Surrounded by Setbacks: Turning Obstacles into Success (When Everything Goes to Hell)
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-12-28 06:52:30
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Thomas Erikson
- ISBN：1250789516
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
Part of the bestselling Surrounded by Idiots series！
In Surrounded by Setbacks， internationally bestselling author Thomas Erikson turns his attention to a universal problem: what to do when things go wrong。
Too often it seems like our dreams and ambitions—whether it’s finally getting that corner office， lacing up your running shoes again， or building a flourishing relationship with your partner—are derailed by one roadblock or another。 So how do we learn to take setbacks in stride and still achieve our goals？
In Surrounded by Setbacks， Erikson answers that question。 Using simple， actionable steps， Erikson helps readers identify the “why” behind their goal， create a concrete plan towards achieving it， and—most importantly—avoid many of the most common pitfalls that derail us when we attempt something new。 The simple 4-color behavior system that made Surrounded by Idiots revolutionary now helps readers reflect on how they respond to adversity， giving them the self-awareness to negotiate the inevitable obstacles of life with confidence。
In Surrounded by Setbacks， internationally bestselling author Thomas Erikson turns his attention to a universal problem: what to do when things go wrong。
Too often it seems like our dreams and ambitions—whether it’s finally getting that corner office， lacing up your running shoes again， or building a flourishing relationship with your partner—are derailed by one roadblock or another。 So how do we learn to take setbacks in stride and still achieve our goals？
In Surrounded by Setbacks， Erikson answers that question。 Using simple， actionable steps， Erikson helps readers identify the “why” behind their goal， create a concrete plan towards achieving it， and—most importantly—avoid many of the most common pitfalls that derail us when we attempt something new。 The simple 4-color behavior system that made Surrounded by Idiots revolutionary now helps readers reflect on how they respond to adversity， giving them the self-awareness to negotiate the inevitable obstacles of life with confidence。
Reviews
Marie
，
Stop wasting your time on the wrong things。You are the person who governs your own life。You are responsible for everything you do。You may not be responsible for creating something but you are responsible for reacting to it。Changes are your choices。You can choose how to look at your history。What do you complain about and why？Feel the fear and do it anyway。Your choices govern your results。Surround yourself with people who are positive， who make you smile， who challenge themselves， who accept and e Stop wasting your time on the wrong things。You are the person who governs your own life。You are responsible for everything you do。You may not be responsible for creating something but you are responsible for reacting to it。Changes are your choices。You can choose how to look at your history。What do you complain about and why？Feel the fear and do it anyway。Your choices govern your results。Surround yourself with people who are positive， who make you smile， who challenge themselves， who accept and embrace change。Work hard。 Focus on your strengths。 Practice。 Never give up。 Break down what needs to be done into manageable parts。 。。。more
Paulina Parzych
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Coaching shit
Gemma Kearney
，
Maybe I'll read it again when I have goals I want to work towards but it wasnt suited for me and my life at the moment。 Some parts were motivating but other parts felt very fictional and unrealistic - following Lena's story etc。 I didn't like that the author writes about all of his setbacks as a writer as it hones in on one specific unrelatable path。 It also poses the question if you've come across all these setbacks as a writer then how are you writing about setbacks？ Seems quite contradictory Maybe I'll read it again when I have goals I want to work towards but it wasnt suited for me and my life at the moment。 Some parts were motivating but other parts felt very fictional and unrealistic - following Lena's story etc。 I didn't like that the author writes about all of his setbacks as a writer as it hones in on one specific unrelatable path。 It also poses the question if you've come across all these setbacks as a writer then how are you writing about setbacks？ Seems quite contradictory to me。 I also wasn't reading this book as a weight loss guide and this was particularly honed in on a lot which I didn't appreciate。 Being overweight doesn't make you a failure。 。。。more
