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Fifteen years after its initial publication, Rabbi Dr. Abraham J. Twerski’s Classic It’s Not As Tough As You Think is as inspirational and relevant as ever. 

Arranged into short chapters, this iconic best-seller provides quick bursts of inspiration to help you tackle life’s challenges. It’s Not As Tough As You Think has lessons about perspective, relationships, attitude and more, making it ideal for anyone looking for motivation and encouragement in life’s journeys.

“Rabbi and psychiatrist Twerski draws upon his numerous years of counseling experience to offer advice and guidance on approaching the little and big annoyances of life with positive thinking. Interweaving biblical lessons, rabbinic teachings and psychotherapeutic coping techniques into 102 brief anecdotal meditations, Twerski teaches lessons on topics as diverse as how to “Avoid the Need for Regrets,” “Judge Favorably and Act Accordingly” and “Hear No Evil, Speak No Evil.” […] Twerski’s sparkling wit and animated prose will touch the hearts and souls of his readers.” -Publishers Weekly

If you haven’t yet read this timeless classic, here’s a sample chapter to give you a taste of the wit and wisdom of Rabbi Dr. Twerski:

May You Have Many Worries

(Excerpted from It’s Not As Tough As You Think by Rabbi Dr. Abraham J. Twerski, published by ArtScroll Mesorah publications.)

Life is full of annoyances. You open your washing machine and discover that all your whites have a blue hue, because somehow a dark-blue sock was mixed in with the load. Or you rush downtown to take advantage of a spectacular sale, only to find that there are enormous bargains to be had — in every size but yours. Or you turn the key in the lock and it breaks off, and your husband, who has the other key, is away on a business trip. There are minor annoyances or major annoyances. Obviously you become irritated, but how much irritation is justifiable?

On one of my trips to Israel I visited a friend, and asked him to pray at the Western Wall for my brother, who was ill with cancer. As I was leaving, he said, “May you have many worries.”

I was taken aback by this remark. “What kind of blessing is that?” I asked.

My friend explained, “You see, it is impossible for there not to be any annoyances and irritations in life. Nothing ever goes completely smoothly . But if there is no single problem that is overwhelming, then we are bothered by a number of things that upset us. If there is one problem that is extremely grave, it obscures every other annoyance, and we are focused totally on that one major problem.

“Right now,” my friend continued, “you are so concerned about your brother’s illness, that nothing else bothers you. That is why having only one problem or one worry is not good, because it means that this one problem is terribly serious. If you have many worries, that means that nothing is so bad that it drives away all the rest, and that is about as good as life can be.”

So next time you are irritated — as, for example, it is late at night, say, 1 A.M., and your automobile alarm goes off, and you are simply beside yourself — just think. Aren’t there other things on your mind? Perhaps you just got the bill from the dentist for your son’s braces, or there was water in the basement from the heavy rains this week.  If you have any kind of normal life, you should be able to find a few other irritations. Then give thanks to God that you have many worries. God forbid you should have only one worry! The car alarm going off is not the end of the world by any means. It will shut off and resolve itself, just as the other worries — if there are many — will be resolved in one way or another.

Some psychologists may teach you how to relax by expelling an irritating thought from your mind. My friend suggests another method, one which is much easier to accomplish and at far lesser cost: Bring in a few more worries, and then feel relaxed precisely because you have so many.

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