ‘Rocket Science,’ but Julien Smith’s short book (more like a long magazine article), THE FLINCH is an interesting take on how hard-wired instincts for survival and self-defense, though virtually redundant, might be holding us back from trying just a bit harder to achieve.
Recommendation: There’s merit and insight in these pages, and Julien Smith’s is a mind worth getting to know better. (See: http://juliensmith.com/
“When we’re stubborn, there’s no quit in us. We’re mean. We’re mulish. We’re ornery. We’re in till the finish. We will sink our junkyard-dog teeth into Resistance’s ass and not let go, no matter how hard he kicks.”—loc 739/1303 (Sounds very much like someone I once knew… ged)
A free KINDLE book (unfortunately I can’t find it available from either B&N or iTunes)
September 22, 2012
"Today, right now, eliminate all excuses from your vocabulary. Refuse to mince words or actions. Refuse a scar-free life." (42)
This little book talks about how we build up defense mechanisms to protect ourselves from real or imagined pain. Because of it, we flinch away every time something new or challenging comes along.
The second half of the book is actually just advertising for other books, with short excerpts. I guess you could consider it an extended "for further reading" list. The author's text is about 60 pages.
It's a solid little manifesto with some strong points about how we approach life and challenges. It even includes some practical exercises for helping learn to break through the "flinch" -- starting very simple and working up to more difficult tasks. That's more than most extended essays like this one offer; the format tends to be long on theory and short on practical.
This little book talks about how we build up defense mechanisms to protect ourselves from real or imagined pain. Because of it, we flinch away every time something new or challenging comes along.
The second half of the book is actually just advertising for other books, with short excerpts. I guess you could consider it an extended "for further reading" list. The author's text is about 60 pages.
It's a solid little manifesto with some strong points about how we approach life and challenges. It even includes some practical exercises for helping learn to break through the "flinch" -- starting very simple and working up to more difficult tasks. That's more than most extended essays like this one offer; the format tends to be long on theory and short on practical.
November 10, 2015
The Flinch.
A good and resonating title. Appropriate for...... bringing atention to the flinch. :)
The writer gave a name to a feeling, to a barrier, to a stopper-of-life. It is the flinch. The feeling everyone feels at some point and at some situations. The feeling that will make you pass on some things where you could go forward, where you could try something and where you could get a new experiance and new information. Be it about the world around you or the world within you.
The first half of the book is dealing with the definition od the flinch, how to recognize it and what to do with it. It's really good.
The second part of the book was, basically, only references to other books regarding ideas, motivation, creativity, team work... It is good to have references, but, to me, that part wasn't so revealing.
A good and resonating title. Appropriate for...... bringing atention to the flinch. :)
The writer gave a name to a feeling, to a barrier, to a stopper-of-life. It is the flinch. The feeling everyone feels at some point and at some situations. The feeling that will make you pass on some things where you could go forward, where you could try something and where you could get a new experiance and new information. Be it about the world around you or the world within you.
The first half of the book is dealing with the definition od the flinch, how to recognize it and what to do with it. It's really good.
The second part of the book was, basically, only references to other books regarding ideas, motivation, creativity, team work... It is good to have references, but, to me, that part wasn't so revealing.
June 26, 2012
It's a small, feel-good book; basically about how to overcome some irrational fear/ flinches preventing you from doing something you would like to do. Here are some of my favorite excerpts:
'Focus your energy on the fight that matters'
'Without scars, there is no evidence or strong memory'
'You can't settle for reaching other people's limits. You have to reach yours'
'The anxiety of the flinch is almost always worse than the pain itself'
'Start doing the opposite of your habits'
'Judgment and fear will never stop, but they don't actually do anything'
'Everything you are used to, given time, starts to seem natural'
'If you don't talk to someone because of an inexplicable flinch, the opportunity will be gone forever'
'Those who face the flinch make a difference. Others do not'
'Focus your energy on the fight that matters'
'Without scars, there is no evidence or strong memory'
'You can't settle for reaching other people's limits. You have to reach yours'
'The anxiety of the flinch is almost always worse than the pain itself'
'Start doing the opposite of your habits'
'Judgment and fear will never stop, but they don't actually do anything'
'Everything you are used to, given time, starts to seem natural'
'If you don't talk to someone because of an inexplicable flinch, the opportunity will be gone forever'
'Those who face the flinch make a difference. Others do not'
January 7, 2012
A good idea and potentially life changing, but this could have been executed just as powerfully as a 2000-3000 word magazine article. But yeah, Smith has sold me on the value of discovering the actions you fear doing, and "flinching forward" until they're complete.
