Ten Ways to Squeeze More Happiness Out of Life

Absorbing SpongeBob

(Steven Harriman/ Berkley Books/October 2005/256 pages/$12.00)

국내 미출간 세계 베스트셀러(NBS) 서비스는 (주)네오넷코리아가 해외에서 저작권자와의 저작권 계약을

통해, 영미권, 일본, 중국의 경제·경영 및 정치 서적의 베스트셀러, 스테디셀러의 핵심 내용을 간략하게
정리한 요약(Summary) 정보입니다. 저작권법에 의하여 (주)네오넷코리아의 정식인가 없이 무단전재,
무단복제 및 전송을 할 수 없으며, 모든 출판권과 전송권은 저작권자에게 있음을 알려드립니다.
 Absorbing SpongeBob
Ten Ways to Squeeze More Happiness Out of Life

The Big Idea

A clinical psychologist by the name of Dr. Steve Harriman has found a way to take life’s
blues away with the help of your favorite residents of Bikini Bottom – SpongeBob and
friends. Through watching every episode with his niece and being a huge SpongeBob
fan himself, he realizes chunks of wisdom in the cartoon characters’ every adventure
that will inspire any reader to live life with more zest and hope.

Unravel the ten most important secrets to happiness with a light touch, as SpongeBob
Squarepants illustrates points on how to live and become conscious of the lessons to be
learned from it. From handling fear, getting along with yourself, to dealing with hard
truths, the book puts forward a new perspective that getting a good laugh is not the only
benefit you can get from cartoons, but also life’s lessons for any average adult, as much
as for kids.

Why You Need This Book

The book is a so-simple-to-understand-it guide for everyone who misses to appreciate
the lighter side of life even above the chaos brought about by a difficult person, twisted
circumstance, and days that aren’t just as happy as you want them to be. It’ll remind you
that even after a long day, whatever your age is, ‘there’s always time for ice cream.’ It is
sure to make you love yourself as much as you love SpongeBob.

The 1st Way: Handling Fear

Are you an introvert like Squidward Tentacles who spends a lot of time by himself
making art or an extrovert like SpongeBob and Patrick who keeps on pestering
Squidward? Most people are a little of both, but with the introverts, being more sensitive,
they are the ones who are found to be more fearful. However, there’s a point where
extroverts get the ‘scared to death’ feeling too, but of different reasons like scorn and
rejection.

The key is to have the ‘Edge’, defined as the right level of fear. It’s the point where fear
helps people do better than just scare them out of their wit’s end. How can you not be
afraid when you are? Relax. Fear is like somebody else’s pet lion. It won’t hurt as long
as it doesn’t sense that you are actually afraid.

The best cure to reduce fear of change is to gain knowledge by studying and learning.
This would definitely plunge you to whatever it is that would make you happier.

The 2nd Way: Stop Signs

You can turn your feat and blunders into something greater if you’d take the time to
follow life’s stop signs when you recognize them. Mr. Krabs, the owner of Krusty Krab
Restaurant where SpongeBob works, could have known better when he decided to
close his resto to press his luck over playing poker with his archrival Plankton, only to
lose after being used to the scenario of always being the winner.

In each crossroad where life requires decisions between go and no-go, knowing a little
more than just merely trusting your gut instinct, will help you to avoid steering into the
wrong direction.

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Stop and know how to make more of yourself.

The 3rd Way: Hard Truths

If there’s anything that people may love more aside from getting what they want is
getting it faster. When Mr. Krabs ordered his employees to give personalized gifts to
each other to boost their morale, Squidward hurries to buy a homemade looking pie for
SpongeBob, claiming he made it himself. Later on, he discovers that the pie has a time
bomb inside which would explode once it reaches Sponge’s lower intestine.

It’s like thinking of skipping ahead in this book. You’ll surely miss a lot more than what
you have wanted to expect. The problem with shortcuts is that they don’t always work.
Find ways. Work harder.

In Bikini Bottom, Plankton is the only character who is perpetually angry and discontent.
But SpongeBob feels that he is only misunderstood and that all he needs is a friend. Set
a time and place for yourself if you’re the type who feels angry a lot. Confide in a true
friend or to your partner in life. Don’t keep the tears from flowing – they carry out
neurochemicals of sadness out of your body. You might even end up being a better man
after crying.

The 4th Way: Economics

There are two ways to define people: what they are and what they do. When
SpongeBob and his best friend Patrick the Starfish adopted a baby clam to take care of,
Sponge takes on the duties of mothering while Patrick goes off to work. He comes home
exhausted to help Sponge anymore with the other chores. Soon, Sponge becomes
resentful while Patrick remains oblivious.

