I am not a fan of Dr. Phil. I bought this book before I knew that Jillian Michaels was going to leave The Biggest Loser and work on his show instead. I do not doubt that she sincerely wants to help people, and I think that The Biggest Loser is often objectionably exploitative, but I think this career move is undoubtedly a step down for her. It was in this context that I read the first section (of three) in this book.

The first couple of chapters are all about deciding what you want to achieve in life and helping you focus on happiness over “the grind” of life. It’s pretty typical advice, but certainly worthwhile, and told in Jillian Michaels’ “edgy” voice. The third chapter is a less new agey, heavily abridged version ofThe Secret, a book I have some experience testing (the day I called dolphins to the boat we were riding in).

Here are some bits I found particularly useful:

Apart from forming realistic goals, it is not enough to just visualize our goals, we should also clearly picture ourselves doing the work. You know that song, “I Believe I Can Fly” I have always disliked that song because I think it gives the wrong idea about positive thinking “I think about it every night and day; Spread my wings and fly away; I believe I can soar; I see me running through that open door…” I’m sure it’s supposed to be a metaphor for reaching your goals, but every time I hear that song I think that, unless the person singing it is diligently studying and practicing at flight school while regularly visualizing a successful plane flight, they are headed for a crash. Anyway, I can dream all day long about performing like those people on So You Think You Can Dance, but in real life this is one dream that I would have to live vicariously through my daughter because I haven’t done the work to accomplish it.

Here is a new term: psychoneuroimmunology , or PNI, defined by Michaels as “the study of how your thoughts affect the chemicals in your brain and the hormones that fight disease.” Here’s another topic for me to look into, given my love for brain science.

This one comes straight from The Secret: if we want to attract something positive, we cannot think of things in negative terms – if we tell a kid “don’t climb the tree because you are going to fall!” we are sending the probability of falling out into the universe. Since I first read read this, I have worked very hard to think about (and speak about) things in a positive light, and I have evidence that this has enhanced my life. One day I went to pick up a vase (it belonged to my mother-in-law) from the closet floor when the thought entered my head that I was going to drop the vase. My hands were not wet, and I picked it up carefully with both hands, but down it went – it fell from about 15 inches above the ground, which was enough to make it shatter – I still owe GB’s mom a vase, and I blame it on negative thinking.

I’m not going to say that The Secret is my guide for living, but I will say that this particular concept resonated with me to the point where I almost take it too far. I wince when people write “FML” when bad things happen, and I immediately think that they are asking for trouble with their words. Sometimes I think positive thoughts on their behalf to try to help soften the cosmic blow. (You’re welcome.) Also, I rephrase things all the time just in case: for example, instead of “last week,” I say “a week ago,” just in case the universe sees fit to emphasize the “last.” This is not to discount prayer, which Jillian Michaels also speaks about in a very positive light – I see it as an application of faith – we pray, and then we trust God to listen and guide our steps.

Here’s a quote: “Transformation isn’t a future event, it’s a present activity, and the closest you can come to predicting what your future holds is to start creating it now.” I love that.

Scroll down for other posts about Unlimited:

Review
Part 1: Unlimited: How to Build an Exceptional Life, by Jillian Michaels
Part 2: Anxiety and Fear
Part 3: Target Practice
Part 4: You Didn’t Mean Not To