Soundtracks: The Surprising Solution to Overthinking

I have battled with obsessive, intrusive thoughts all my life. As I read Soundtracks, there were so many moments when I felt like Jon was right inside my head, telling the story of my own struggles. But not only did he see right through me, he also offered simple, practical tools to help me overcome overthinking. I have already “retired” a few old soundtracks and replaced them with new ones... and it has completely revolutionize my world!As always, Jon’s writing is relatable, engaging, and laugh-out-loud-funny. If Soundtracks doesn’t have you re-thinking your overthinking, I don’t know what will!

It’s funny how intentional we can be about a lot of different things. Intentional with our time, intentional with what we watch, intentional with what we eat. We are intentional about being intentional. But oftentimes we aren’t intentional about what goes on inside our heads. We just assume if a thought is in our mind it must be true. My brain loves me and wants what’s best for me, so it works to make sure that Philippians 4:8 is the soundtrack of my life. Right? Wrong. Actually, our brains can be real jerks. That’s an actual heading in Jon Acuff’s new book, Soundtracks. Our brains often work against us accomplishing the goals we want to accomplish and becoming who we want to become. We get caught up in fearful thought patterns that get so engraved in our minds they then become part of our subconscious and we don’t even realize it. Jon calls them broken soundtracks. They are often untrue, unhelpful, and unkind. And the scary part is they are driving behavior (or causing the lack of it) and we probably don’t even realize it. But the good news is Jon doesn’t just give us a bunch of statistical data about this problem, although he does. He teaches us how to identify and retire these broken soundtracks, replace them with new ones, and how to repeat them until they are just as engraved in our minds as the old, broken ones. He also has tons of research to prove that this process works. (This is a crucial step in reinforcing a new soundtrack and retiring old ones as we learn in chapter 9. I’m just now realizing Jon did that for us with the stories and data in this book to reinforce its message while simultaneously turning down the dial on any doubts we may have had. It’s like soundtrack inception! Or maybe I’m overthinking it…)Seriously, this book is full of practical, real-life advice and is mixed with Jon’s incredible sense of humor. Jon’s books are fun to read and have been incredibly influential in my life. Just about anything he writes, I read. And listen to. His audiobooks are gold. One of the broken soundtracks that I have been working at retiring is “I’m not equipped to be a good dad because I didn’t have a good dad.” The new soundtrack that I am replacing it with is “I have a perfect Heavenly Father who has given me everything I need to raise my kids.” As I have been rehearsing that truth to myself, using the process Jon lays out, it’s amazing the difference it has made in the way I interact with my kids. I’m no longer a dad stretched too thin, with nothing to give his kids. Instead, I’m a dad who has an endless supply of love and grace because God’s supply never runs out. This is a book that scientifically verifies the power of renewing our mind and gives us practical steps to take to renew it.

Apart from the quality of the book, the content as well as the humour of the book is jaw-dropping. Soundtracks by Jon Acuff is so 'light and easy' to read and imbibe that as you flip the pages over in excitement you realize you've reached the finished line effortlessly. Definitely a great book to start with for new readers.If anyone here needs a definition of a soundtrack, a soundtrack is a repetitive thought that influences our life. It's like a belief.

Einzelne Gedanken wieder und wieder im Kopf zu haben, die berühmte kaputte Schallplatte, kann einen ganz schön zermürben.Dieses over thinking ist gar nicht so leicht in den Griff zu kriegen.Der Autor Jon Acuff hat mit seinem Buch Soundtracks eine erstaunlich simple Lösung beschrieben mit der man diesen sich wiederholenden Gedankensalat tatsächlich gut in den Griff bekommen.Seine Art zu schreiben ist zudem auch sehr witzig, so dass man immer wieder schmunzeln muss was bei der Schwere des Themas wirklich hilft.Er hat auch begleitend viele wissenschaftlich gestützte Studien machen lassen, was das Ganze sehr seriös und nachvollziehbar macht.Es ist ein ungemein praktisches Buch, aus dem ich sehr sehr viel für mich mitgenommen habe.Jeder der sich schon mal ansatzweise mit dem Thema Affirmationen beschäftigt hat, findet hier zudem eine großartige, wissenschaftlich gestützte Grundlage, wie sich damit tatsächlich arbeiten lässt. Auf eine Art und Weise die uns im Leben vorwärts bringt.Unterstützend zu denken, lässt sich lernen und tut ungemein gut.

No one really teaches you how to think as you grow up. We cram our minds full of knowledge, but we pay no attention to the constant Soundtracks playing in the background. Soundtracks that tell us, "Life is hard," "Work is a grind," and, "You're not ________ enough." Without sounding like some hokey infomercial motivator, Acuff not only exposed my faulty soundtracks, he helped me rewrite them.I'm grateful for this book and will be thinking about thinking in a new way for many years to come.