How to Be Confident: The No.1 Sunday Times Bestseller Paperback – 20 July 2023

I started listening to this book on Audible after I heard James being interviewed on Diary of a CEO. I love his voice! And, I really enjoyed it! I’ve bought the Kindle version so that I can re-read and highlight some of the best bits (which unfortunately is complicated to do using Audible) to go back and refer to now and again. James gives some great examples and references to other writers and making notes on Kindle for future reference is more handy. I’ve shared the Diary of a CEO interview and this book with quite a few friends and family as it’s a great one to be able to chat about together over a cuppa. And, if it brings them a little closer to being their best selves as it has dine for me, then that’s a great gift to pay forward. I’ll be keeping this book for my son to listen to when he’s a little older.PS. Actually, James if you could put your best bits of advice into a series of animated YouTube shorts, I can guarantee you’ll be on to a good thing for the younger Gen Z.

A book which I could easily follow, relate to and take something away. An ordinary guy for an ordinary person. Thankyou for making a book which I believe many will be able to follow.

Reading can sometimes feel like a chore especially if you find yourself struggling with the writing style.James is a breathe of fresh air. He combines (as always) evidence based science with antedotal stories and a bit of comedy to wash the learnings down.This is my first book of his I've read and wasnt sure if his personality would translate on paper. Absolutely has, can almost hear his voice reading it. I flew through this book over a weekend and even made some notes. Its a triumph.

It's the first book I've ever read back to front and I loved every moment of it . It's insightful , funny and just beams of hope . A hope that you can change your life.Brilliant book . I Highly recommend

i love the writing style, its almost as if James is talking to you direct rather than talking at you.its opened my eyes up to aspects of my personality that i didn't realise I had.i would also recommend his other books too if you feel the need.

I was recommended and wasn't aware of who James Smith was. But man, what a great book, so I'm glad my friend suggested me—a lot of great tips and advice. And ironically, I'm pushing on to becoming a personal trainer. But this book is for everyone to build confidence and be the best they can be. I strongly recommend it. I can't wait to read the other books he's published.

The book is a summary of well-known psychological concepts and anecdotes from author's life, bringing nothing new to the table but probably useful if you want a starting point.What really disappointed me, was selective picking of facts and omissions in the areas I knew about that made me to lose trust in the rest of material I'm not as well acquainted with.One example is Jeff Bezos story, where author presents Amazon success as a product of Bezos being confident about something unlikely. To make his point, author completely omits a lot of thinking that went into making the success as likely as possible.Another was a section explaining negativity bias through an example that most people consider losing £100 to be more significant than gaining £100. The section is illustrated with a scientific-looking function plot demonstrating the behavioural aspect of theory, and yet completely omits the basic mathematical fact that if one were to repeatedly play a game with an equal chance of losing 10% or gaining 10% each round, the game would result in losing 1% every two rounds on average (1 x 90% x 110%) that no amount of confidence can change.

So hard to put the book down!So much to take away from the book, perfect 3rd book after his last 2.Lots of life skills that have changed the way I deal with things and my thought process.Such a calmer happier person after soaking up 3 books by JS.Top man, great author…When is book 4 James? >_<

Good.

A great follow up to James’ book “Not a Life Coach”. The chapter on ‘Values and Behaviours’ alone is worth the cost of the book three-fold; something that more people need to understand. Well done on penning a book full of great advice that is not only worth the time reading but is totally relatable.

Great book Janes very inspiring