No one ever knows how others exactly feel without giving space for that other person
within you. The only thing that others know about you is what you show them. Act on
your feelings. Whatever good intentions or feeling you would want others to feel would
count for nothing if you won’t. Making others smile is the speedy way to get one for you.
Remember, you get what you give.

Giving gifts is not a duty but an opportunity to show that you care about someone.
SpongeBob and Patrick thought of giving Squidward a gift to make him feel better when
he fell off a cliff and ended up in bandages from head to toe. But instead of coming up
with something he would personally like, they present him with what would mean best
for them--Jellyfishing day.

When the recipient is someone special to you, it’s not really the ‘thought’ that counts. It’s
the gift actually. Remember that if you do not know what to give to that someone you
love, it means you lack spending more time and need to push more effort in putting
yourself in the place of this loved one.

The 5th Way: Timing

SpongeBob Squarepants is obsessed with being on time. According to him, the yin and
yang of timing are the act of knowing when to quit and the perils of not starting.
Procrastination is a dreadful thing and it happens because of the following reasons:

● Perfectionism
● Distraction
● Preference for instant gratification

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SpongeBob wants his license so much that he hunched over his Boating School paper,
setting the bar too high for himself. He instructs himself to make it the best paper ever
written, making perfectionism the very reason why he can’t even start to write. Afraid
that others might think you are stupid or simply not good enough, you’d rather go off and
do something else.

Some get easily more distracted than others. SpongeBob makes a good excuse to
shove off his paper by wanting to feed Gary, his pet sea snail who meows like a cat. If
you are this type, then go a place where you know your focus on finishing something
won’t be disturbed.

If you have a choice between partying and working on something important tonight, you
will probably be more encouraged to party. It will be your first choice until you are almost
at the reach of your deadline for the much more important task. You are all twisted even
before you have realized you have favoured instant gratification.

Here are four important points on How to Beat Procrastination:

1. Get it out of your head that you do better under pressure.

2. Don’t try to be perfect.
3. Divide the project into small parts.
4. Read each day’s little slice first before you do anything else, even before you get
out of bed and brush your teeth.

The 6th Way: Family Values

Bad stuff doesn’t always come from broken homes alone. It also happens in the
happiest of families. But it doesn’t mean we could be better without them.

When Patrick’s parents informed their son of their visit, he feared their presence
knowing they would make a punching bag again out of his self-esteem. As his best bud,
SpongeBob decides to help him by acting stupid in front of his parents so Patrick would
appear smarter. As an unintended consequence, Sponge started to resent it as
Patrick became overly happy in making him look dumb in front of everyone. It was
already too late when he decided to drop his stupid act. Patrick’s parents imprinted in
their minds already that their son’s best friend is nothing but an idiot.

Your family will consistently be the fountainhead of why you were born, the source of
your most important needs, security, and what is good, and even someone you can
blame when things go wrong.

The 7th Way: Theology

Theology, defined SpongeBob-style is ‘what you believe about God’.

SpongeBob and friends share theological humor principles on humility, positive outlook,
true happiness, and charity. When Patrick brought his new shoes, SpongeBob bragged
about teaching him how to tie his shoelaces, and then of course blows it in the end. He
acted too superior that he trapped his own self to shame.

People (the ones with brains) will probably like you more and will think you’re stronger--
if you don’t flaunt everything that’s good about you, if you don’t easily give away all your
good stuff, and be free to admit when you’re wrong.

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If you find yourself in a bad situation, tell yourself things that would make you feel good
about even if it’s the worst you found yourself in. Act on what you believe rather than just
simply believing it. With that, you can definitely be happier.

Like in Bikini Bottom, everyone can make each others’ lives easier if each would try to
practice humility, love neighbors, and just simply help each other when possible. It also
helps if people would stay out of each others’ faces once in a while.

Live up to what you say you believe.

The 8th Way: Getting Along With Others

No one can be as stranger-friendly as SpongeBob. He applies the glue that sticks
everyone together into one big happy society.

In one episode, Squidward was asked by his school mate Squilliam to stand in for him in
his band. But Squidward had a difficult time dealing with the other members of the band
since he was a new guy. To help, Sponge asked the band to see Squidward not as a
close, personal friend but someone worth helping.

If you have trouble getting along with someone, try to visualize the person as a dear
friend who is worth at least a hello. Loyalty means that you do not hurt friends, no matter
how cool, easy, and comfortable is the opportunity. A little competition with your friends
goes a long way, but sometimes going too far gets too near.

