The Thing You Think You Cannot Do - by Gordon Livingston (Paperback)

About the Book

The bestselling author of "Too Soon Old, Too Late Smart," Dr. Livingston, a psychiatrist, offers a life-changing look at the central issue of our timeNfearNand an old-fashioned virtue called courage.

Book Synopsis

Bestselling author Dr Gordon Livingston M.D. brings his thoughts and wisdom to the subjects of fear and courage. We live in a time when fear of terrorism, war and disease, are all magnified, it seems, by media and the internet. How are we to find the courage to live, and live well despite the constant threat of fear? Dr Livingston identifies fear as the central issue of our time. It has become a corrosive influence in modern life, eroding our ability to think clearly. Overcoming our fears constitutes the biggest struggle in our lives. As a psychiatrist, Dr Livingston knows how reliant many are on pharmaceutical remedies to alleviate anxiety. While these may be effective, he has recently started to prescribe human virtues such as courage, which is integral to his thirty individual truths that are explored as the tools to overcome our fears on every level, in order to free up our lives.

Review Quotes

""Spirituality & Practice", "A Best Spiritual Book of the Year," 2012

Philadelphia"" Tribune", 4/27/12-
"[An] unflinching look at fear." Spirituality and Practice
"A hard-hitting and timely collection of essays by a passionate elder whose criticism of our culture is right on target." "InfoDad.com", 5/17/12
"[A] study of fear and courage, whose chapters are headed with particularly intriguing quotations." "The Bookworm Sez" column, 6/25/12
"Dr. Livingston writes with conviction and a no-nonsense manner. His thoughts are well-conceived, they make sense and they're empowering. His words offer the hope about which he writes, and that's very comforting..."The Thing You Cannot Do" takes no prisoners, accepts no whining, and it won't make friends. But if you're stuck in life and need a nudge, reading it may be the best thing you can do."
"BP Magazine", Summer 2012"Stresses the importance of facing the boundaries fear imposes by following clear-cut steps to cultivate courage."

"Philadelphia"" Tribune", 4/27/12-
"[An] unflinching look at fear." Spirituality and Practice
"A hard-hitting and timely collection of essays by a passionate elder whose criticism of our culture is right on target." "InfoDad.com", 5/17/12
"[A] study of fear and courage, whose chapters are headed with particularly intriguing quotations." "The Bookworm Sez" column, 6/25/12
"Dr. Livingston writes with conviction and a no-nonsense manner. His thoughts are well-conceived, they make sense and they're empowering. His words offer the hope about which he writes, and that's very comforting..."The Thing You Cannot Do" takes no prisoners, accepts no whining, and it won't make friends. But if you're stuck in life and need a nudge, reading it may be the best thing you can do."

"BP Magazine", Summer 2012"Stresses the importance of facing the boundaries fear imposes by following clear-cut steps to cultivate courage."

About the Author

Gordon Livingston, MD, a graduate of West Point who was awarded the Bronze Star for valor in Vietnam, is a psychiatrist and writer who contributes frequently to the "Washington Post," "San Francisco Chronicle," and "Baltimore Sun." He lives and works in Columbia, Maryland.