Dimitri Coukos
，
Very standard Adlerian self-help backed up with very little evidence， clinical experience， and with a heavy dose of pseudscientific psychological theory。 Not really sure what this book brings to the table。 Perhaps more useful repackaging of what's has already been stated elsewhere with useful chapter summaries when you want to skim or review。 Very standard Adlerian self-help backed up with very little evidence， clinical experience， and with a heavy dose of pseudscientific psychological theory。 Not really sure what this book brings to the table。 Perhaps more useful repackaging of what's has already been stated elsewhere with useful chapter summaries when you want to skim or review。 。。。more
Kathy
，
You will want this book on your bookshelf to annotate， highlight and dog-ear。 Thomas Erikson breaks down the setbacks that are holding you back from living your life fully。 He helps you to see the warning signs of decline and commit to no more excuses in moving forward。 The development stages are addressed as he takes you through how to gain self-confidence and motivation。 The different personality/characteristics “colors” that people have are discussed。 These are important to understand to real You will want this book on your bookshelf to annotate， highlight and dog-ear。 Thomas Erikson breaks down the setbacks that are holding you back from living your life fully。 He helps you to see the warning signs of decline and commit to no more excuses in moving forward。 The development stages are addressed as he takes you through how to gain self-confidence and motivation。 The different personality/characteristics “colors” that people have are discussed。 These are important to understand to realize which “color” you are while dealing with various situations， or not dealing with them， as the case may be。 。。。more
Livio
，
"How do we learn to take setbacks in stride and still achieve our goals？"This book was a great read。 Erikson speaks some harsh truths about the way we handle problems and that adversities can actually be a good thing。 They are part of our life， and we must learn how to deal with them to be successful。 He gives examples from his personal life and specific examples for 4 different types of personalities， the so called “4-color behavior system”。 It is not an exact science， but it makes complete sen "How do we learn to take setbacks in stride and still achieve our goals？"This book was a great read。 Erikson speaks some harsh truths about the way we handle problems and that adversities can actually be a good thing。 They are part of our life， and we must learn how to deal with them to be successful。 He gives examples from his personal life and specific examples for 4 different types of personalities， the so called “4-color behavior system”。 It is not an exact science， but it makes complete sense。 It is easy to identify yourself with one or more of them according to many factors such as manner， work style， priorities。 Like many nonfiction books， I think it’s hard to rate it right away without trying his methods。 Even small changes take time to show results。 But I do believe many of the lessons in this book are valuable， with lots of inspiration and motivation to help us succeed in life！ 。。。more
Heli
，
Valitettavasti tämä kirja tuntui vähän turhalta - tuntui， että siinä 1。 osassa oli ehkä tätäkin aihetta sivuttu。 Kirjoittajan omat ongelmat tuntui aika "keskiluokkaisilta"， mikä laittoi epäilemään， toimiiko kyseiset ohjeet edes oikeassa elämässä 。 Valitettavasti tämä kirja tuntui vähän turhalta - tuntui， että siinä 1。 osassa oli ehkä tätäkin aihetta sivuttu。 Kirjoittajan omat ongelmat tuntui aika "keskiluokkaisilta"， mikä laittoi epäilemään， toimiiko kyseiset ohjeet edes oikeassa elämässä 。 。。。more
Teolinda Stark
，
Inte helt och fullt lika roande att läsa som de tidigare ”Omgiven av…”-böckerna。 Även om de olika färgerna tas upp även i denna handlar det mesta om hur man tar tag i sitt liv och blir mer framgångsrik。Eftersom jag troligen är en blandning av blått och grönt med en möjlig gnutta gult emellanåt förstår nog alla som redan läst boken att jag lever mitt liv bekvämt tillbakalutad i Senköping och undrar flera gånger i veckan varför jag inte lyckats komma längre än såhär。 Jag tackar för svaret författa Inte helt och fullt lika roande att läsa som de tidigare ”Omgiven av…”-böckerna。 Även om de olika färgerna tas upp även i denna handlar det mesta om hur man tar tag i sitt liv och blir mer framgångsrik。