The Jerk Whisperer How to deal with tyrants, tormentors, and bullies...and still keep your sanity! by Dr. Stephen Birchak, Ed.D. Royal Fireworks Press Unionville, New York “We can train ourselves to wake up every day and tell ourselves: there will be no crises today. It’s that simple. Most crises are in our heads, not in the real world. When you remove the imaginary crises from your life, you will find that you have a lot more time to give away your smiles, give away your hugs, see the best in others, solve problems, and relieve a little bit of the suffering in the world.” Nick Birchak 1984-2011 Son, and friend. Lover of life and laughter. He gave away all his smiles. He danced to every song. The world became a better place because of his years in it. This book is dedicated to his memory. Copyright © 2012, Royal Fireworks Publishing Co., Inc. All rights reserved. Royal Fireworks Press First Avenue, PO Box 399 Unionville, NY 10988-0399 (845) 726-4444 FAX: (845) 726-3824 email:
[email protected] website: rfwp.com ISBN: 978-0-89824-372-7 Printed and bound in the United States of America using vegetable-based inks on acid-free, recycled paper and environmentally friendly cover coat- ings by the Royal Fireworks Printing Co. of Unionville, New York. Table of Contents Introduction ............................................................................ 1 Step One: Prepare Yourself for Change ............................... 3 Psychological diagnosis?......................................................3 We start with what we cultivate ........................................ 15 Letting go of insanity instead of letting it in ..................... 18 Step Two: Understand Your Reaction to Jerks .....................