December 11, 2011
I feel stupider for reading this hedonistic Oprah trash.
November 20, 2020
Sometimes we feel like if we were getting stuck in life. Our challenges start to look overwhelmed, and we are not viewing any progress. But this is just part of the process, needs to hurt in order to evolve.
The flinch is a pocketbook in which its main task is to give motivation. This book does remind you who is the enemy and why most of the population are afraid of it. Julien describes the flinch as a sense that is trying to protect you. It was the sense that put your body running by default when you were facing a bear in cave times. Nowadays, this senses its what stops you from your most ambitious goals. Why? It because just before we start making something that is really hard, our brains literally started to feel like a kind of pre-pain and our flinch sense looks for alternatives in other to protect us from that pain; which is avoiding it. I know it sounds absurd, but it's actually true.
Julien also shares a few exercises that will make the flinch plays on your favour. One of them is to break out your favourite mug. If you ever do this exercise, you will feel the panic before you drop it. After that, you will experience that it was not as bad as you thought, and you did enjoy it.
Read this book if you are neglecting yourself for better things for your life just because your flinch is not working for you.
The flinch is a pocketbook in which its main task is to give motivation. This book does remind you who is the enemy and why most of the population are afraid of it. Julien describes the flinch as a sense that is trying to protect you. It was the sense that put your body running by default when you were facing a bear in cave times. Nowadays, this senses its what stops you from your most ambitious goals. Why? It because just before we start making something that is really hard, our brains literally started to feel like a kind of pre-pain and our flinch sense looks for alternatives in other to protect us from that pain; which is avoiding it. I know it sounds absurd, but it's actually true.
Julien also shares a few exercises that will make the flinch plays on your favour. One of them is to break out your favourite mug. If you ever do this exercise, you will feel the panic before you drop it. After that, you will experience that it was not as bad as you thought, and you did enjoy it.
Read this book if you are neglecting yourself for better things for your life just because your flinch is not working for you.
August 27, 2017
This little book encourages us to do whatever we feel is uncomfortable, because we're only as strong as our weakest moments. And doing the uncomfortable is key to widen our circle of comfort.
The author Julian Smith writes that, "In a fight, there is a fundamental difference between boxers and everyone else. The guys who have trained are different. If you hit them, they don’t flinch. It takes practice to get there, but if you want to fight, you have no choice." In short, no one is fearless. Some people have just learned to control their fears.
If you need a short, motivational speech to start training to reduce your flinch reaction, you should read this. You probably won’t learn anything that you don't already know, but it's motivating.
The author Julian Smith writes that, "In a fight, there is a fundamental difference between boxers and everyone else. The guys who have trained are different. If you hit them, they don’t flinch. It takes practice to get there, but if you want to fight, you have no choice." In short, no one is fearless. Some people have just learned to control their fears.
If you need a short, motivational speech to start training to reduce your flinch reaction, you should read this. You probably won’t learn anything that you don't already know, but it's motivating.
January 12, 2019
Reminded me of The War of Art by Stephen Pressfield. Poignant, even if it's brief. A reminder that we have to do the things that we don't feel like doing.
February 25, 2021
Papia said 4 stars soo here we are
August 20, 2022
The author beat the word Flich to its death. And then some more.
The premise is good- to face your fears, but the book felt like a version of saying ''Don't be sad'' to someone to make them happy.
The premise is good- to face your fears, but the book felt like a version of saying ''Don't be sad'' to someone to make them happy.
May 27, 2023
I guess I've have had too many "self-help" / "you can do it!" books by now...
But it can be an interesting read, and a quick one.
But it can be an interesting read, and a quick one.
December 26, 2021
I found it hanging around YouTube and the reading was pretty quick. Seems more like a conversation with a stranger who tells you what you need to hear to say: Okay, up again, thanks.
Quick, concise reading, with quick hands-on exercises and no unnecessary pages.
