This book takes a hard look at what is really behind your bad habits, problem tempers and other self-defeating behaviors and thoughts. It's the "inner brat," a remnant of early childhood, the part of you that never grew up. This inner brat wants what it wants when it wants it. It pouts, sulks, gets angry and blames others when it doesn't get its own way - just like a bratty child.
Everyone has an inner brat, including me, I now realize.
While not written specifically for the workplace, Taming Your Inner Brat addresses common personal and interpersonal problems that spill over into the office. Things like procrastination, resentment, jealousy, making mountains out of molehills, and even being on a diet all interfere with our working at our best.
The book has a quiz that helps you estimate the strength of your own inner brat. There is also a chapter illustrating the different "personae" of inner brats, and how they affect the way you perceive and react to situations. Toward the end of the book are several do's and don'ts for taming your inner brat. "Don't always trust your feelings," urges the author, because your inner brat can manipulate the way you feel. Instead, she suggests distracting your inner brat and talking back to it in specific ways. More help is available through a free, monthly email newsletter. Sign up at innerbrat.com
Taming Your Inner Brat is mainly about how to regulate your own feelings and impulses. But it also includes a chapter on how we became such a "bratty" culture that demands instant gratification and blames others when things go wrong. This is an interesting backdrop that shows how we got here, but at the same time, it does not let us off the hook for personal responsibility for our actions.
Besides being informative, Taming Your Inner Brat is entertaining and easy to read. It's written by a clinical psychologist in a straightforward, no-nonsense style reminiscent of Dr. Phil, but with a more gentle and humorous tone. Without scolding, this book shows you a new way to look at your problems and to better manage them. When you're done reading it, you'll probably think of at least half a dozen other people who need to tame their inner brats.