So the next time you help your friend who could lose a few pounds to zip up her dress,
try to zip your lip too.

So when the good folks of Bikini Bottom followed SpongeBob’s advice, they made their
lives happier and better. That was their reward. You can make it yours too.

The 9th Way: Getting Along With Yourself

Squidward is a boring squid who’s hobby is playing the clarinet but terrible at it. Like
most of every body, what he needs to do is to stop trying to please everybody and try his
best in becoming the sort of squid he himself can respect and give value to. And for this
to happen, he must examine his self well first.

Everybody sure needs a personal tune-up once in a while. It is necessary to take a good
hard look at yourself on a regular basis and casually say that there’s nothing wrong with
you. Defensiveness is how you call this self-perceived perfection.

Squidward, being an eternal pessimist, never gets the hang of having fun. He builds the
kind of defensive mechanism to keep the pain of others’ disapproval out, without
knowing that this very mechanism keeps him from seeing what he needs to know to
master himself and his disposition in life.

Imagine what a sensible person you can turn out to be, just for acquiring the guts to
admit that you are not always right. Probe for the opportunity to get smarter before you
can feel the power of positive stance in your life.

Some people aren’t even aware that they are fine just the way they are. Squidward is
really a good guy with a good heart, shown vividly through his events of compassion
and sympathy for SpongeBob. The downside of it all is that he doesn’t even know he is.

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So if you are often troubled with how people would accept and like you, take a deep look
inside and around you. It’s never too late to become someone you can actually like and
respect.

The 10th Way: Mastering The Universe

Sometimes existence can be taken simply as going around being alive. And if you plan
to master the universe, you have got to know as much about it as you can.

Here are four important things to know about existence:

1. To fully understand the nature of it is impossible. However…

2. Giving existence no thought leaves you with squat preparation for its twists and
turns.
3. Drawing the wrong conclusions about existence can make life worse, not better.
4. Having the right handle on existence will make your life happier.

There is an immense need to study what life is if you really want to squeeze happiness
out of it. It will always be full of different choices that you yourself will make, whether you
know it or not. With this, it is just as essential for you to take a little time to see more
clearly and think a little deeper. Acquire your edge.

Fear of Floating
Constant fear makes life a great deal less worth living.

The episode where Sandy Cheeks (a female red squirrel) went skiing down Sand
Mountain with SpongeBob and Patrick dramatically illustrates this lesson. When
Sponge fell and broke his butt, he became excessively afraid to go out anymore to do
anything. He confines himself to his home. And like most people, he convinced himself
that the only way to not get hurt is to play it safe and avoid all possible danger.

Letting fear rule over your life would definitely deprive you of the prospect to master the
universe. As life is made up of choices, it must be in mind of any one that each involves
some risk which may lead to downbeat and even catastrophic consequences. But to risk
yourself in pursuit of a better life is the only way you can attain and accomplish things
you never even imagined possible.

Go Figure
This expression isn’t just about making the reader think of drawing out his own
conclusions for this book, but a way of life, one that can bring you greater happiness.

Bikini Bottom’s plucky souls of denizens are always in the going and figuring state of
mind. They are all always active, never passive. From SpongeBob being a trusting good
guy; Patrick, a loyal bud; Sandy who is good at everything she does; Gary, the pet snail
who is a natural musician with an amazing sense of rhythm; and even Plankton being
the good-natured bad guy trying to steal the Krabby Patty recipe from Mr. Krabs.

Maybe you were so used already to the usual life where thinking comes first before
doing. That is perfectly rational as long as you make sure that you get to the doing part
no matter what happens.

Face it. Mastering the universe is a rough and tough goal to work on to. The point to get
you started is for you to think of something to do with your life. The fun comes in spotting

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the most important parts of your life, act on and learn from it, and make yourself happier.

That’s what SpongeBob and the Bikini Bottom creatures do.

You can do it too.

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[세계 베스트셀러(NBS) 서비스는 영문의 경제·경영 및 정치 서적의 베스트셀러, 스테디셀러의 핵심 내용을 간략하게 정리한
요약(Summary) 서비스입니다. 영문 서비스는 단순히 서적을 소개하거나 광고를 위한 Book Review가 아니라 세계의 베스
트셀러 도서의 핵심을 체계적으로 정리한 도서 정보로써, 이 서비스를 통해 세계의 정치·경제·문화의 흐름을 빠르게 파악할
수 있습니다. 세계 지도층이 읽는 세계 베스트셀러 도서를 가장 빠르고 효율적으로 접해보시기 바랍니다.]

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