It's not about the shark : how to solve unsolvable problems / David Niven.

Includes index.

Chapter 1: Imaginary Philip and the Problem of Problems.--Chapter 2: Humans, Swamp People, and the Survival Problem.--Chapter 3: Power and the Farb Problem.--Chapter 4: Don't Come Home for Christmas and Other Lessons on Trying Harder and Making It Worse.--Chapter 5: Would You Get on the Bus to Abilene?.--Chapter 6: Four Points and the Wrongness of Always Being Right.--Chapter 7: Miss Iceland, the Gangster, and the Cat: What Happens When You Burn the First Draft.--Chapter 8: The Knowledge Is Like a Toothache: The Value of Taking the Long Way.--Chapter 9: Dark, Soft, Smooth, and Slow: The Power of Opposites.--Chapter 10: What Are These Bells For? The Art of Listening to Yourself.

When we have a problem, most of us zero in, take it apart, and focus until we have it solved. Steven Spielberg tried that when the scenes with his expensive prosthetic shark just weren't scary. Psychologist, social scientist and million-selling author David Niven shows us that focusing on the problem is exactly the wrong way to find an answer. And Jaws built its famous menace precisely because the shark hardly ever appears in shot. Putting problems at the centre of our thoughts shuts down our creative abilities, depletes stamina, and feeds insecurities. Niven shows how working harder, and having absolute confidence in finding a solution, actually hides answers. It's Not About the Shark shows how to transform your daily life with a simple but rock-solid principle: if you start by thinking about your problems, you'll never make it to a solution. If you start by thinking about a solution, you'll never worry about your problems again.