f you’re a fan of Books Uplift, you know I’m a sucker for any book that promises a path to more positive outcomes. So, it was only natural that How To Build a Smile by Robert M. Cole, MD made it onto my reading list. And I wasn’t disappointed. Cole has outlined fourteen ways that you can build a smile for yourself, and those you encounter each day.

The fourteen chapters center around life lessons that make positive changes in our lives. From finding joy in your purpose to attending to our physical bodies and emotional needs, there is something you can do each day that promotes positive change.

Continued....https://booksuplift.com/how-to-build-a-smile-14-ways-to-a-better-you/

I seem to be in the minority but I didn't get a lot out of this book. It is a very short book with very large print, filled with very basic advice. Practice gratitude, don't miss the forest for the trees, don't be afraid of failure, etc. Each of these makes up a very short chapter of advice. It's very well intended and sweet, but I'm not sure it would be very helpful for anyone dealing with serious issues and I don't really think there's anything most people don't already know here. Interestingly, I assumed that the author was an elderly man from the way it reads but he's actually a pretty young doctor who does lots of TV appearances. Two stars for okay for me, but your mileage may vary.

I read a digital ARC of this book via NetGalley.

How to Build a Smile is a wonderful resource for those looking to improve positivity and gratitude. This book is written as if the author is your friend. He provides personal examples and those from other inspirational well known people. It is easy to read and easy to follow and therefore, implement. Each chapter focuses on one thing that you can implement in your life. It discusses and provides insight and easy to follow advice on the following topics: changing your perspective, avoiding self-pity, stop fearing failure, seeing the big picture, utilizing future mental time travel, decreasing taking things personally, forgiving, finding your passion, disconnecting from technology, being more present, being more patient, laughing more often, exercising, and being kind. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking to improve their life and that of their families. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this advance copy for my review.

This is more insightful and perceptive than most self-help books. This is probably because Dr Cole has worked for many years as a critical care doctor which has given him a lot of experience of human nature. I found his stories about this especially interesting.

Filled with great quotes from famous people, this book is all about changing your perception, and how we look at ourselves, the world and other people. Dr Cole includes sections on self-pity, positive thinking, finding your purpose and living for the moment, as well as many other helpful subjects. He also writes about the dangers of social media.

I enjoyed this book, and hope to look at it often.

I received this free ebook from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

This was a great book. It’s packed full of great advice and everything is explained in a very clear way. I found all the examples really helpful. Some of the advice was a bit obvious but sometimes we really just need something to remind us of what we already know and in this book the author did a great job justifying why some things really must be done and why they are considered important steps on the road to healing. I was afraid that Covid would be mentioned a lot considering when this book was coming out, but it was only mentioned a few times, so it didn’t bother me. This book has a lot of passages worth highlighting and reading several times. Overall, I recommend you read this if you’re struggling with where to take your life or how to deal with life in general or even if you have anxiety. Some self-help books have a lot of information that is difficult to work through, but this book didn’t have that problem. It gives you the science but not in a way that’s difficult to understand.