Useful Belief

Useful final thoughts

I hope you have enjoyed this book. I have deliberately presented the ideas in a simple, accessible form. I wanted this to be a small book people could pick up and read on one flight — a quick experience, but one that left a lasting impression.

I have received so much feedback from people at conferences who have connected with the idea of useful belief. People have drawn links with religious belief, meditation, yoga, athletics, music, surfing and many other activities and ideas.

There is a lot of power in this idea. Some people have even shared their concern that it could be exploited to justify bad behaviour: ‘I thought it was useful at the time.' The one caveat I would emphasise is that I don't believe anything is useful if the practice of it hurts anyone else.

Common sense is the key. (It usually is, by the way.)

We all have the moment at birth when we enter this world alone, and in the end we all leave it the same way — alone.

Useful belief is ultimately about how you choose to spend your journey in between. My goal is to help people be good to themselves on this journey. It is useful to be your own greatest friend. You will make mistakes — everyone does. That does not mean you have to beat yourself up about it for the rest of your life. After all, that wouldn't be useful.

We live in a time of unprecedented self-absorption and self-indulgent behaviour. Who would have thought only a few years ago that we would happily broadcast our life (or our version ...