Eftersom jag troligen är en blandning av blått och grönt med en möjlig gnutta gult emellanåt förstår nog alla som redan läst boken att jag lever mitt liv bekvämt tillbakalutad i Senköping och undrar flera gånger i veckan varför jag inte lyckats komma längre än såhär。 Jag tackar för svaret författaren ger som kort och gott går ut på att jag aldrig gjort något för att förändra mitt liv。 Är du blossande röd kommer du att ha mycket nöje med att följa alla råd du får här。 Frågan är mer om du tar dig tid att läsa dem？Som gul kan det vara ett kul projekt som alla andra du påbörjar。 Och detta handlar i slutändan om dig。 Det låter väl bra？Den som är grön kan nog känna sig en aning kränkt och stött över författarens besserwisserattityd och den blå personligheten lovar att komma igång när hen bara skrivit ner alla bra tankar och idéer。Betyg: 4 steg i rätt riktning av 5 。。。more
Lindsey
，
Well I guess I will have to be happy living in Laterville。 A lot of my favourite things to do are there （reading for pleasure， etc）。
Caroline Gortz
，
Så bra！ Hade mycket som var tänkvärt och snyggt formulerat。 Jag faller inte särskilt mycket för det där med personligheterna uppdelat i färger， men i övrigt tyckte jag boken var toppen！ Läste igenom den snabbt。
Glen
，
Ironically， shortly after starting Surrounded by Setbacks I was struck by a truck while bicycling home from work。 My shoulder was fractured and dislocated; I've been out of work and pretty well defeated since。 Even before that， I'd had a ridiculous five years of setbacks—including losing a wife， daughter， job， and more—which is why I requested this Goodread's giveaway book。 It seemed appropriate for me。I'm not sure I have much to say about it。 Everything anyone really needs to know about "happin Ironically， shortly after starting Surrounded by Setbacks I was struck by a truck while bicycling home from work。 My shoulder was fractured and dislocated; I've been out of work and pretty well defeated since。 Even before that， I'd had a ridiculous five years of setbacks—including losing a wife， daughter， job， and more—which is why I requested this Goodread's giveaway book。 It seemed appropriate for me。I'm not sure I have much to say about it。 Everything anyone really needs to know about "happiness psychology" （what you might call this genre today） was written by the Stoics 2000 years ago。 I read a lot of this stuff。 Everything since then is either 1。） a repackaging of the ancient wisdom or a 2。） technical addendum to it， where some scientific study has shown some new data or revealed some unique insight that supplements what your grandmother's grandmother already knew。 The repackaging type either dumbs down or softens the wisdom， or "translates" for a specific type of audience。 The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F\*ck， for example， translates into Bro-speak， for bros and other people that still get some kind of cheap thrill from naughty words。 The second type of book is the one that builds a narration around modern psychological studies and has citations in footnotes no one reads—think your Kahnemans and Gladwells。Surrounded seems like the dumbing down variation or a plain-speak translation。 There are no citations （at least in this advanced reader copy）， no research。 Everything is anecdotal， sentences like "a wise person once said。。。" and "I once knew a guy that。。。"。 That's fine—we need "translations，" because different people respond to different voices。This series is， apparently， based around the nearly-100-year-old DISC model of personality that reduces the great diversity of human traits to 4 facets。 This author's only contribution seems to be randomly assigning colors to each of the four。 Why one would do this is beyond me。 The reason you use an acronym （like DISC） is so you can remember what the acronym stands for， where colors have no inherent meaning。 I'm I a green？ A red？ Who knows？ There's no reason for me to remember which color randomly associates with what personality type。 （I lie。 I'm a blue。 I pay attention to my reading。 But the point is adding colors doesn't contribute anything。 Colors already have metaphorical pre-conceived associations that get in the way。 The Yellow personality here is NOT cowardly。 The Blue is NOT sad。）If you need a straightforward tough-love speech after a hardship， this book might be what you're looking for。The author lost me 1/3rd of the way through。 In his personal "list of setbacks" in his life， he includes no less than four separate car wrecks; the wording implying the unlikely pattern was a function of his own reckless driving behavior and a function of a general thoughtless attitude toward the safety of others。 This is a silly， unfair bias， a fiction I wrote in my head。 The author could be the world's safest driver for all I know， and this is NOT a reason to dislike an author or book。 I'm just sensitive to reckless driving these days。 For some reason。 。。。more
