Summary of Secrets for profiting in Bull and bear Markets by Stan Weinstein.

  A Journey into the Mind and Sanitization of Thoughts: Insights From "Don't Believe Everything You Think" by Joseph Nguyen.

The Book, "Don't Believe Everything You Think" challenges us to rethink the way we perceive ourselves and react to our thoughts. At its core, Nguyen emphasizes a profound truth: while pain is inevitable, suffering is optional. This idea forms the foundation of the book. The pain caused, such as the loss of job or a relationship ending, likewise can happen to anybody and its inevitable in life to stop these, the suffering we endure -like ruminating and thinking all the time over it, is often a result of our reactions, highlighting the truth that suffering is optional. The author challenges readers to reconsider their relationship with their thinking and emotions, advocating for mindfulness and self-awareness as a powerful medicine to cure life's inevitable challenges without unnecessary suffering. This book is not just a read; it's a journey towards mental clarity and emotional freedom.

 Joseph Nguyen recounts a Zen Story about a young monk living in a small monastery in a forest near a small lake. The monk had one very important obligation of meditating in silence for hours at a time. But the young monk finds it difficult to stay focused during his meditation that made him very angry. As the young monk reported his progress to his mentor, the elder monk asked the young monk a simple question that contained a hidden lesson: "Do you know what made you angry at the disruption?" As you become angrier with each interruption you encounter, this is totally opposite of what the point of meditation is. The meditation is to find a way for a peaceful mind in disturbing environment. After that, the young monk went out and looked for a place that would be quieter to meditate peacefully. He found such a place at the shore of lake nearby. When he started meditating, a flock of birds splashed down the lake, disturbing the young monk.

Even though the young monk did not find the peace he was looking for, he kept returning to the lake. Then one day, the monk saw a boat tied at the end of a small pier and an idea hit him: Why don't I take the boat to the middle of the lake and meditate peacefully there? And he exactly did that.

In the middle of the lake, there was nothing to disturb him and finally he was able to find peace of mind while meditating and hadn't felt angry for a long time now.

One day while meditating in the middle of the lake, the young monk heard splashing of water and felt that the boat was moving. he started getting upset that even in the middle of the lake, there is someone or something disturbing him.

When he opened his eyes, he saw a boat heading straight towards him. He shouted, but the other boat kept coming straight at him and hit his boat. Now he was furious. He screamed, " Who are you, and why have you hit my boat in the middle of this vast lake?" There was no answer from the other side. He stood up to see who was in the boat and to his surprise, he found that there was no one in the other boat.

The boat was probably drifted by the winds.  The monk's anger instantly dissipates, replaced by a sense of calm and clarity. At that moment he remembered his mentor's question: "Do you know what is making you angry?" And he realized: "It's not other people, situation or circumstances. It's not the other boat, but my reaction to it causes my anger." 

The monk rowed the boat back to shore and returned to the monastery and started meditating along with other monks. There were still noises and disturbances around, but the monk treated them the "empty boat" and continued to meditate peacefully.

The empty boat becomes the metaphor for how we often project our thoughts and emotions onto situations, allowing our assumptions and interpretations to dictate our reactions.

"Don't Believe everything You Think" uses this simple and profound story to convey a critical message: our thoughts are not always a reflection of reality. By becoming aware of this, we can free ourselves from the automatic reactions that often lead to stress and unhappiness. 

"Don't Believe everything You Think" is must-read for anyone seeking to understand the workings of the mind and to live a more mindful and serene life. The story of the young monk and the empty boat is just one of the many insights that make this book a valuable guide for personal growth and inner peace.