On becoming unbreakable

Becoming emotionally unbreakable is a primary skill for achieving happiness. This book presents the principles of psychological strength, together with stories of people who have used those principles: How did Joseph Abbeel survive the Napoleonic wars, and manage to start a new life? Which crucial success principle was discovered by the Ancient Roman poet Ovid? How did Buffalo Bill cope with his tremendous financial mistakes? How did William Turner protect himself against negative criticism? Their stories will show you what to do when you are confronted with severe problems, even when everything seems lost. This book aims at making you highly resistant to adversity. Its principles will enable you to move on with your life despite difficulties, obstacles, and setbacks.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Chapter 1 - Refuse to listen to pessimistic messages
Better opportunities can be found
Practise this great philosophy every day
Imagine a happy outcome
Surviving and thriving against all odds
There is plenty of light in the darkness
A method for preventing serious mistakes
The search for a balanced perspective

Chapter 2 - Never stop asking for what you want
The power of universal principles
A man should be measured by his ambitions
When obstacles seem insurmountable
In praise of a polite, courteous approach
A simple technique for increasing your self-assurance
The fisherman and the hook
When a heavy storm breaks out

Chapter 3 - Learn to rely primarily on yourself
Penniless and uneducated, but determined
Surviving a major crisis without a scratch
Without resources and social connections
Looking for possibilities of advancement
A particularly unimpressive man
Choose a consistent strategy
A machine that functions under any kind of weather

Chapter 4 - Keep trudging forward
Decisiveness in the face of adversity
How to thrive after having your reputation trashed
A man makes a big mistake and loses his savings
Six lessons that you should never forget
An embattled man regains his peace of mind
Never make a promise you don't intend to keep
The immense value of having a tough skin

Chapter 5 - Be relentlessly entrepreneurial
Talent development makes fear disappear
A popular theory that is completely false
How to flex your psychological muscles
A poor communicator becomes a brilliant instructor
Observe the facts, and draw your own conclusions
Resilience multiplied by a factor of ten
A major mistake and a major lesson

Chapter 6 - Identify the crucial elements
A virtue that goes hand in hand with self-confidence
Don't be more cautious than you need to
A dominant paradigm blown to smithereens
Adopt a straightforward approach
Protect your privacy so that it protects your sanity
Misunderstood and vilified, but still a winner
Keep your margin of safety during bad times

Chapter 7 - Protect yourself from predators
Making an unusual career choice
The courage to call things by their names
Beware of stories that are too good to be true
Shun impracticality and waste
Holding a wolf by the ears
The essence of civilized behaviour
Stay away from ethical decay

Chapter 8 - Adopt a realistic approach
Here is a down-to-earth philosophy
The great advantage of having clear ideas
Like a rock that breaks the waves
How to judge people and events accurately
Striving for a well-measured proportionality
Beware of caring more than you should

Chapter 9 - Don't be blinded by false arguments
The question nobody dares to ask
Dealing with widespread passivity
The adherence to worthless dogmas
Social myths and superstitions
Beginning is tough, but obstacles can be surmounted
A highly productive second life
It is time to overcome self-inflicted blindness
About the Author: JOHN VESPASIAN is the author of seven books about rational living, including "Rationality is the way to happiness," "The philosophy of builders," "The 10 principles of rational living," "Rational living, rational working," and "Consistency: The key to permanent stress relief."

Excerpt from Chapter 1

Abbeel was born in 1786, and enjoyed little formal education. Nonetheless, he later picked up some German, Polish, and Russian during his travels. Abbeel wrote his memoirs in 1817, giving us a fascinating insight into how a man born in poverty in the late eighteenth century managed to overcome severe misfortunes, and start a new life. When Abbeel turned twenty, he was forced to leave his job at his father's brewery, and enlist in the French army. Napoleon Bonaparte was drafting hundreds of thousands of soldiers for his campaigns in Europe, and Abbeel was one of the draftees. He was then sent to fight in Austria, Germany, and Russia.

Abbeel served as a soldier for ten years, during which he was basically paid nothing. His salary, like that of thousands of other draftees, remained unpaid when Napoleon was deposed. In addition to suffering injuries and deprivations, Abbeel came out the war as poor as a mouse.

The most traumatic experience in his life was his participation in Napoleon's invasion of Russia in 1812. The invasion killed two thirds of the French troops. When Abbeel was retreating through Germany, he was captured by the Russians, and forced to walk to Kazan, where he was kept in appalling conditions for three years, together with other six thousand war prisoners. From those, only hundred and seventy survived.

Despite his misfortunes, Abbeel never allowed himself to break down psychologically. When the Russians took him prisoner, he tried to escape three times. And when he was starving, he managed to stay alive by eating horse blood mixed with flour. No matter what happened to him, Abbeel would just keep going. He simple refused to give up.