Sangeeth Abraham
，
It's a great book。 I have read multiple books and this one is the whole package。 If you need a mindset change or better quality of life this book has it ！ It's a great book。 I have read multiple books and this one is the whole package。 If you need a mindset change or better quality of life this book has it ！ 。。。more
Daphne Rose
，
Erikson is like that mean professor in college that gives you a lot of challenges because he knows you can handle them。 This book is one a lot of people need to read。 He stresses taking responsibility for yourself， changing the course of your life instead of merely letting things happen to you， and working to achieve the goals you want。 He is honest with the setbacks he has faced， and he emphasizes giving yourself （achievable） goals to progress to where you want to be。 This whole book is inspira Erikson is like that mean professor in college that gives you a lot of challenges because he knows you can handle them。 This book is one a lot of people need to read。 He stresses taking responsibility for yourself， changing the course of your life instead of merely letting things happen to you， and working to achieve the goals you want。 He is honest with the setbacks he has faced， and he emphasizes giving yourself （achievable） goals to progress to where you want to be。 This whole book is inspirational not because it is fluffy and makes you feel good but because it is brutal， honest， and encouraging。It is worth noting that I am not a "businessperson，" nor do I ever intend to be， but I still found this book helpful， enjoyable， and insightful。 I read through it with a pen in hand， and I actually highlighted a fair bit。 This book is applicable to all kinds of people in all walks of life。 Erikson spoke about jobs， but also about weight loss， cutting out bad habits， working on relationships and family， and more。 Nothing he said was entirely new to me， but it was still a wake-up call I needed。 He has a way of putting things down so that you can't ignore them or work around them。 He anticipates his audience and walks you through how to build goals that you won't give up on。 It was engaging and applicable。There were some downsides。 Erikson could be a bit too harsh at times， in my opinion。 There was a time where he implied that a person should leave （much） earlier for work just in case there happens to be an accident that slows them down and makes them （re: his emphasis on responsibility over blaming external circumstances）。 That felt a bit over the top to me personally， though I mostly thought his harshness was warranted。 Perhaps because I was reading with a highlighter in hand， I also noticed some repetition as the book went on。 By the end， I was skimming parts because I felt like I had read it before， though it was good advice。 Finally， I am not very familiar with the DISC method or Erikson's color-coding， so his chapters on that were a bit lost on me。 I could not find a test to tell me what "color" I am， so I just read those chapters and highlighted the parts I identified with。 （I guess I must be somewhere in the red， blue， or green range， but how much of each， I don't know; all I know is， I couldn't relate to a thing about yellows！） I have no criticisms of his color scheme， but though he did provide a brief overview， I just am not familiar enough with it to fully enjoy those parts of the book。Overall， this was probably one of the more enjoyable "self-help" books I've read。 Erikson is an engaging， compelling writer。 He said a lot of things I needed to hear in my life right now， and I am working on putting them into practice。 If you need a swift kick in your pants to get you going on whatever in your life （weight loss， job promotion， gaining skills， overcoming bad habits， etc。）， this is the book for you。 Highly recommend！（I received an ARC of this book as part of a Goodreads giveaway。 Though I am under no obligation to post a review as part of the giveaway， I am providing my honest feedback to thank the publisher for the free book。） 。。。more
Stuart Jennings
，
If you seriously want to get your act together。。。here's the best book out there for just that！ ;）Thomas Erikson has gone the extra mile andwrote a 'one-of-a-kind' book on getting yourselfback on the right track。。。Highly Recommended。。。！ If you seriously want to get your act together。。。here's the best book out there for just that！ ;）Thomas Erikson has gone the extra mile andwrote a 'one-of-a-kind' book on getting yourselfback on the right track。。。Highly Recommended。。。！ 。。。more
