Life Is 10% What Happens to You and 90% How You React: Cultivating Inner Strength and Embracing Hope When Life is Not What You Expected

by Charles R. Swindoll

In this broken world, each of us has the same moment-by-moment choice. We can either unfurl the white flag of surrender and allow the bad things to roll over us or we can dig in our heels, stand our ground, and put up a fight. How? It's all about the attitude we decide to embrace. We can't change the inevitable. But we can change how we respond.

After all, life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react. Since pastor and bestselling author Charles Swindoll wrote those inspiring words, they've been shared over sixty-five million times across the globe. Now, join Swindoll as he explores the life-changing impact of looking at life through the lens of our reactions.

This isn't your average self-help book. Each chapter of Life Is 10% What Happens to You and 90% How You React is filled with timeless teachings, applicable Scripture, and thoughtful reflection questions. Reimagined from content found in Swindoll's bestsellers Active Spirituality and Laugh Again, Life Is 10% What Happens to You and 90% How You React gives you the tools and encouragement you need

Find joy no matter what season you're living throughOvercome life's dilemmas and build inner resilienceDefuse disharmony and free yourself from dramaMaintain balance, extend grace to yourself, and be prosperousLean on your Christian faith and its foundational viewsWithin these pages, Swindoll isn't promising joy or endless bliss. Instead, he offers practical wisdom that will equip you with the basic fundamentals to make better decisions, move past your past, and find peace in every day. Because life isn't simply about what happens to you...it's about how you react.

Genres: Self Help, Nonfiction, Christian

222 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 17, 2023

About the author

Charles Swindoll has devoted over four decades to two passions: an unwavering commitment to the practical communication and application of God's Word, and an untiring devotion to seeing lives transformed by God's grace. Chuck graduated magna cum laude from Dallas Theological Seminary and has since been honored with four doctorates. For his teaching on Insight for Living, he has received the Program of the Year award and the Hall of Fame award from the National Religious Broadcasters as well as multiple book awards.

Reviews

[Jen · Rating 2 out of 5]

My thanks to libro.fm and Thomas Nelson for an ALC for me to listen to and review.

Ehhh...more like 2.5 stars, but I rounded down because despite the fact that the content is important if nothing else, and I was actually able to finish it despite being in an audio book slump, I don't recall much of it a week or so after I finished listening to it.

I am currently bouncing back and forth between three other audio books that are depressing/frustrating because the characters do stupid things to further the plot, though I am looking at the plot from a modern day, old lady perspective. All of the characters are younger than me and are most likely acting and making decisions appropriate for their ages. It's just annoying and makes me not want to listen to more.

This book is non-fiction and is about joy and changing our personal perspective on things. It's also short, so thought it would be a quick listen that would brighten me up a tad. With the way this world is going, I need all of the positivity I can get. I think we all could.

Did this book deliver? Welllll....maybe?

I'm writing this review a few days after finishing it and I can barely remember any of it. I remember the narrator having a slight lisp/extra stress on his "S" sounds, which distracted me from what he was saying umpteen times. My mind also wandered, WAY more than is usual for me with an audio book, so I'm not sure if it was me or the content. I had to keep rewinding and re-playing parts over and over again and I fiddled with the volume more than I would have liked, given that I listen while I drive on my long and less than safe at times commute.

A lovely bit of irony was the narrator reading about joy when there was a rather intense road rage incident behind me while I was driving. It didn't involve me, thank goodness, but it was scary all the same.

This wasn't a bad book and I think as a result of my audio book slump, my enjoyment of listening to this suffered.

I wouldn't mind a re-listen when I am out of this slump, as I am sure I missed more than I caught the first time around.

2, it's probably me and not the book, stars.

[Heather Norman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Started a little slow, but ended impactfully.

[Kristina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Swindoll always knows how to point out the obvious and make it practical and easy to implement. This book is no less.
Understanding about how to react to stressful situations by experiencing joy at the same time. Great book for anyone who wants to live in more joy and live a less stress-worry-fear-ridden life.

[geekoutonreading : Tiffany · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book made some good points, but nothing I haven't heard before. While there were some quote worthy sections, most of the book came across as a little preachy and lacking details.

[B.J. Burgess · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Life is 10% What Happens to You and 90% How You React" took a little longer than anticipated for me to read, but here are my comments. It's not bad for a spiritual self-help book. The author avoids trying to convert the reader by instead explaining everything in simple words that everyone can grasp. As a lover of Peanuts, I enjoyed all the Charlie Brown references.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Items of Note:
* The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day.
* Life is a grindstone. Whether it grinds you down or polishes you up is for you alone to decide.
* Encouragement is awesome. It can actually change the course of another person's day, week, or life.

[Jack R White · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very encouraging book!

This book by my former pastor, Charles Swindoll, is a must read! His wisdom and experience is very encouraging! It will help you respond properly to whatever you might be going through.

[Amy Guthrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lots of wisdom packed into this little book! One of those I should pull out and read every year to keep myself on track! I listened to it and the reader was fine, but would have loved to have had Pastor Chuck’s voice speaking to me directly.

[Danny Glover · Rating 4 out of 5]

Life is 10% What Happens to You and 90% How You React

Excellent material, presented well, reinforcing what Christians are taught. Very glad to have read this book, thinking and praying as I went.

[Molly Harrell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this one, even though I don’t know if I fully agree with the bold statement in the title! As a matter of statistics, at least. I do agree that your attitude affects everything, though. There were some really helpful insights here.

[Ro Cartes · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐️ this is a book I really needed at this moment in time. So it was super helpful for me. I didn’t give it a full 5 stars only because it was pretty obvious type of information, but it was what I needed anyway. I enjoyed this and loved the scriptures and stories woven through.

[Sydney Grace · Rating 3 out of 5]

The beginning of this book was good, but I couldn’t see how it related to the title until the last few chapters. Overall, it was really good, but I almost didn’t stick with it because the first few chapters felt like a lot of independent ideas instead of a flowing book.

[Tina Johring · Rating 4 out of 5]

Swindoll never ever disappoints! I liked the quick read packed with the wisdom and humor and encouragement of Chuck. However, the reader was tough to listen to. I sped it up to 1.2 so it wasn’t quite as painful.

[William C. Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best book

The principles in this book are not only wonderful, they are life changing. Following them will bring true joy and be contagious to others!

[J Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such application! Very helpful. Easy to read. Highly recommend

[Josh · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good read about choosing how to react when life happens. Easier said than done for sure.

[Daniel E Lemire · Rating 5 out of 5]

100% perspective

Just what I needed in my life.

Crossroads come. This book grants wisdom so you can meet the challenge.

I have been so blessed to have this book.

[Kevin Dumcum · Rating 3 out of 5]

I generally respect Chuck Swindoll teaching, but this was pretty weak, an unconnected hodge podge of topics. And while I get the point, I don’t know if I agree with the 10% / 90% split.

[C.S. Areson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simple straight forward advice for Christians.

[Adrienna · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't like the narrator fit audiobook, didn't keep me interested and didn't gain much from it.

[Sandeep Kumar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Every example is relatable and resonates with so many situations I have been through and might go through again. Happy to have read the book.

[Brandon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful with practical wisdom.

[AT Bear · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wish that I would have finished this before attending my husband‘s company party. Loved that the author focused on the way Jesus showed us both true humility and servant leadership.

[Tom Niebergall · Rating 3 out of 5]

The title says it all.