Quick, concise reading, with quick hands-on exercises and no unnecessary pages.
March 16, 2020
Not a book, but made me feel inspired and that all that matters. Also if you just look up "the flinch Julien Smith" you will find it in a PDF form for free.
August 1, 2018
In my review I'm not going to review just the book. But also the ridiculous people who rated it low.
The book is truly a great book as it serves as an in-your-face reminder we all need. Although, if someone wanted to distill its message, it'd be - "face your fear and do it anyway" but that'd be grossly unfair to the author. If all we need are one-liner wisdom, then a good chunk of human communication is pointless. If all I needed was a one-liner to see my mistakes and run my life as I should to reach my goals, then someone could simply say to me, do this do that and I'd do it. And I'd succeed and it'd be such a happy, glorious life. But that's not how it works. We all need many obvious reminders throughout life in short or long forms as there is so much to handle. Our cognitive capacity is limited and that's why it's good to be reminded of many important things. That is what this short book does in a concise form. It's also about the thought process. The author does a very good job of writing and suggesting "face your fear" but also the auxiliary thoughts, concepts needed to understand why and in what ways doing/ not doing so can affect someone's life.
Now, on to the people who have rated this low. I read these reviews and they're ridiculous. Someone is complaining about this being called a book instead of a pamphlet. Someone is complaining about this being all fluff and air. Someone is complaining about this book being about something they already know. Grow the f**k up you imbeciles! Why don't you simply absorb and assimilate the messages that the author is trying to convey and appreciate the often much needed "kick in the butt". So you already know that you are supposed to face your fear and you happened to pick a 38 pages short book that happens to say the same thing. And this upset you. What did you expect? Some revolutionary new idea to motivate you so you could change your life? Are you so naive? The genius of books like these may not be in something new they're offering, but in offering the same piece of advice from a different angle. May be, as you're reading, you come across something that lights a bulb in your head. Another thing some reviewers were complaining about was the author suggesting they break their mug and why they should do that. You shouldn't if you need your mug but I don't know why they took it literally. Just understand the message and essence the author is trying to convey that with example of breaking mugs that he thought should be put in the book to communicate his idea. You don't have to take everything literally. Don't be stupid for your and other review readers' sake.
For me personally, this was a very helpful book and is one of those books that should be read from time to time and applied.
The book is truly a great book as it serves as an in-your-face reminder we all need. Although, if someone wanted to distill its message, it'd be - "face your fear and do it anyway" but that'd be grossly unfair to the author. If all we need are one-liner wisdom, then a good chunk of human communication is pointless. If all I needed was a one-liner to see my mistakes and run my life as I should to reach my goals, then someone could simply say to me, do this do that and I'd do it. And I'd succeed and it'd be such a happy, glorious life. But that's not how it works. We all need many obvious reminders throughout life in short or long forms as there is so much to handle. Our cognitive capacity is limited and that's why it's good to be reminded of many important things. That is what this short book does in a concise form. It's also about the thought process. The author does a very good job of writing and suggesting "face your fear" but also the auxiliary thoughts, concepts needed to understand why and in what ways doing/ not doing so can affect someone's life.
Now, on to the people who have rated this low. I read these reviews and they're ridiculous. Someone is complaining about this being called a book instead of a pamphlet. Someone is complaining about this being all fluff and air. Someone is complaining about this book being about something they already know. Grow the f**k up you imbeciles! Why don't you simply absorb and assimilate the messages that the author is trying to convey and appreciate the often much needed "kick in the butt". So you already know that you are supposed to face your fear and you happened to pick a 38 pages short book that happens to say the same thing. And this upset you. What did you expect? Some revolutionary new idea to motivate you so you could change your life? Are you so naive? The genius of books like these may not be in something new they're offering, but in offering the same piece of advice from a different angle. May be, as you're reading, you come across something that lights a bulb in your head. Another thing some reviewers were complaining about was the author suggesting they break their mug and why they should do that. You shouldn't if you need your mug but I don't know why they took it literally. Just understand the message and essence the author is trying to convey that with example of breaking mugs that he thought should be put in the book to communicate his idea. You don't have to take everything literally. Don't be stupid for your and other review readers' sake.
For me personally, this was a very helpful book and is one of those books that should be read from time to time and applied.
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