Jimi Holmberg
，
Erikson on parhaimmillaan puhuessaan rutiinien kehittämisestä ja omien tavoitteiden suunnitelmallisesta työstämisestä。 Tällöin hän on selkeä， perusteellinen ja näyttää tietävän， millaisiin sudenkuoppiin ihmiset usein vajoavat elämäntaparemonttiensa aikana。Itse kirjan oletettu juju， eli väriteoria ja sen soveltaminen vastoinkäymisiin， onkin kaikista heikoin osuus。 Tällöin myös Eriksonin jo valmiiksi kornit anekdootit käyvät erityisen ärsyttäväksi， ja koko väriteorian kyseenalaisuus teki näistä lu Erikson on parhaimmillaan puhuessaan rutiinien kehittämisestä ja omien tavoitteiden suunnitelmallisesta työstämisestä。 Tällöin hän on selkeä， perusteellinen ja näyttää tietävän， millaisiin sudenkuoppiin ihmiset usein vajoavat elämäntaparemonttiensa aikana。Itse kirjan oletettu juju， eli väriteoria ja sen soveltaminen vastoinkäymisiin， onkin kaikista heikoin osuus。 Tällöin myös Eriksonin jo valmiiksi kornit anekdootit käyvät erityisen ärsyttäväksi， ja koko väriteorian kyseenalaisuus teki näistä luvuista yhä kiusaannuttavampia。Aivan kun olisin kuunnellut periaatteessa vetoavaa puhujaa， jonka vitsit ovat huonoja ja puolet sisällöstä soopaa。 Eriksonin tapa syyllistää väriteoriaa kritisoineita， lähteettömyys sekä avoin katkeruus korkeakoulutusta kohtaan saivat myös raapimaan päätä。Kirja olettaa lukijansa olevan keski-ikäinen ja vähintään keskituloinen， mikä ei periaatteessa haittaa， mutta toki saa miettimään kuinka hyödyllisiä ohjeet ovat esimerkiksi heikosta toimintakyvystä kärsiville。 。。。more
Kasperi
，
I read this in finnish
Sara
，
3- / 5Den här boken är mycket lättläst skriven och populärvetenskaplig。 Innehåller väldigt många generaliseringar och ger inte ”aha-upplevelser”。 Eriksons sätt att skriva försöker att vara underhållande men jag köper inte det。
Sanna
，
Old fashion ideas。 Worn out。 How can the rain be a "setback" that "destroys" that party？？ The rain is the weather-circumstance， not a setback！Already， in the beginning， this book felt vague。Besides， there is no information on how PINK-color handles difficulties！ So， not valid information to me at all， or people who are light blue， violet or maybe purple。In this book， "success" must be in a hard way of success。 I really prefer to read Wayne W。 Dyer。 Old fashion ideas。 Worn out。 How can the rain be a "setback" that "destroys" that party？？ The rain is the weather-circumstance， not a setback！Already， in the beginning， this book felt vague。Besides， there is no information on how PINK-color handles difficulties！ So， not valid information to me at all， or people who are light blue， violet or maybe purple。In this book， "success" must be in a hard way of success。 I really prefer to read Wayne W。 Dyer。 。。。more
Ziemowit FacetJakBook
，
Moje wrażenia z słuchania tejże książki są pozytywne， dzięki lektorowi wręcz przyjemne oczywiście treść miała tu swoje zasłużone miejsce， bardzo mi podpasowała książka。 Może tylko nie prześledziłem podziału na typy osobowości gdyż chyba jestem mieszanką tych typów albo nie znam zbyt dobrze siebie lub nie umiem określić słowami。 Ale książka mnie zdecydowanie zmotywowała do dalszych zmian i nie siadania na laurach - bo kto schudnie jeszcze 36 kg？Co zmienia w moim życiu？ Wracam do picia wody， może Moje wrażenia z słuchania tejże książki są pozytywne， dzięki lektorowi wręcz przyjemne oczywiście treść miała tu swoje zasłużone miejsce， bardzo mi podpasowała książka。 Może tylko nie prześledziłem podziału na typy osobowości gdyż chyba jestem mieszanką tych typów albo nie znam zbyt dobrze siebie lub nie umiem określić słowami。 Ale książka mnie zdecydowanie zmotywowała do dalszych zmian i nie siadania na laurach - bo kto schudnie jeszcze 36 kg？Co zmienia w moim życiu？ Wracam do picia wody， może nie samej wody non stop ale raz na jedno gotowanie te pół litra czystej kranówy warto wypić。 Oraz świetny pomysł z tymi pompkami！ Tak będę robił 5 pompek dziennie - co prawda w podparciu - i będę co miesiąc dokładał sobie 2 kolejne。 I zaczynam już wczoraj！W sumie autor mówi innymi słowami to co jest wiadome ale czasem jest potrzebne przypomnienie lub nowe pomysły na stare jak świat wiadome rzeczy。Jeśli nie możesz zmienić innych to zmień siebie！ 。。。more
Antra Volujevica
，
Rekommenderar starkt！ Bra bok att läsa om man känner sig omotiverad och tycker att det inte händer något bra runtomkring en。Man får tips och förklaringar hur vi tänker som människor och varför är det lättare att lata sig och mycket mer ansträngande att ta tag i saker och börja ändra sitt liv redan NU！
Alexandra Bemm
，
Full review here: https://alexandrabemm。com/2020/09/02/。。。 Full review here: https://alexandrabemm。com/2020/09/02/。。。 。。。more
Sanna Jylänki
，